Structure linked with legend & once used as a lighthouse, housing a small museum & a restaurant.
Kizkulesi is located off the coast of Salacak neighborhood in Üsküdar district, at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus. It literally means “Maiden’s Tower” in Turkish. The name comes from a legend: the Byzantine emperor heard a prophecy telling him that his beloved daughter would die at the age of 18 by a snake. So he decided to put her in this tower built on a rock on the Bosphorus isolated from the land thus no snake could kill her. But she couldn’t escape from her destiny after all, a snake hidden in a fruit basket brought from the city bit the princess and killed her.
Another legend wrongly mentions Hero and Leander in the tower, therefore some people wrongly call it “Leander’s Tower”, a sad love story told by Ovidius: Hero was one of the priestess of Aphrodite living in the tower. One day she left the tower to attend a ceremony in the temple where she met Leandros and they fall in love with each other. Leandros swam to the tower every night to visit his love, meanwhile she was holding a torch to guide him in the dark waters towards her in the tower. But on a stormy night Leandros couldn’t see the light because it was put out by the winds, and he swam all night loosing his way until he was drowned. Hero, seeing that her lover died, she also jumped into the water and suicided. Some people narrate this love story as it was happened on the Bosphorus, but in fact it’s a legend from the Dardanelles, when Leandros was swimming to Hero between Abydos (today’s Eceabat) and Sestus (today’s Canakkale city).
The signature of Istanbul, Maiden’s Tower stands proudly in the intersection of the Bosphorus where the two continents of Asia and Europe meet. The tower’s history stretches back 2,500 years, with a wealth of legends surrounding its place in this extraordinary city. Now the tower serves as a café and restaurant, attracting guests from near and far for a romantic meal, business engagement, or even a wedding. With delicious breakfasts and international lunch and dinner menus, Maiden’s Tower can be enjoyed at any time of day. Live music and a friendly mood will accompany your meal, and with the Bosphorus on all sides, the views are magical. Indoors in the winter or outdoors in the summer, for a truly bespoke experience, ask for the exclusive booking options and enjoy Maiden’s Tower in unique style.
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