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Until today it didn't occur to me what an amazing tool the laptop could be for someone with speech and hearing challenges.
Today turned balmy in Toronto and students spilled out onto the steps of the Ryerson University Student Learning Centre in downtown Toronto.
This young woman was engaged in an animated conversation which was made possible by the combination of sign language and Facetime (or, perhaps better described as Handstime).
I caught her attention and pointed to my camera. She nodded without skipping a beat. What a wonderfully enabling tool.
Now that Claudia has guessed the song, 'Crocodile Rock', and Dan has suggested a name with such a great meaning, i'm going to re-name it, as he suggested, 'Connected'. (The previous name was 'Me and Suzie had so much fun'.)
At Lox last night, waiting for a sunset, this couple wandered into myviewfinder, and it reminded me of the song by Elton John... first one to give me the title wins.... a big grin from me! Have a great weekend!
How will we stay close 100 years from now? According to my point of view, over this time humanity will develop some sort of telepathic abilities allowing us to send messages directly from mind to mind. My creation depicts a family living in a technologically advanced megacity. Despite the distance, the daughter can express her love to her parents using only her thoughts.
My build consists of a highly detailed daughter’s room with a city view, a thinking cloud (the “message”) and a street with some high-tech buildings and a futuristic pavement with blue energy beams.
Built for "Brick to the future" contest
So.. I read the description for this book.. "Awaken". I know same old teen book.. "Ouuu Who's this interesting and different GUY who so HOT. Ouu, I must know him! So different and COOL."
but the idea of the type of society they live in is cool, because it's set in the year 2060 where people live in a very digital world, even their school is digital. They don't have to leave the house unless they want to. This made me look at our own world and look, we're practically half way there! Who knows, this could be us in 50 years!
Oh, by the way, I felt like such a kid again making this nest of my bed sheets and pillows. I used to do that when I was a kid. :3 before you laugh, try it! It's super comfy. (:
*Explored! May 21, 2011 #322* Thanks guys. (:
Because of them I can connected my friends around the world, thank you the great team to invented computer, the incredible thing of the world:)
Friendship is the best thing of human's life, keep in touch.
So simple so beautiful&useful theme.
No edit in the light of bedroom by Tamron Lens.
Thank you to connected me:)
20120807-3698
Kijkje achter de schermen bij de neon-installaties van David Batchelor in het GEM te Den Haag. Bekijk deze installaties niet vanaf een afstand maar duik er gewoon middenin.
In het werk van David Batchelor (1955) draait het om de ervaring van kleuren van het moderne stadsleven.
Photograph from the objective and subjective series i did on my own neighborhood.
More can be found at: glenncox.myportfolio.com/
This probably would've been a good color photograph had more of the sunrise been visible. Oh well, I kinda like the black and white... even though a good majority of my photos lately have been monochromatic.
See more at markofphotography.com!
© All rights reserved.
Chapter 3 --"Devil's Crucible,"
Perils of Nyoka (Republic, 1942). Starring Kay Aldridge, Clayton Moore, Lorna Gray, Charles Middleton, William Benedict. Directed by William Witney. Wonderful Republic-style artwork of Aldridge
From 1942, this is still another great Republic classic. (I suppose I could have started these reviews with tired, lifeless serials like PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO, but why not have fun first?) It has a terrific cast with a half dozen of my all-time favorite actors, a credible storyline, some really impressive sets and imaginative 'Perils', and finally, an epic-sounding main theme by Mort Glickman. This would go in the top dozen serials on my list.
PERILS OF NYOKA deals with the struggle for possession of another hot potato that everyone covets-- in this case, the Golden Tablets of Hippocrates, on which the ancient physician recorded his great medical secrets (including a cure for cancer). Not only are gold tablets valuable for their knowledge and the metal itself, they were hidden with a treasure. So it's not surprising to find the sinister Vultura and her gang of renegade Arbabs trying to seize the darn things. Vultura is played by the exotic Lorna Gray, who is a bit ripe looking for my taste but her sneering performance and long long legs have must have gotten many young boys in the audience a bit hot and bothered. (There's something about a Bad Girl...)
Vultura's main henchman is Cassib, played by the same Charles Middleton who made life interesting for Flash Gordon and Dick Tracy. Middleton has that sour, unhappy expression that makes his villainy as believable as the sort of old man who chases kids off his lawn. As if that's not enough, there's also the treacherous Torrini who poses as an ally of Nyoka. Tristram Coffin as Torrini gives an okay performance, just showing enough shiftiness to make his loyalty obviously doubtful to the kids in the audience. As good as Coffin was as a villain, I always wished he had done more heroic roles like his Jeff King in KING OF THE ROCKETMEN.
And as if THAT wasn't enough trouble for Nyoka to deal with, Vultura has a pet ape named Satan, who had never heard Diane Fossey's findings that gorillas are peaceful, gentle vegetarians. Satan was played by Emil Van Horn in a rather weak portrayal that doesn't seem to give much effort into moving like a real gorilla. And although you have to give 1940s film makers some slack with their robot and apes costumes, the way Satan's chest skin looks like shiny black rubber detracts from its credibility. This is where you have to crank your
suspension of disbelief up a few notches.
Whew! What a crew. Luckily, not only can Nyoka handle herself perfectly well, she has a partner in Dr Larry Grayson who is (for a physician) an astonishingly tough two-fisted sword-fighting gunslinger. My doctor's not like that. Clayton Moore is always convincing as hero or thug, and he seems agile and energetic enough to have been a stunt man himself. (At first, it seems a bit odd to hear that wonderful, familiar Lone Ranger voice coming from this character.) Moore goes through the serial in the classic Doc Savage outfit of riding boots, jodphurs and heavy white shirt, although this does not end up torn into tatters with the right cuff still attached.
Finally, Nyoka herself is completely likeable as a cliffhanger heroine. ("That Nyoka gal's got plenty of moxie.." one character explains.) Daughter of the missing Professor Gordon, she is well educated (one of the few who can translate the Tablets) but also completely at home in the saddle or jumping on a gorilla's back with a knife in her hand. I love Kay Aldridge's performance as Nyoka. She's serious when in danger, taking the 'perils' straight-faced but at the same time, she's obviously having a lot of fun when things are going well. It's very believable, not a grim warrior-woman sort of portrayal. Aldridge herself is appealing and gorgeous in her 1940s pin-up girl way-- her clunky culottes are not flattering at all (although admittedly practical for the situation) and she seems to be notably gifted under that big-game hunter blouse. Nyoka also seems to have two different accents going on, for some reason.
My copy of PERILS OF NYOKA is a re-issue titled NYOKA AND THE TIGERMEN, apparently because some of the Arab raiders wear striped robes. C'mon, that's stretching things a bit, Republic.Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge) leads an expedition into the most remote part of the Libyan desert in search of her father, Professor Henry Gordon (Robert Strange), who disappeared while seeking out the long-lost golden tablets of Hippocrates. The tablets, among other attributes, are reputed to contain the cures for any number of deadly diseases that still plague mankind. Nyoka and her father are the only two people in the world who can translate the papyrus giving directions to the hiding place of the tablets. Her allies in her search include: Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore), a young physician; Torrini (Tristram Coffin), an Italian adventurer; Professor Campbell (Forbes Murray), a colleague of her father's; and Red Davis (Billy Benedict), their driver. Opposing them is Vultura (Lorna Gray), the leader of a deadly desert cult, who regard the tablets as sacred and will do anything -- including committing murder -- to prevent their discovery and removal. Aided by her ally, Cassib (Charles B. Middleton), and the Taureg tribesmen, Vultura and her cultists lay all manner of deadly traps, involving everything from burning pits of fire and tunnels filled with hurricane-like winds to just plain getting crushed by the embrace of Vultura's trained gorilla, Satan (Emil Van Horn). Meanwhile, Nyoka and her expedition also face the danger of treachery from within. Nyoka must first secure the papyrus and avenge the murder of Major Reynolds in the opening chapter, and then get past the opposing Taureg tribesmen -- and little does she realize that the leader of the Tauregs is far closer to her than she ever could have guessed.
The action in Nyoka and the Tigermen moves at a breakneck pace across 15 chapters, most of which are as exciting as anything in Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels (each of which drew a lot of their inspiration from this and one other Republic serial, Secret Service in Darkest Africa). Beyond its genuinely exciting plot, which intersects with reality just enough to keep even adults interested (there really are a North African people called the Tauregs), Nyoka and the Tigermen contains some delightful twists in its casting, production, and writing. Nyoka Gordon, as played by Kay Aldridge, is no typical movie heroine. She's beautiful, athletic, and resourceful, enough so that in the first chapter, she rides down Arab horsemen. She's perfectly capable of fighting, climbing, or diving her way out of trouble, a kind of 1940s American precursor to Emma Peel. Additionally, Lorna Gray's Vultura was, if anything, even more beautiful, and they make an enchanting pair of antagonists, especially when they mix it up physically. Both put 100 percent effort into their work here, assisted by one of the best directors and some of the best stuntmen in the business. Clayton Moore looked, if anything, better here than he did as the Lone Ranger at the other end of the decade and he made a dashing hero in his own right. Watch him in action here and see if he doesn't look like he would've been the perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman of his era. Even Emil Van Horn, in the silliest role in the movie -- as the gorilla Satan -- has a kind of visceral impact as this constantly menacing beast. Working from one of the best scripts that the studio ever devised for one of its serials, director William Witney and a crew of top stuntmen (including David Sharpe and a young Jay Silverheels), made this one of the most exciting serials ever to come out of Hollywood. More than that, the resulting chapterplay has an appeal that cuts
across the ages, as demonstrated by the debt owed to it by the Indiana Jones movies.
Another take on Nyoka and additional back ground info.
Perils of Nyoka aka Nyoka and the Tigermen
Republic, 15 Chapters, 1942. Starring Kay Aldridge, Clayton Moore, Billy Benedict, Lorna Gray, Charles Middleton, Tristram Coffin, Robert Strange, Forbes Murray, George Pembroke.
As Perils of Nyoka opens, Prof. Douglas Campbell (Forbes Murray) and his expedition arrive in the small North African town of Wadi Bartha; they are seeking an ancient treasure trove that contains–among other priceless artifacts–the Tablets of Hippocrates, on which are inscribed ”the only cure for cancer the world has ever known.” Campbell and his colleagues, including Dr. Larry Grayson (Clayton Moore), are principally interested in the Tablets’ value to humanity, but Count Benito Torrini (Tristram Coffin), the Italian colonial official attached to the expedition, has more mercenary ideas in mind and is conspiring with the devious Arab queen Vultura (Lorna Gray) to seize the treasure. After being joined by Nyoka Gordon (Kay Aldridge), the daughter of an archeologist who vanished years ago looking for the Tablets, the expedition sets out in search of the Tablets and Nyoka’s missing father, journeying into the hidden valley of the sun-worshipping Tuareg tribe while fighting Vultura and her ally Cassib (Charles Middleton) every step of the way.
Well-written, well-directed, and well-cast, Perils of Nyoka represents Republic serial-making at its absolute peak. Writers Ronald Davidson, Norman Hall, William Lively, Joseph O’Donnell, and Joseph Poland utilize a “quest” structure for their screenplay, one which keeps the characters on the move from one location to the next. The heroes must first translate an important papyrus before beginning their journey to the Tuaregs’ valley, where, upon arrival, they have to deal with the hostile natives and their chief–Nyoka’s amnesic father Professor Gordon (Robert Strange). Then, they must rescue Gordon from Vultura and restore his memory, unmask Torrini’s treachery, return to the Tuaregs’ valley for another important clue, locate the treasure, and recover it in a final showdown after it’s stolen by Vultura. This storyline not only provides plenty of opportunities for action scenes, but also gives the serial a strong sense of steadily focused progression towards a definite goal, making its overall narrative much more interesting than the loosely connected plots of many other Republic serials.
This well-paced narrative plays out in an impressive variety of indoor sets and outdoor locations–the honeycomb of tunnels in the Tuareg valley, Vultura’s mammoth palace and the cliffs nearby, numerous caverns, and various rocky hillsides. Of all Republic’s serials set in foreign realms, Nyoka manages to be the most successful in creating a believably exotic atmosphere; it helps that arid Californian locales like Iverson’s Movie Ranch and Corriganville can more convincingly double for the North African hills than they could for other African locales, like the sub-equatorial jungles or the Sahara desert.
The serial’s action scenes are handled with gusto by William Witney and his star stuntman David Sharpe. One of the many action highlights is Nyoka and Larry’s invasion of Vultura’s palace in Chapter One, which has Clayton Moore’s Larry (doubled by Sharpe) practically flying around the throne room in a combination swordfight/fistfight and eventually being attacked by Vultura’s pet gorilla Satan (Emil Van Horn), who pulls down several stone pillars on our hero and heroine. The pursuit of Nyoka by Cassib’s horsemen in Chapter Two is another memorable action sequence, as is her subsequent chariot escape from Vultura’s camp following a fight with the evil queen. There are far too many additional standout scenes for me to describe them all, but among them are the fight in the lava caves, Larry’s battle with hostile Tuaregs in their cavern temple, Nyoka trying to escape down a cliff on a rope while Satan tugs on the other end, the Tuaregs’ primitive hand-grenade attack on the expedition, and the final showdown in which Larry fights Cassib and his men while Nyoka grapples with Vultura.
The cliffhanger sequences are consistently imaginative and include one of the best-known chapter endings in the Republic canon, the sequence that has Kay Aldridge dangling over a Tuareg fire pit. Equally memorable chapter endings have Aldridge and Forbes Murray being forced towards a ceiling of spikes by an ascending floor, Aldridge about to be sliced in two by a lethal pendulum, and Aldridge being inexorably blown towards the edge of a cliff in an impressive wind tunnel.
Dave Sharpe not only doubles Clayton Moore, but also fills in for Kay Aldridge on all the really dangerous stunts. Stuntwoman Babe DeFreest doubles the heroine in other sequences, with Helen Thurston filling in for Lorna Gray; Tom Steele performs most of Charles Middleton’s stunts, while Ken Terrell, Duke Green, Duke Taylor, Henry Wills, Bud Wolfe, and Johnny Daheim make many contributions as well. Most of these stuntmen, of course, also do acting duty as various Arabs throughout the serial.
Perils of Nyoka’s action is complemented beautifully by Mort Glickman’s score, which is distinctive, memorable, and very well-suited to the setting, with a persistent but not overdone “Arabian” motif dominating both its fast-paced “action” theme and its slower opening-credits music.
The serial’s cast is filled with appealing performers, although its ostensible star, Kay Aldridge, is probably the weakest thespian in the group. Her line delivery is very energetic but awkward at times, and her face is frequently expressionless during dialogue scenes–although she does a fine job registering alarm in cliffhanger sequences. Still, Aldridge is so beautiful, and so likable despite her stiffness, that her presence really has no negative impact on the serial.
Clayton Moore contributes an enormous amount of energy to his part, continually taking the lead in both dialogue and action scenes. He delivers his lines with both seriousness and a certain swashbuckling enthusiasm, and rides and runs with an admirable athleticism that matches well with the dynamism of his double Dave Sharpe in the fight scenes. He, far more than Aldridge, comes off as the actual star of the serial.
Lorna Gray is haughty, viciously bad-tempered, and gleefully evil by turns, but never hammy or over-the-top. Her good looks contrast so startlingly with her convincingly appalling behavior that she commands attention when on-screen; her Vultura is probably the most memorable of all female serial heavies.
Charles Middleton has less time in the spotlight than in his 1930s serials, but his Cassib is still an intimidating figure, glowering grimly at Vultura’s enemies and infusing his Arabian-Nights-style dialogue with both menace (“If you let her escape, you will find death a pleasant relief from your punishment”) and dignity (“What brings you to this humble huddle of tents, Gracious One?”)
Billy Benedict, as the Campbell expedition’s driver and mechanic Red, provides low-key but amusing comic relief, stealing scenes with a single facial expression or a bit of incongruous slang. His scenes with his pet Capuchin monkey Jitters (played by “Professor”) are much more appealing than most such animal-sidekick interchanges; the monkey is not only cute but genuinely helpful to the good guys more than once, and Benedict seems to have a genuine rapport with the little creature.
One of the additional joys of Perils of Nyoka is the unusually large cast of interesting supporting characters; in sharp contrast to many Republic outings, Nyoka features meaty speaking parts for characters besides the hero, heroine, villain, action heavy, and sidekick. Robert Strange, as Nyoka’s amnesic father, has the most important supporting role and does an excellent job in both aspects of his part, dropping his grim, slow-talking, and crafty Tuareg-chieftain personality for a more kindly, upright, and brisk manner when his character’s memory is restored.
Forbes Murray is authoritative but genially avuncular as Campbell, the expedition head, and surprisingly gets in on quite a bit of action. George Pembroke, as a British expedition named Spencer, also takes part in many fights and shootouts, and provides some mild but entertaining comic relief through his verbal interchanges with Billy Benedict’s Red, in which the English scientist and the American mechanic confuse each other with their very different approaches to their common language.
Tristram Coffin, as the treacherous Torrini, is given high billing but has relatively little screen time; however, he handles his interactions with the unsuspecting heroes with the same slickness and smoothness he displayed in his similar part in Spy Smasher. Distinguished Herbert Rawlinson is killed off far too early as Major Reynolds, another expedition member, while the enjoyably hammy John Davidson has a much larger role as Lobar, the fanatical Tuareg sub-chief. Davidson rolls out each line in his inimitably resonant voice and manages to look positively pop-eyed with rage at times, particularly when defying the recovered Professor Gordon as the latter vainly tries to exercise his old authority over the Tuaregs.
Kenne Duncan has a good role as Nyoka’s tough and loyal follower Abou, while George Lewis is noticeably sinister in his small role as Cassib’s lieutenant Batan. George Renavent is enjoyably hammy in his few scenes as Vultura’s oily major-domo, Forrest Taylor pops up as a translator in Chapter Fourteen, John Bagni plays another one of Nyoka’s Bedouin friends, and John Bleifer has a brief but vivid turn as a villainous Arab street merchant in the first chapter. Jay Silverheels, star Clayton Moore’s eventual companion on the Lone Ranger show, is frequently credited as playing one of the Tuaregs, but I’ve never been able to spot him under the tribe’s burnouses and face-paint.
Ace the Wonder Dog, who also played Devil in Columbia’s The Phantom, adds a nice touch to the serial as Nyoka’s faithful dog Fang, going through some clever paces as he assists the heroine–particularly in Chapter One, when he tips over a basket, barks at two Arab guards, and then ducks inside the basket while the guards run past. Vultura’s gorilla Satan, played as an unruly and barely controllable beast by Emil Van Horn, also brings additional color to the proceedings; Van Horn’s rowdy anthropoid antics are great fun to watch.
Just as William Witney’s Spy Smasher–made the same year–represented the acme of Republic’s crime-fighting serials, so does Witney’s Perils of Nyoka represent the acme of Republic’s far-flung adventure serials. Later chapterplays like Secret Service in Darkest Africa or The Tiger Woman would try to recapture some of Perils of Nyoka’s glory, but few of them could match Nyoka’s large and interesting cast of players or its varied assortment of action scenes–and none of them boasted a story that could compete with the appeal of Nyoka‘s archetypal but enthralling treasure hunt.
In situ sculpture from Yorkshire Sculpture Park. 'Everything is connected' by Peter Liversidge, 2012.
From the Wikipedia entries:
"Deer Isle is an island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. There are two communities on the island, Deer Isle and Stonington. It is on the eastern side of Penobscot Bay, connected by road to the Maine mainland through Little Deer Isle. Its only vehicular connection to the mainland is State Route 15 over Deer Isle Bridge.
The first people to live on Deer Isle, as early as 6,100 years ago, were Native Americans. Their descendants were known to early French explorers as Etchemins; some continued to live on the island even after Anglo-Americans established settlements. The first European to venture into the region was Estevan Gomez, a Portuguese working for the Spanish Crown. Gomez sailed his ship La Anunciada up Eggemoggin Reach, which divides Deer Isle from the mainland. The French, however, would be the most active in the region, establishing a fort in Castine and intermarrying with Abenaki natives. A body buried in full armor (believed to be French) was discovered on nearby Campbell Island.
Toward the end of the French and Indian War, Deer Isle was settled by New England colonists around 1760. From Berwick came descendants of Scots Covenanter George Gray, a prisoner of war taken at the 1650 Battle of Dunbar and shipped to America, his grandchildren (Joshua and Andrew) populated the area. Sailors on the island became noted for maritime skills, some even serving as crew in the America's Cup Races of 1895 and 1899. Ironically, their ancestors hadn't come looking for a life on the sea, but on the land. Following a southerly migration from the mainland above, the first settlers established farms and built cabins on the northern part of Deer Island. On the southern part, Green's Landing (as Stonington was initially known) would be settled after 1800.
Soil became exhausted from over farming and deforestation, so inhabitants of Deer Isle took to the sea. They became active in shipbuilding, seafaring and fishing. Green's Landing, a sparsely populated fishing village, didn't change much until the granite boom after 1870, when quarrying became a major occupation. Stone excavated here was used to build important structures across the country, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Europeans, mainly from Italy, were imported as stonecutters. Some were housed in barracks on Crotch Island, while others lived in hotels and large boarding houses built for that purpose. Many of the original buildings have been transformed since into restaurants, galleries and shops.
On February 18, 1897, Green's Landing was set off and incorporated by the Maine State Legislature as Stonington, named for its granite quarries. To the west of the main harbor lies Steamboat Wharf, now home to the Isle au Haut Boat Company. Prior to that it was a sardine factory. Before the Deer Isle-Sedgwick Bridge connected to the mainland in 1939, the wharf was an essential link to Deer Isle in general, and Stonington in particular. Steamboats arrived daily from ports such as Rockland, transporting freight and passengers from as far as Boston. The harbor has long been filled with Friendship Sloops, which are powered by sail only. Lobstermen once used them to haul traps. Most of their trips were to the outer islands (like York Island) near Isle au Haut, fishing during the week and returning to the harbor on weekends. This changed with the advent of gasoline or diesel engines, along with new hull designs, which enabled fishermen to make day trips to fishing grounds in Penobscot Bay."
Deer Isle is a spectacular island community of 24,000 acres and 112 miles of shoreline, comprising the towns of Deer Isle and Stonington and outlying islands.
Island Heritage Trust is a community-based, non-profit land trust contributing to the well-being of the island community by conserving its distinctive landscape and natural resources, maintaining public access to valued trails, shoreline and islands, and by providing educational programming for all ages.
www.islandheritagetrust.org/visit.html
.....
MAIDEN'S TOWER MUSEUM -
The Maiden’s Tower ( Turkish: Kız Kulesi ), also known as Leander’s Tower ( Tower of Leandros) since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, 200 m (220 yd) from the coast of Üsküdar neighborhood in İstanbul. It is one of the most popular landmarks and monuments of the city, with a history that spans over two millennia.
The tower was originally built by the Athenian general Alcibiades in 408 BC as a custom station for ships coming from the Black Sea. It was later rebuilt and used as a defense tower by the Byzantine emperors, who connected it to the Asian shore with a chain to prevent enemy ships from entering the Bosphorus. During the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the tower was destroyed and then reconstructed by Sultan Mehmed II. It served as a lighthouse, a quarantine station, and a military base throughout the Ottoman era.
Today, the tower is a monument-museum under the management of the culture and tourism ministry. It also hosts a pastry shop to cater to visitors’ tastes. The tower can be reached by boat from Üsküdar or Galataport piers. It is open every day from 09:00 to 20:00. But what makes the tower so fascinating are the legends and stories that surround it. There are many tales of love, tragedy, and mystery that have been told about the tower over the centuries.
As Ancient and Magnificent as İstanbul:
The Story of the Maiden's Tower.
BCE 410
According to historical evidence, the tower, which is thought to have been built in 410 BC, was built by the Athenian Commander Alcibiades. At that time, ships passing through the strait were used to control and collect taxes.
1143-1180
A defence tower was built on the island by the Eastern Roman Emperor, Manuel Komnenos the First, in the 12th century. A chain was stretched between this tower and a tower located next to the Mangana Monastery in Sarayburnu (the section where the sea walls were restored) to control the entry and exit of ships through the Bosphorus.
1453 Conquest of Constantinople
After the Conquest, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (Fatih Sultan Mehmet) had a new castle built at this location. A guard unit was placed in the castle. Every evening after bedtime and at dawn, the Mehter watch began to play in the tower. It became a tradition to fire cannon shots from the Maiden's Tower during holidays and sultan’s visits to the seaside palaces, and when they ascend to the throne.
1660-1730
A lantern was placed on the northern part of the wooden tower by Sultan III, Ahmed's Grand Vizier, Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha, to illuminate the way for ships coming from the Black Sea and Marmara at night. Since then, the tower ceased being a castle and served primarily as a lighthouse.
1830-1837
Between 1830 and 1831, the tower was converted into a quarantine hospital to prevent the cholera epidemic from spreading to the city. During the plague epidemic in which twenty to thirty thousand people died between 1836-1837, some of the patients were isolated in the hospital established here, and the spread of the epidemic was quelled by quarantine. Passengers and patients were also quarantined in the Maiden’s Tower during the cholera outbreak that occurred in Trabzon in 1847.
The Maiden's Tower Used as a Lighthouse
1857
A French company added a lantern to the tower, which has since been transferred to the Lighthouses Administration.
1926
After the lantern was transferred to the İstanbul Port Authority, it was used as a gas tank in addition to its lantern function.
1959
The Maiden's Tower was also used as a radar station for a while. For maritime transportation navigation safety, a light was turned on in the tower in the evenings, and a foghorn was blown in low-visibility weather. In addition, until 1983, since the distance of the Harem and Port guidance stations is short, the duties of 24-hour notification and control of all ships passing through the strait was performed by only two officers of the Maritime Enterprises.
1964
This location was used as a surveillance and radar station under the Ministry of National Defence.
The Maiden's Tower During 1965 Renovations
“The Maiden's Tower During 1965 Renovations.”
1983-1992
In 1983, the Maiden's Tower was transferred to the Maritime and Port management of Türkiye. The building was also used as a cyanide storage facility. The cyanide was moved to a storage facility in Tuzla after a decision by the İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council in 1992. In May 1992, the tower was used by poets for a period and declared as the "Republic of Poetry".
1994
In 1994, the tower was transferred from the Ministry of Transport to the Naval Forces Command.
1995-2000
After an extensive restoration process, the tower was rented to a private facility for tourist purposes.
2023
The Maiden’s Tower, one of the crown jewels of the Bosporus in İstanbul, has been renovated in accordance with the restoration plan carried out during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, about 200 years ago. The tower was reopened to visitors on Thursday May 11th 2023 after a lengthy and meticulous 2-year restoration under a Culture and Tourism Ministry project.
Architecture of Maidens Tower:
The Maiden’s Tower is not only a historic landmark on the sea, but also a remarkable example of architectural design. The tower has undergone several changes and renovations over the centuries, reflecting the different periods and influences of its builders and users.
The original tower was built by the Athenian general Alcibiades in 408 BC as a wooden structure on a small rock. It was later rebuilt and fortified by the Byzantine emperors, who added a stone wall and an iron chain to connect it to the Asian shore. The tower had a circular shape and a conical roof, and was used as a defense tower and a customs station.
The tower was destroyed and rebuilt several times by natural disasters and wars. In 1725, the Ottoman grand vizier Damad Ibrahim Pasha ordered a reconstruction of the tower, which gave it its current shape and size. The tower was made of stone and brick, and had five floors and an octagonal plan. It was decorated with baroque elements such as arches, cornices, and windows. The tower was also equipped with a lantern and used as a lighthouse.
In 1833, Sultan Mahmud II ordered another restoration of the tower, which added more details and ornaments to its exterior and interior. The tower was painted white and red, and had wooden balconies and stairs. The interior was divided into rooms for different purposes, such as a kitchen, a dining room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. The tower also had a fireplace, a fountain, and a clock.
In 1857, a French company installed a new lantern on the tower, which increased its height and visibility. The lantern had a metal frame and glass panels, and was powered by gas. The tower continued to serve as a lighthouse until 1926.
The Maiden's Tower After 2021-2023 Renovations
“The Maiden's Tower After Restoration (2021-2023)”
In 1998, the tower underwent another renovation, which preserved its historical features while adding modern facilities. The tower was reinforced with steel supports to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. The interior was redesigned to accommodate a museum and a restaurant.
In 2023, The Maiden’s Tower, has reopened to the public on May 11th after a major two-year restoration project by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The tower, whose history dates back to 410 BC1, has been restored faithfully to its state in the early 19th century, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839)
The restoration work was carried out by a team of experts, including Feridun Çılı of İstanbul Technical University, antiquities scholar Zeynep Ahunbay, and architect Han Tümertekin, under the supervision of a scientific committee. The tower was damaged by salt and other chemicals in the concrete and cement used in previous renovations, and the carrying columns and beams were not attached to each other. The team used various technologies, such as chemical analysis, laser scanners, and georadar imaging, to reveal the problems in the structure and to strengthen the historical main walls with invisible braces made of stainless steel. The original walls of the castle section were also revealed, and the dome and finial were covered with lead and gold leaf respectively.
The tower also underwent extensive earthquake measures, such as integrated piles made of steel and concrete around the islet, reinforced concrete support beams around the perimeter, and wave barriers around the platform. The tower now has walkways around the ramparts of the courtyard walls for visitors to climb up and enjoy the view of İstanbul.
For more information on the restoration work visit kizkulesi.gov.tr
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