The most recognizable feature on the Golden Horn, the Galata Tower is 60-m
(196-ft) high and topped by a conical tower. Its origins date from the 6th century when it was used to monitor shipping. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the Ottomans turned it into a prison and naval depot. In the 18th century, aviation pioneer. Hezarifen Ahmet Celebi, attached wings to his arms and "flew" from the tower to Üsküdar. The building was subsequently used as a fire watchtower.
The tower has been renovated and on the ninth floor there is now a restaurant and nightclub. The unmissable view from the top encompasses the Istanbul skyline and beyond as far as Princes' Islands.(s1)

This tower at the slopes of Galata is visible everywhere in the city, and is 61 m. tall. The unique panorama of tower is one of the most important reasons why it attracts the visitors. The tower is at the hill which overlooks both to the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. It is possible to ascend to the viewing terrace which is on the top floor of the tower, by 143 step stairs or by lift. It is known that there had been a tower in this region since the 5,h century BC. But, the present tower was built between 1348-1349. The Genoese built this tower as part of the defense walls in the region which they conquered from the Byzantine, and named it as "the Tower of Jesus'. The inner diameter of the tower, which has an altitude of hundred and forty meters, is nine meters. In the Ottoman era. the tower was used as a prison, warehouse, lighthouse and fire observing tower. It was restored between 1964-1967 and a new balcony was placed on it. The tower was the scene to one of the most astonishing events of the Ottoman period. An scientist named Hazerfen Ahmet Celebi jumped down the tower and flew to the opposite side of the Bosphorus strait by using the wings which he had invented 17th-century. (s4)

This 205-foot-tall stone tower is the centerpiece of the Galata district. "Galata" comes from the word gala, or milk, from the time when the hillside here was used by sheep-herders and dairies. In the Middle Ages, when Byzantines controlled the historic core of the city, this was Genoese territory. This tower—sometimes called the "Genoese Tower"—was part of a mid-14th-century fortification. But, with a key location facing the Byzantine capital across the Golden Horn, the dramatic tower's purpose was likely as much to show off as to defend. During the Ottoman period, it was used as a fire tower, barracks, and a dungeon.
Today, the tower is a tourist attraction—offering visitors the best view of Istanbul. Climb the little staircase around behind the tower, take the elevator to the seventh-floor restaurant, and go to the observation terrace.
As you enjoy the view, ponder the strange-but-true story of the 17th-century aviation pioneer Hazerfen Ahmet. According to legend, Hazerfen Ahmet was so inspired by the drawings and models of Leonardo da Vinci that he built his own set of artificial wings, which allowed him to fly several miles from the top of this tower, across the Bosphorus, to Uskudar on Asian Istanbul. What happened to him next is unclear: Some say he was awarded a sack of gold by the sultan, while others claim that the clergy—who didn't believe that humans were supposed to fly—had him exiled to North Africa. (s3)

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