In the center of our attention are Maiden's tower and Ortakoy mosque of Istanbul.
Maiden's tower is located in the asian part of Istanbul on a small
island of Bosporus, in Üsküdar district. It's the symbol of the city.
The tower is considered to have been built by an Athenian commander
Alkiviad to control invasions of Persian ships in Bosporus.
In 1110 the tower was enlarged up to a small fortress. It was
repeatedly reconstructed and renovated, the most considerable changes
were undergone between 1509 and 1763.
For its long history the tower served as a lighthouse, prison and a
quarantine isolation spot. In 1943-45 the tower was restored according
with the image it had had in the XIX century. Nowadays there is a
restaurant in the tower.
One Turkish legend says: a Turkish sultan loved his daughter to
destraction. Once a clairvoyant predicted that his daughter would die
when she would be 18. When the construction of the tower was over, the
sultan ordered to take his daughter there to protect her from any
possible danger. On her 18th birthday he gave his daughter a pot of
fruits, when she opened it, there was a venomous snake there that bit
her and she died as it had been predicted.
Another legend tells about the second name of the tower - Leandra.
According to it, it was named that in honor of a hero of one ancient
Greek myth - a youth Leandr who loved Gero, a priestess of Aphrodite and
for him she broke the vow of chestity. To see her, he sailed along
Dardanelles each night. The youngster in love was afraid if nothing on
the way to Gero. He sailed at the fire that Gero set each night, but
once the fire went out and in darkeness Leandr couldn't find the proper
way and sank. In the morning his body was brought to the feet of Gera by
waves. In despair she went upstairs in the tower and jumped into the
sea and sank too.
Ortakoy mosque is located on the European part of the city near the
Bosporus bridge. In was built in 1853-1854, it has two minarets.
The mosque is built in the style of Ottoman baroque. It consists of two parts: a harem of the sultan and his private rooms.
via petrushanov
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