Galata Tower Galata Tower The Galata Tower ("Galata Kulesi" in Turkish) — called "Christea Turris" (the "Tower of Christ" in Latin) by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus. It is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and offers a panoramic vista of Istanbul's historic peninsula and its environs. The nine-story tower is ( without the ornament on top, at the observation deck), and was the city's tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is above
Galata Camondo Palace ("Kamondo Sarayı"), was built between 1865 and 1869 and designed by architect Sarkis Balyan. It is located on the northern shore of the Golden Horn, within the nearby Kasımpaşa quarter to the west of Galata. It later became the headquarters of the Ministry of the Navy ("Bahriye Nezareti") during the late Ottoman period, and is currently used by the Turkish Navy as the headquarters of the Northern Sea Area Command ("Kuzey Deniz Saha Komutanlığı"). The Camondo family also built two historic apartment buildings in Galata, both of which are named "Kamondo Apartmanı": the older one is located at