Audio GuideÇamlıca Tower

Rising above the city's rolling landscape, Çamlıca Tower stands as Istanbul's tallest structure, a slim, silvery figure on the crest of Little Çamlıca Hill in the Üsküdar district. From its upper decks, you can see the Bosphorus stretching wide between Europe and Asia, the old domes and minarets of Istanbul in soft outlines, and the seas shimmering far off on the horizon.

Turgay Tunalı

More than just a high vantage point, Çamlıca Tower is a symbol of modern Turkey embracing both heritage and progress. Its sleek, curving exterior takes inspiration from the tulip—once a beloved symbol of abundance and beauty during the era of the Ottoman Empire. In Turkish culture, the tulip represents renewal and elegance. The main body of the tower forms the stem and roots, while the gently closed bud shape higher up is echoed by restaurant and observation floors, suggesting a tulip about to bloom.

Abdullah Al Esawi

The panoramic glass elevators—which rise along the exterior—were designed to symbolize the Bosphorus, the famous waterway that links Istanbul's Asian and European sides. In this way, the tower itself connects different parts of the city, much as the Bosphorus connects continents.

Shaheen Haroon

Conceived through an architectural competition and built over several years with international collaboration, the tower was officially opened to visitors in late spring, several years after planning first began. It brought together cutting-edge technology with deep-rooted cultural themes and was designed by Melike Altınışık Architects—a firm led by one of Turkey's most innovative architects.

Çamlıca Tower replaced dozens of unsightly broadcast antennas, giving Istanbul's skyline a single graceful point of focus. Today it serves as a broadcasting center for television and radio, being the first of its kind to support more than one hundred channels at once.

Reactions were mixed; some celebrated this new landmark, while others worried it might change the spirit of the historic skyline. Visiting Çamlıca Tower, you sense both the energy of a city embracing the future and respect for layers of Istanbul's past—a modern tulip in a timeless garden.