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Traditionally, Galata
comprises that quarter which occupies the slopes leading town from old
Pera to the Golden Horn and the Lower Bosphorus.In modern times the name
of this section has been changed to Karakoy, but old residents of the
town still refer to it by its ancient name.
The town of Galata took
its present form chiefly under the Genoese.After the reconquest of
Constantinople from the Latins in 1261, the Byzantine emperors granted
the district to the Genoese as a semi-independent colony with its own
podesta, or governor, appointed by the senate of Genoa.Although they
were expanding its area and fortificationsfor more than a hundred years.Sections
of these walls and towers still exist here and there as do several Roman
Catholic churches whose dates of foundation go back to the 14th century.
One of the city's most
striking landmarks is the Galata Tower, whose huge, cone-capped form
dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn.This tower
was the apex of the fortifications of Genoese Galata.Originally known as
the Tower of Christ, it was built in 1348 in connection with the first
expansion of the Genoese colony.The tower was thoroughly rebuilt several
times during the Ottoman period and in the past decade it has been
superbly restored.It was opened to the public in 1967 and has now a
modern restorant and cafe on its upper floors; from there one commands a
magnificent view of Istanbul and its surrounding waters. |
