The Maiden's Tower, known in Turkish as Kiz Kulesi, is a small tower on a rock in the Bosphorus, just off the Asian shore of Istanbul near Uskudar. A fortification on the islet is recorded in Byzantine times, when the emperor Alexios I Komnenos had it strengthened in the twelfth century, and a chain was stretched from it to the opposite bank to control ships. The Ottomans used it as a lighthouse and a quarantine station, and the present building dates mostly from the eighteenth century, with later restoration. Several legends are attached to it, including one of a princess who was locked in the tower to escape a prophecy that she would die from a snake bite. It is a popular symbol of the city.
Before and after
- from 1102 to 1109Siege of Tripoli
- 1106Construction of Gelati Monastery
- from 1107 to 1110Norwegian Crusade
- 1110Birth of Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti
- 1110Construction of Maiden's Tower
- from 19 October 1110 to 5 December 1110Siege of Sidon
- 19 December 1111Death of Al-Ghazali
- from c. 1113 to 1150Suryavarman II builds Angkor Wat
- from 1115 to 1569Republic of Florence
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 622 CEConstruction of Prophet's Mosque
- from 800 CE to 1258Islamic Golden Age
- 1342Construction of Palace of Westminster
- from 1370 to 1789Construction of Bastille
- 1386Construction of Heidelberg University
- from 1438 to 1533Inca Empire
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 12th century.