The Galata Tower is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul. It is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Istanbul's historic peninsula. Unfortunately, it was closed for restoration, so couldn’t go inside.

Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul at 219.5 ft when it was built in 1348.

I thought this was interesting: In 1875, during a storm, the conical roof on the top of the building was destroyed. The tower remained without this conical roof for the rest of the Ottoman period. Many years later, during the restoration works between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed. IT DIDN’T HAVE A ROOF FOR ALMOST 100 YEARS! Come on, Turkey…

The split picture of me is half in front of the real Hagia Sophia and half in front of the miniature version from the Miniturk park.