Maiden’s Tower

Istanbul seems to be an immensely interesting city. There is so much history to see here. I took a ferry on the Bosphorus Strait just to chill and observe the city. Along the way, I would be able to see a few historical areas. I didn’t really stay too long at the Kadikoy since all I wanted to do was ride the ferry. I quickly got a ticket back to Eminonu and soon we were on our way back. On the way back to Eminonu, I noticed a structure which I saw from the Dolmabahce Palace. It seems to be some kind of tower in the middle of the strait.

This tower is one of Istanbul’s signature sights. I was actually hoping that the ferry would pass by the tower so I can take photos of it. Unfortunately, I would find out that it won’t. There are private tours which will bring you to the tower itself but this is as close as I could get. This tower is the Maiden’s Tower or Kiz Kulesi. Apparently, there is a story behind this tower. The emperor’s daughter was prophesied to die by snake bite by her eighteenth birthday. To protect his daughter, the emperor had her daughter locked up in the tower with only the emperor to visit. On her eighteenth birthday, the emperor came with fruits to celebrate the victory over the prophecy but there was a snake hidden with the fruits and it bit the princess and she died. Thus it was named the Maiden’s Tower.

It is doubtful the story of the tower is true but it is a nice story much like Rapunzel. It is a shame that the ferry doesn’t get any closer to the tower but there is always the tour ferries for that. I will not be doing any of that so I just use my camera to get closer to the tower. It was actually hard to photograph since I was on a moving ferry. At least I can see a little more detail compared to the view from the ferry itself.

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