Galata Tower Rises With a Unique Digital Showcase

Renovated by MAST Elevator during the restoration of the historic Galata Tower, the lifts offer visitors a spectacular visual travel experience with displays on the cabin walls.

by Mustafa Olcay

History of the Galata Tower

The Galata Tower is one of the symbolic landmarks of Istanbul and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Beyond being a mere building, this tower is a unique representative of Türkiye’s rich historical and cultural heritage.

It was commissioned by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 507-508 AD. The building was constructed with a masonry rubble stone construction system. The tower has served many purposes over the last 15 centuries thanks to its strategic location and has witnessed the rise and fall of many empires. It has suffered many earthquakes and fires throughout history. Yet, after each hardship, the tower was restored with the care and attention it rightfully deserved by the empire or the administration of the time.

The Pera Colony of the Genoese presented the key to the Galata Tower to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453. After an earthquake that struck in the 1500s, Galata Tower was repaired by the architect Murad Bin Hayreddin. A bay window was added to the tower during the reign of Sultan Selim III. During the rule of Sultan Mahmud II, the tower was complemented with a conical roof, resulting in the tower’s appearance as it is today.

In 1967, the tower underwent a restoration process, and a lift shaft was added for the first time. Formerly managed by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Galata Tower was transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Foundations in 2019. The Ministry made the decision to turn Galata Tower into a museum to ensure it continues to serve in a manner appropriate to its historical significance, and at the end of 2020, the tower was opened to visitors as a museum upon completion of the restoration.When we think of Istanbul’s skyline, the first thing that comes to mind is the Galata Tower. A building with such a high sentimental value appears as a complementary element to the integrity and historical texture of the city. This historical building is situated in the heart of the city, showcasing the opulent history of Istanbul to visitors.

Customer Brief / Specification

During the preparation of the Galata Tower for use as a museum, lifts were needed to smoothly manage the heavy visitor traffic. Following the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s initiation of restoration works for Galata Tower, MAST Elevator delivered detailed presentations to the administration and the restoration company on the lift systems that would be appropriate. The time allocated for the installation and delivery of the lifts in this critical project was only 45 days, and it was an ambitious objective to complete all the work within this short period of time.

In its decision to transform Galata Tower into a museum, the Ministry envisioned that visitors would first be transported to the observation deck via the lifts, from where they would explore the other floors on foot and descend to the ground floor. Visitors are transported to a height of 30 m by two elevators in the tower that have 230 m² of floor space.

The requirement to preserve every inch of the original structure presented a particularly challenging task for the installation of the vertical transportation (VT) system on the project.

Through detailed studies, analysis and presentations by MAST Elevator, the company was granted the contract for the supply and installation of the VT systems of the Galata Tower.

The requirements of a structure of national and international importance such as Galata Tower are much more complex than a standard lift installation. For this reason, MAST Elevator has selected tailor-made lift solutions and appropriate technologies to successfully implement the project. Each and every material and technology used was chosen to meet the needs of modern visitors without harming the historical and aesthetic values of the Galata Tower.

Lift System Features, Project Challenges and COVID-19 

Due to the touristic significance of the Galata Tower and the density of its urban population, the tower has been subjected to challenging traffic calculations. Transportation, logistics, storage areas and timely execution of the planned works posed major challenges as the restoration work commenced. COVID-19 measures have also exacerbated these challenges.

In August 2020, the lift design and manufacturing process was initiated simultaneously with the construction works on the tower. The tower has a single basement level, and the machine room of the previous lift was positioned in this area. There was a lift shaft before the restoration, and there are two lifts with a capacity of 450 kg and a speed of 1 m/s inside this shaft.

A decision was made to dismantle the previously existing lifts. However, project management requested that a lift be used for construction works. Therefore, one of the existing lifts was prepared and handed over to project management to be used for construction works.

The new lifts designed for Galata Tower are envisioned to provide fast and safe VT. Utilizing state-of-the-art technologies, a daily capacity of approximately 4,000 visitors was targeted. A lift atmosphere has been created to allow visitors to experience the fascinating panorama of historic Istanbul as if they were floating through the heavens in an enclosed tower.

The limited shaft space of the tower meant that a maximum of two machine-room-less (MRL) systems with a capacity of 630 kg, speed of 1.6 m/s, serving eight floors and seven stops were designed. This approach has enabled a usable space to appear at the bottom of the tower. The walls and the ceiling of the lift cabins feature Magic-Mirror glass, with eight industrial monitors installed underneath. During the ride, views of Istanbul from Galata Tower are presented on these screens, allowing visitors to enjoy the view of Istanbul from the tower.

This video-wall installation is a first in Türkiye and one of the few projects in the world to implement this technology. The approval of the project managers, the administration and the scientific committee was sought for all work carried out during the project.

All components of the lifts are custom designed and manufactured. The team worked non-stop for 45 days to deliver the two lifts into service. One of the lifts was designed to operate remotely to facilitate its use by disabled people.

All certification formalities for the lifts were completed in May 2021. As of this date, the lifts have been serving around 5,000 daily visitors without any problems. As a Turkish company, we are very proud of this achievement.