Galata Tower was built by the Genoese as a part of the Galata walls during the Byzantine Empire period, in the middle of the fourteenth century, when the Galata district was a Genoese colony.
After being used as a dungeon for a while during the Ottoman period, it was turned into a fire watchtower. The tower, which was destroyed from time to time by earthquakes and fires, underwent several renovations during the Ottoman period.
The tower, which was in a very dilapidated condition by the 1960s, was restored by the Istanbul Municipality and opened to visitors.
Galata Tower was restored by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2020, the reinforced concrete elements and cafeteria added later were removed and opened its doors to visitors as a museum.
Artifacts reflecting all periods of Istanbul, which has been the scene of settlement since prehistoric times and which was the capital of three great empires for about sixteen centuries, are exhibited in the Galata Tower museum. The top floor of the Galata Tower, which was one of the tallest buildings in Istanbul until the middle of the 20th century, has one of the most beautiful panoramic views of Istanbul. The tower is on UNESCO's tentative heritage list, along with the Genoese Towers in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
