Native name: Galata Kulesi
The Galata Tower is located to the north of the Golden Horn and is one of the city's most visible landmarks . The tower is a huge , cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn . It was built in 1348 by a Genoese colony as a part of their fortifications . Those who built the tower were the descendants of the crusaders , as there had been a Genoese settlement in the city from the early 13th century , after the fourth crusade . The tower was the highest among the fortifications surrounding the Genoese citadel of Galata .
Galata tower is a nine-story tower that measures 66 . 90m tall . The ground floor is raised some 35m above sea-level . The diameter of the tower’s base is 16 . 5 m at the base , 8 . 9m diameter inside , and with walls that are 3 . 7m thick .
The original wooden interior of the tower was removed and a concrete structure was used instead during the 1960s . The tower then was opened to the public with a restaurant and café on its upper floors which provide a magnificent view of
Istanbul
and the Bosphorus . Also located on the upper floors is a nightclub
featuring a Turkish show . There are two elevators in the tower that carry visitors from the lower level to the upper levels .
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