Galata Tower Is Getting Its Old Look!
A 270-kilogram copper realm was attached to the Galata Tower, where restoration works were carried out, in 4 pieces. The moments of the attachment of the giant realm with a breathtaking operation lasting about 5 hours were captured from the air for the first time.
Istanbul’s historical landmarks are being restored.
One of them is the Galata Tower…
On December 2, within the framework of the restoration that started on November 1, 2023, the realm on its dome was lowered.
Ministry Takes Action
The 270-kilogram copper realm on the cone of the 674-year-old historical tower was removed in 4 pieces with the help of climbers and a crane from a height of about 63 meters above the ground.
Conservation work was carried out in the building of the Museum Directorate of Relief and Monuments with the approval of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Gold-colored Headgear Fitted
The renewed realm was placed on the Galata Tower with a breathtaking operation. The moments when the realm was attached to the historical tower were captured by drone.
The golden-colored realm of the Galata Tower, which integrates with the Bosphorus, created a postcard image. For the first time in history, it was seen that the Galata Tower, which was left without a regem for the first time, regained its old appearance.
Work lasted 5 hours
The 270-kilogram copper realm was attached by climbers in 4 pieces with the help of a crane in an operation that lasted about 5 hours.
The mountaineers organized the area on the dome of the dome with the help of a hammer. It was seen that scaffolding was installed on the entire dome and the work continued.
It was also learned that the restoration works will be completed towards the end of April.
“A region of cosmopolitan diversity”
Historian Zafer Bilgi, who gave information about Galata Tower, said:
“There are walls around the Galata Tower on the right and left sides. These are called sea walls. The remains of these walls can be revealed. There are very few in that area. Genoese and Venetians coming from Italy used it as a trade port. They used the Galata Tower to ensure the security of that trade port. They live here as a very effective power in Rome. It is actually a small autonomous region of Rome. Where is Rome? It’s opposite to today’s Fatih, which we call the peninsula. It was one of the first places to be given the key to Fatih Sultan Mehmed during the Ottoman period. Immediately after the conquest, the Genoese castle commander left the key.
Mehmed the Conqueror allows them to stay in that area, allowing them to work commercially. The Ottomans called that area ‘Pera’. ‘Pera’ also means ‘against’ because it was opposite according to him. In the last period, it is referred to as ‘Beyoğlu’ because it was left to the son of a Venetian bey. The region is a place where non-Muslims live densely and where trade and financial centers, in today’s terms, are concentrated. It is considered to be the face of the Ottoman Empire opening to the west. It is a region where ethnic diversity and cosmopolitan diversity is intense. It is a region where bankers, bankers street and traders live more intensely, especially Jews and Greeks. In fact, the Neve Şalom Synagogue, which is still one of the largest synagogues of the Jews today, is also near the Galata Tower.”
“It contains not only our culture, but many cultures”
Evaluating the restoration of the Galata Tower, Bilgi said:
“Recent images show that there was no cone in the 1860s. And it shows that the Galata Tower has a unique cap. It will be restored in accordance with it and most probably the restoration will be completed by looking at those old images. We can think of it like this; this is a building that belonged to the Ottomans before the Republican Period, to the Romans, Genoese and Venetians before the Ottoman Period, to a city. It harbors not only our culture, but many cultures. When you utilize it in accordance with the original, it becomes a kind of witness to all of those cultures. When we say Galata Tower, we are talking about a source that belongs to us, but actually feeds many cultures. Realms look small when viewed from a distance, but sometimes they are 6-7 meters high.
When we think of it as human-sized, there are 3-4 human-sized realms. When we think of the realms being gigantic, that realm is actually the complementary face of the Galata Tower. While talking about the Galata Tower, it is important to mention Hazerfan Ahmet Çelebi’s flight experience. From there, we see that a civilization first flapped its wings, had its first experience of flight, and that experience developed and is guided today. In these lands in the 1600s, the Galata Tower became a symbol of the first flight, the first flapping of wings, the first opening to the sky. That symbol lives today with UAVs and UCAVs. It should also be evaluated from this point of view. When we look at the Galata Tower, we need to look at it with both historical eyes and experiences.”
