The legend of the Maiden’s Tower in Istanbul

According to the legend of Ancient Greece, the Maiden’s Tower was a meeting place of two lovers who lived on opposite sides of the Hellespont, the ancient name for the Dardanelles or the Çanakkale, the strait between Europe and Asia that passes through nowadays Turkey.

Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite who lives on one side of Hellespont, in Sesta, and the young man from Abydos, Leander, fell in love with each other. But as their love was forbidden by gods, they met secretly in a tower in the middle of the straits. Every night Hero lit a fire in the tower so that Leander, crossing the troubled waters, could see his way and was navigated by the light of the fire, like a ship to a lighthouse. But one night there was a great storm and the wind blew out Hero’s fire. Leander, on the other hand, was unable to withstand the waves, and he lost his way… In the morning the surf carried his lifeless body to Hero’s feet. Not able to bear the bitter loss, the girl threw herself from the tower into the waters of Hellespont in despair.

Such a sad but romantic story.