Galata

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Galata or Galatae is a district in Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey. Galata is located north of the Golden Horn, the inlet that separates it from the old city center. The Golden Horn is crossed by several bridges, most notably the Galata Bridge. In the center of Galata is the Galata Tower. Galata was originally the home of the Galatasaray football club. Image:Galatatower.jpg

There are several theories concerning the origin of the name "Galata". Most likely the word "Galat" comes from the Celtic tribe of the Galatians which is thought to have camped there during the Hellenistic age. Galatia was an area in the highlands of central Anatolia in modern Turkey, its inhabitants are famous for the Epistle to the Galatians and the Dying Galatian statue.

In history, Galata is often called Pera which comes from the old Greek name for the place, Peran en Sykais, literally 'the Fig Field on the Other Side'. Much later in Byzantine times Galata became significant as the site of the great tower from which an iron chain could be raised in times of war to block entry to the Golden Horn. This was destroyed during the Fourth Crusade, but later rebuilt by the Genoese as the 'Tower of Christ', and survives to this day (see: Galata Tower). From 1273 to 1453, when it was captured by the Ottomans in the Siege of Constantinople, 'Pera' was a Genoese colony.

Nowadays, it is generally considered to be part of the larger Beyoğlu portion of Istanbul.