The Galata Tower -called Christea Turris by the Genoese- built in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony,is a medieval stone tower in the Galata district, just to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city’s most striking landmarks, it is a high, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline and affords a panoramic vista of Old Istanbul and its environs. The tower is 66.90 meters tall and was the city’s tallest structure when it was built.