Famous
Istanbul historian Jak Deleon writes about Galata in his
book named 'The Bosphorus: A Historical Guide ' :
''Galata
is the area where the Golden Horn meets the Bosphorus.
Throughout history, Galata bridges have always connected
the two shores of the Golden Horn. The word 'gala' means
'milk' in Greek. Although it has been claimed that Galata's
name derives from the existence of dairies in the district,
there is no historical evidence to support this. Another
possibility is that the name Galata comes from the Italian
word 'calata' meaning 'the road leading down to the sea'.
The
Latin Catholic churches that once existed in Galata are
known to have been Saint Francesco, Saint Benedetto, Saint
Antonio, Saint Giovanni, Saint Paolo and Saint Domenico,
Saint Giorgio, Saint Bastiani, Saint Petro, Saint Anna
and Saint Maria. Most of these churches were reduced to
ashes in the fires of Galata. Some were completely demolished.
On Percemli Street is the now abandoned Zulfaris synagogue
built by the famous Jewish banker Kamondo. During the
Ottoman era several 'mescit' (small mosque) were built:
Manastir Mescidi, Alaca Mescit, Okcu Musa Mescidi, Lulecizade
Mescidi, Bereketzade Mescidi, Sehsuvar Mescidi and Bektas
Efendi Mescidi. Arap Mosque, which was originally a catholic
cathedral dedicated to St.Dominic, was presumably converted
into a mosque after the conquest.
One
of the first landmarks to come into view is the Galata
Tower built by the Genoese in 1348. The tower is 61 metres
high and has 12 floors including the basement. It was
known as Megalos Pyrgos (the Great Tower) by the Byzantines.
It was known as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) by the
Genoese. For a period of time during the Ottoman era the
public referred it as the Hezarfen Tower. Because it was
from here that Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi took off and glided
to the slopes of Uskudar by means of artificial wings.
The
tower was used in a variety of capacities, as a shipyard
warehouse in the 15th, as a prison in 16th and a fire
watch-tower in the 18th centuries.''
