Unspecified/General

Rising 369 metres from the summit of Kucuk Camlica Hill on the Asian side of Istanbul, the Camlica Tower is the tallest structure in Turkey and serves as the city's main television and radio broadcasting mast, a role it took over from a cluster of unsightly transmitter towers that once crowded the hilltop. Designed through an international competition by the architect Melike Altinisik, the slender, tapering form was inaugurated in May 2021 after years of construction, and it has quickly become a recognisable feature of the skyline visible from across the strait. For visitors the appeal lies in the observation decks, set around the 148 and 153 metre marks, which give a sweeping 360-degree panorama taking in the Bosphorus, the historic peninsula with its great mosques, the bridges linking Europe and Asia, and on clear days the Princes Islands far out in the Sea of Marmara. Above the decks are restaurant and cafe floors where diners can eat while the view turns slowly beneath them, and below ground are exhibition halls and the technical heart of the broadcasting operation. The tower stands within the green expanse of Camlica Hill, long a favourite spot for residents seeking fresh air and a view, and its position on the highest of the city's hills means the outlook is unobstructed in every direction. Reached by car, taxi or public transport followed by a short climb, with timed tickets sold for the decks, it offers one of the few places in Istanbul where the full sprawl of the metropolis, its waterways and its monuments can be taken in at a single glance. Visitors often time their trip for late afternoon to watch the city lights come on at dusk. The hill itself has been a popular excursion spot for the people of Istanbul for generations, valued for its breezes and its outlook over the city, and the tower has given the site a new focus while keeping the old appeal. A landscaped plaza, shops and dining at the base mean the tower can fill an outing of several hours rather than a quick stop, and the contrast between the modern engineering of the structure and the historic skyline it overlooks is part of its draw. Because it sits on the Asian side, it gives a view back toward the famous silhouette of the old city across the water, a perspective that many of the European-side vantage points cannot offer, and on a clear evening the lights of the bridges and the two shores make a memorable sight.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: 1 Oyma Sokak, Istanbul, Turkey

Website: https://camlicakule.istanbul

Opening Date: 29/05/2021