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White Tower
Λευκός Πύργος Beyaz Kule Kuli Blanka
The White Tower c. 2015
General information
Status	Museum
Type	Fortress; garrison; prison
Architectural style	Early Ottoman
Location	Thessaloniki, Greece
Coordinates	40°37′35″N 22°56′54″E / 40.6264°N 22.9483°E / 40.6264; 22.9483
Completed	c. 15th century
Height	33.9 m (111 ft)
Dimensions
Diameter	22.7 m (74 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	6

This article or section appears to contradict itself on whether its design was changed in or after Ottoman rule. Please see the talk page for more information. (April 2023)

The White Tower of Thessaloniki (Greek: Λευκός Πύργος Lefkós Pýrgos; Turkish: Beyaz Kule; Ladino: Kuli Blanka) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of Thessaloniki, capital of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. The present tower replaced an old Byzantine fortification, known to have been mentioned around the 12th century, that the Ottoman Empire reconstructed to fortify the city's fortress some time after Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. During the period of Ottoman rule, the tower became a notorious prison and the scene of numerous mass executions, most famously of the Janissaries who revolted during the reign of Mahmud II.

In 1912, as Greece gained control over the city, and the White Tower was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed. The White Tower has been adopted as the symbol of the city.

Physical attributes

The White Tower takes the form of a cylindrical drum 23 m (75 ft) in diameter with a height of 34 m (112 ft) above ground level, on top of which is a turret 12 m (39 ft) in diameter and 6 m (20 ft) high. Some of the embrasures in the outer wall of the tower are reached by a spiral ramp; others are accessed from a central room on each of the six floors.

The turret houses a platform with a diameter of 10 m (33 ft), and the platform at the top of the main tower in front of the turret is about 5 m (16 ft) wide.

History

Origins

The present tower likely replaced an older Byzantine tower mentioned by the 12th-century archbishop Eustathius of Thessalonica during the sack of the city in 1185. The present tower, which once guarded the eastern end of the city's sea walls, was for many years attributed to Venice, to which the Byzantines ceded Thessaloniki in 1423. It is now known that the tower was constructed by the Ottomans sometime after the army of Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. Until 1912, an inscription in Ottoman Turkish verse above the door attributes the tower's construction to AH 942 (1535–1536) on the orders of Sultan Suleiman.

The historian Franz Babinger speculated that the structure was designed by the Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who is known to have built fortifications, including a similar tower at the Albanian port Valona in 1537. This dating is supported by historian Michel Kiel, though he states that Sinan's involvement cannot be ascertained. Another study by French scholars estimates a date between 1450 and 1470, arguing that the 16th-century inscription refers only to an outer chemise.

Modifications

The Ottoman-built structure itself has been altered substantially over the years. Early illustrations show that it was originally covered by a conical roof, like similar towers in the Yedikule Fortress and Rumelihisarı fortress in Istanbul.

Until its demolition in 1917, a chemise stood at the foot of the tower, supporting the heavy guns and enclosing an area at least three times the diameter of the main tower. Octagonal turrets on the chemise and caponiers at ground level provided flanking fire around the tower. It is unclear whether the chemise was part of the original scheme for the tower or was a later addition.

The tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki, separating the Jewish quarter of the city from the cemeteries of the Muslims and Jews. The city walls were demolished in 1866.

From the Red Tower to the White Tower

The Tower was used by the Ottomans successively as a fortress, garrison and a prison. In 1826, at the order of the Sultan Mahmud II, there was a massacre of the rebellious Janissaries imprisoned there. Owing to the "countless victims of Ottoman torturers and executioners", the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or "Red Tower" (Turkish: Kanlı Kule), a name which it kept until the end of the 19th century.

The current name of The White Tower came to be in 1890, when the tower was whitewashed by a convict in exchange for his freedom. It has had many names over the centuries: "Lions Tower" in the 16th century, the "Fortress of Kalamaria" in the 18th century, the "Janissary Tower" and the "Blood Tower" in the 19th century as it served as a prison and place of execution for long term convicts. After the incorporation of Thessaloniki into Greece in 1912, the tower became the symbol of the city.

King George I of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March 1913.

The Tower is now a buff colour but has retained the name White Tower. It now stands on Thessaloniki's waterfront boulevard, Nikis (Victory) Street. It houses a museum dedicated to the history of Thessaloniki and is one of the city's leading tourist attractions.

White Tower Museum

The White Tower houses an exhibition dedicated to the city of Thessaloniki and its history throughout various periods, organized by the city's Museum of Byzantine Culture. It is under the administration of the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities of the Greek Ministry of Culture.

The Tower is open to the public, and visitors have the opportunity to view a map of the city with monuments and museums, a timeline with events relevant to Thessaloniki, scientific articles of distinguished historians and archaeologists, bibliography etc. School excursions may be arranged by contacting the Byzantine Museum.

Depiction

In the 1990s, the White Tower was depicted on various objects, including T-shirts and posters, in the Republic of Macedonia (now North Macedonia).

According to historian Donald Sassoon, banknotes depicting the White Tower were created by extreme nationalist organizations in the Republic of Macedonia. VMRO-DPMNE proposed the White Tower-depicting banknotes' official adoption. However, the government in Skopje rejected its official use and adopted a different design for the new denar, which was issued in 1992.

IMPRES printed unofficial banknotes depicting the White Tower, which were sold as souvenirs on the streets of Skopje, bearing the disclaimer, "This is a souvenir banknote and not for official use."

Gallery

• Bulgarian postcard from the late 19th century. The caption reads: A Macedonian merchant jumps from the scary Turkish prison "Blood Tower" in Salonica, to escape Turkish tortures.
• Second floor gallery
• Roof
• View from the roof
• Night view
• White Tower in 2013

See also

• Ottoman architecture

References

Citations

1. ^ Kiel, Machiel (1973). "A Note on the Exact Date of Construction of the White Tower of Thessaloniki". Balkan Studies. 14: 325–357. ProQuest 1299559455.
2. ^ Tracy (2000), p.303–307.
3. Tracy (2000), p.306, note 56.
4. Braun, J.P.; Faucherre, N.; Spieser, J.M. (1987). "La Tour Blanche et Ia Tour du Trigonion de Thessalonique". Byzantinische Forschungen. XI: 269–270.
5. Pepper, Simon (2000). "Ottoman military architecture in the early gunpowder era: A reassessment". In Tracy, James D. (ed.). City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. pp. 305–306. ISBN 978-0-521-65221-6.
6. ^ Glenny, p.181
7. Borza, Eugene N.; Titchener, Frances B.; Moorton Jr., Richard F. (1999). The Eye Expanded: Life and the Arts in Greco-Roman Antiquity. University of California Press. p. 256. ISBN 0-520-21029-8.
8. "White Tower. Thessaloniki. - New exhibition at the monument-symbol of the city". Museum of Byzantine Culture. Archived from the original on 22 June 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
9. Museums of Macedonia web site
10. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license
11. Loring M. Danforth (1997). The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World. Princeton University Press. p. 177. ISBN 0-69104-356-6.
12. Sassoon, Donald (1997). Looking Left: European Socialism After the Cold War. I.B. Tauris. p. 77. ISBN 1-86064-180-6.
13. Victor Roudometof (2002). "Toward an Archaeology of the Macedonian Question". Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict. Greenwood Publishing. p. 64. ISBN 0-275-97648-3.
14. J. Katzenstein, Peter (1997). Tamed Power: Germany in Europe. Cornell University Press. p. 149. ISBN 0-8014-8449-9.
15. Smith, Helena (31 January 1992). "Gamble of the Macedonia Gambit". The Guardian. Guardian Newspapers. p. 23.
16. Ferguson, R. (2003). The State, Identity and Violence. Routledge. p. 202. ISBN 0-415-27412-5.

Sources

• Glenny, Misha (2001). "A maze of conspiracy". The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999 (Penguin 2001 softcover ed.). New York, New York: Penguin. p. 181. ISBN 0-14-023377-6.
• Simons, Marlise (February 3, 1992). "As Republic Flexes, Greeks Tense Up". New York Times.
• Tracy, James D. (2000). City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-65221-9.

External links

• Official Museum Site

v t e Landmarks of Thessaloniki
Macedonian period	Agios Athanasios tombs
Roman period	Arch of Galerius and Rotunda Las Incantadas Navarinou Square Roman Forum Palace of Galerius Catacombs of Thessaloniki
Paleochristian and Byzantine	UNESCO Byzantine Bath Church of the Acheiropoietos Church of the Holy Apostles Church of Hosios David Church of Panagia Chalkeon Church of Saint Catherine Church of Saint Nicholas Orphanos Church of Saint Panteleimon Church of the Saviour Church of Prophet Elijah Heptapyrgion Hagios Demetrios Hagia Sophia Vlatades Monastery Walls of Thessaloniki
Ottoman period	Alaca Imaret Mosque Bey Hamam Church of Saint Gregory Palamas Immaculate Conception Cathedral Government House Lazarist Monastery White Tower of Thessaloniki Yahudi Hamam Yeni Mosque
Modern period	Agias Sofias Square Alexandreio Melathron Aristotelous Square Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Kaftanzoglio Stadium Ladadika Stoa Modiano Thessaloniki railway station National Theatre of Northern Greece OTE Tower Port of Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Concert Hall
Jewish sites	Monastir Synagogue Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki Allatini Mills Eleftherias Square Holocaust Museum of Greece Stoa Hirsch
Streets	Egnatia Street Nikis Avenue Tsimiski Street Vasilissis Olgas Avenue
Villas/Mansions	Villa Allatini Villa Bianca Villa Mehmet Kapanci Villa A. Kapanci Villa Modiano Villa Mordoch Villa Petridi Gategno-Florentin Mansion Longos Mansion Moskof Mansion Stein Mansion Palataki State Conservatory of Thessaloniki Centre for Byzantine Research
Gardens/Parks	Seih Sou Nea Paralia Pedion tou Areos Pasha's Gardens [el]
Marinas	Marina Aretsou
Other	Labbatoir Ano Poli Stoa Malakopi Mikra British Cemetery Church of Taxiarches
Museums	Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki Atatürk Museum Museum of Byzantine Culture Cinema Museum French Museum of Zeitenlik Museum for the Macedonian Struggle NOESIS Macedonian Museum of Modern Art Museum of Photography State Museum of Modern Art Teloglion Foundation of Art War Museum
Events	Thessaloniki International Film Festival Thessaloniki International Fair Thessaloniki International Book Fair

v t e Ottoman monuments of Thessaloniki
Mosques	Alaca Imaret Mosque Hamza Bey Mosque Lembet Mosque Yeni Mosque
Baths	Bey Hamam Pasha Hamam [el] Yeni Hamam Yahudi Hamam
Fortifications	Heptapyrgion (Yedikule) White Tower
Mansions	Atatürk Museum Karipeion Melathron Government House (Konak) M. Kapanci Villa A. Kapanci Villa Mordoch Villa [el] Villa Allatini Casa Bianca Villa [el]
Other	Bedesten of Thessaloniki Musa Baba türbe Fountain Square Pasha's Gardens [el] Allatini Mills

v t e Museums in Thessaloniki
Archaeological	Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki Museum of Roman Forum
Byzantine/Religious	Crypt of Saint Demetrius Museum of Byzantine Culture White Tower of Thessaloniki Ecclesiastical Museum of the Metropolis
Historical	Atatürk Museum Balkan Wars Museum French Museum of Zeitenlik Holocaust Museum of Greece Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki Museum for the Macedonian Struggle Sedes Aviation Museum War Museum of Thessaloniki Greek refugees Museum
Folklore	Folk Art and Ethnological Museum of Macedonia and Thrace
Art museums/Galleries	Art Gallery of the Society of Macedonian Studies Cinema Museum of Thessaloniki National Bank of Greece Cultural Center Design Museum of Thessaloniki MOMus Contemporary MOMus Modern MOMus Photography Municipal Art Gallery (Thessaloniki) Teloglion Foundation of Art Vafopouleio Cultural Center
Industry/Technology	Broadcasting Museum of Thessaloniki Railway Museum of Thessaloniki Science Center and Technology Museum "Noesis" Water Supply Museum Pharmaceutical Museum
Education/Sports	Museum of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Plaster Casts Museum Thessaloniki Olympic Museum YMCA Basketball Museum Aris Basketball Museum Greek Guiding Museum Natural History Museum
List of museums in Greece

• 1536 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
• Buildings and structures completed in 1536
• Towers completed in the 16th century
• Buildings and structures in Thessaloniki
• Ottoman architecture in Thessaloniki
• Culture of Greece
• Towers in Greece
• History museums in Greece
• Museums in Thessaloniki
• Fortified towers
• 16th-century fortifications in Greece
• George I of Greece
• Suleiman the Magnificent
• Military history of Thessaloniki