As the saying goes, good things take time, and it has taken more than 1,500 years for the tower to look as it does today. It has been repaired and even reconstructed several times, and the current tower was erected by the Genoese in 1348. During the reign of Sultan Mahmud II, the Galata Tower attained its current look with the addition of its famous cone-shaped roof and the last two floors.

Due to the tower’s expansive history of restoration and renewal, there is a great variety of styles reflected on its floors. The first three floors, for example, reflect the characteristics of Genoese architecture, whereas the rest present a distinctive Ottoman style.

There are also several stories that have added to Galata Tower’s fame.

For example, although modern historians disagree with Evliya Çelebi, his famous travelogue mentions Hezârfen Ahmet Çelebi who according to Evliya Çelebi used a pair of wooden wings to fly from the Galata Tower to the district of Üsküdar on İstanbul’s Asian shore.

Another common legend predicts that you are destined to marry the person with whom you ascend the historic tower. This has given rise to the tradition whereby many couples queue to visit the tower’s famous observation terrace.