Beyazit Tower

Two earlier timber fire towers were themselves swallowed up to flames, but the present Beyazit tower made of stone has survived since 1828. It is still used as a fire tower today as in the past.

By DENIZ KAYA Photos ARGUS

When the firefighters watching out for fires from Beyazit Tower in the old days saw flames, they gave the news in their own cryptic jargon:

"Congratulations, you're a father!"

"Is it a girl or a boy?"

If the fire was on the other side of the Golden Horn, in Galata, Uskudar, or The other districts along the Bosphorus, the answer was "a girl!", but if it was on the western side of the inlet in Istanbul proper the answer was "a boy!"

Two earlier timber fire towers were themselves swallowed up by flames, but the present Beyazit Tower made of stone bas survived since 1828. Standing in the midst of the busy center of the old quarter of Istanbul, it is still used as afire tower today as in the past. The tower is 85 meters high and bas a total of 256 wooden steps.

The old Beyazit Pumps, used to put out the fires which so frequently raged through Istanbul's timber houses.

When the firemen's division of the Janissary Corps was established, a wooden tower known as the fire house' was built in the grounds of the janissary agha's office. As soon as flames were glimpsed, the firemen would rush to the scene. This early wooden building was itself frequently damaged, in the Kucukpazar fire of 1749 and the Cibali fire of 1782. When the Janissary Corps was dissolved in 1826, Sultan Mahmud II bad a new fire tower built on the present site in the grounds of what today is Istanbul University. This tower was destroyed by fire, however, and rebuilt in stone by Aga Huseyin Pasa in 1828.

Ever since the toner has been manned 24 hours a day. In 1909 the tower was struck by lightning during a storm, but suffered no serious damage. In 1923 the Fire Brigade was placed under the auspices of the Municipality. Until 1972, the tower was open to the public, but had to be closed to all except fire brigade personnel when the staircase proved unsafe.

A detail from the old Beyazit Pumps

Tower is used to watch out for fires at. night. Information about fires at all times of day is relayed here via radio. Air pollution can seriously reduce visibility, making the job of watching difficult at times. In the past, if a fire was spotted in the districts westwards of the Golden Horn us far as Yesilkoy, the signal was two baskets bung on either side of the tower; if the fire was in Beyoglu or along the Bosphorus, one basket was bung on one side and two on the other; and for the districts on the other side of the Bosphorus one basket -was bung on either side. This custom continued until 1934.

Today, the tower is also used to give a weather forecast for the following day. A green light means rain, a red light snow, a yellow light fog, and a blue light sunshine, At night, between 04.45 and 06.00 when the Ataturk and Galata bridges are closed to road traffic to let ships in and out of the Golden Horn, the ships are guided by lights on Beyazit Tower. A green light means that ships in the Golden Horn can sail into the Marmara Sea, and a red light that ships in the Marmara Sea can sail into the Golden Horn. Two red lights mean that the bridges are closed to shipping.

Today, special permission is needed for those not on duty at the tower to enter, due to the dangerous condition of the wooden staircase.