Maiden's Tower
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The Maiden's Tower (Turkish: Kız Kulesi, Ancient Greek: Leander's Tower/Tower of Leandros) was a lighthouse located on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus Strait, off the coast of Üsküdar in Constantinople.
History
Construction and restoration
The tower was first built by the ancient Athenian general Alcibiades in 408 B.C.E. to control the movements of the Persian ships in the Bosphorus. During that period, the tower was located between the ancient cities of Byzantion and Chrysopolis.
It was later enlarged and rebuilt as a fortress by the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus in 1110 C.E. Later, it was restored and slightly modified several times by Ottoman Turks, most significantly in 1509 and 1763.
Renaissance
In the year 1259, the Assassin Niccolò Polo had an intricate structure built beneath the Maiden's Tower to conceal the fourth Masyaf Key. In 1511, fellow Assassin Ezio Auditore sailed to the Maiden's Tower and worked out its secrets, procuring the Key in the process.
Assassin's Database Entry
Kiz Kulesi, the Maiden's Tower - known erroneously as Leander's Tower - has served many functions since its construction in 1110. Initially a naval control tower, it has also been a lighthouse, a semaphore station, a quarantine post, a customs station, a home for retired naval officers, and a restaurant.
The origin of its name stems from a number of disparate myths, the most common and recent of which concerns a Sultan and his beloved daughter. According to legend, the Sultan was told by an adamant oracle that his daughter was destined to be killed by a venomous snake on her 18th birthday.
Determined to deflect the barbs of fate, the Sultan built the Maiden's Tower for the exclusive purpose of keeping his beloved daughter away from land and all things that crawled upon it. After the tower's completion, the girl moved in and remained there until the appointed day.
On the evening of his daughter's 18th birthday, the Sultan was overjoyed that he had prevented the oracle's prediction and so traveled to see her, bearing a basket of exotic fruits to present as a gift. When his daughter picked through the cornucopia, however, she was immediately bitten by a poisonous asp that had stowed away amid the colorful fruits. The Sultan's daughter died in her father's arms, right on schedule.
Gallery
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The Maiden's Tower in 1511.
Source
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