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
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