magine a tower set apart from the shore, alone in the middle of the bay, standing guard over the entrance to Istanbul. The sun sets in the background, casting a dark silhouette of the tower at its lonely duty. This is the Maiden’s Tower, sometimes known as Leander’s Tower, a small, isolated building on an even more isolated rock that bears the mark of nearly a thousand years of history.
This attraction has many legends surrounding it, although its actual history is equally as fascinating. Maiden’s Tower began as station for ships to stop and resupply, or to be stopped and inspected before proceeding further into the bay. Dated to around 1100 AD, the actual year of creation is a bit hazy, lost to history like so much else in the area. The Tower bears the unique mark of being halfway between Europe and Asia, located in the Bosporus Strait that separates them.
Maiden Tower (Kız Kulesi) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The most common legend surrounding the tower is a Turkish one. An unnamed emperor had a daughter who prophecy foretold would die on her 18th birthday due to a poisonous snake bit. The father, in an attempt to protect his daughter, placed her under lock and key on the island until the date passed. He visited her often. On the day of her birthday, the father brought her a collection of fruit from the mainland in celebration of the prophecy not coming true. However, when she reached into the basket, an asp, a highly venomous snake, bit her hand. The princess went on to die in her father’s arms. As she died unmarried and chaste, the tower was dubbed The Maiden’s Tower in memory of her.
The Maiden’s Tower with vapor rising from the Bosphorus. Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The secondary name for the tower came about as a result of the Greek myth of Hero and Leander. Hero was a priestess who resided in a tower near a place called Dardanelles, and Leander was a young man who fell in love with her. He would cross the strait daily to visit her, and she kept a lantern lit in order to guide his way. One night, he fell into the ocean after waves washed him off the shore. The wave also put out the lantern, causing Leander to become lost and drown. In a fit of grief, Hero threw herself from the tower and died. Because Dardanelles and Bosporus are located so close to one another, the story is sometimes attributed to the Maiden’s Tower.
Today, the Tower is a popular tourist attraction, featuring a restaurant on the first floor and a cafe at the top. It has also been featured in several very popular films, including The World is Not Enough and Hitman.
