Repairs in History

The tower was fortified during the reign of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror (Mehmet II – Fatih Sultan Mehmet) after the conquest of İstanbul.

During the earthquake known as “the little apocalypse,” which occurred in 1509, the Maiden's Tower, like many other structures in İstanbul, was severely damaged. The repair of the tower was conducted during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim.

Repairs and maintenance works were performed on the Maiden's Tower, which was affected by the 1690 earthquake.

The lighthouse was built in 1721. In 1729, the tower, the interior of which was completely wooden, burned down in a fire caused by wind igniting the surroundings of the oil lamp in the lantern. In 1725, the tower was extensively renovated by Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha, the Chief Architect of the City. After this repair, the tower was restored with a lead dome and the lantern section with masonry and glass. Again in 1731, the lighthouse of the tower, the battlements of the cannon, and other sections underwent repairs.

In work completed by Hassa’s Chief Architect Mehmet Tahir Ağa, the tiles in the cupola, located outside the tower, were repaired. At that time there was the construction of a porch on the seven balls in the courtyard, the transfer of the tiles in the Dizdar and guard rooms, and the renovation of the slate stone flooring. In the Great İstanbul Earthquake of 1766, the Maiden's Tower was destroyed. It was again repaired by Mehmed Tahir Ağa, the Chief Architect of Hassa.

Various routine repairs were carried out in 1779, 1783, 1785, 1791 and in 1803.

The last major renovation of the Maiden's Tower during the Ottoman period was during the reign of Mahmut II. After the 1832-33 renovation, which gave the tower its current silhouette, Sultan II placed marble on the door of the Maiden's Tower with an inscription from the famous calligrapher Rakım which bears the signature of Mahmut II.

Automatic light systems were installed in the lantern of the tower. In addition to other simple refurbishments, the undersea and subsoil cables of the aerial line were repaired. The Maiden’s Tower was transferred to the İstanbul Port Authority in 1932.

Renovation work was conducted at the Maiden's Tower during the Second World War. The decaying wooden parts of the tower were repaired. Some parts were demolished and rebuilt using reinforced concrete. Large rocks were also placed around the tower. The tower underwent a major repair again in 1943, to prevent it from sliding into the sea. The warehouse and gas tanks on the quay around the rock on which the tower sits were removed. The outer walls of the structure were preserved, but the inside was rebuilt with reinforced concrete.

The cistern was filled and closed-off using concrete during the 1965 renovations.

All additions made during the 1944 renovation were dismantled. After this dismantling, architectural features of the structure were revealed, many of which had not been seen for many years. Due to damage suffered in the 1999 Marmara earthquake, the tower was reinforced with a steel belt, with injection and stitching applications made to repair cracks on the walls. The entire structure’s floor was strengthened with reinforced concrete beams and a radius foundation system, and a roof was formed by covering the dentils.