View source for White Tower of Thessaloniki

{{Contradictory|about=whether its design was changed in or after Ottoman rule|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox building
| name             = White Tower
| native_name      = ''Λευκός Πύργος<br/>Beyaz Kule<br/>Kuli Blanka''
| image            = WhiteTowerThessaloniki (3).JPG
| caption          = The White Tower c. 2015
| location         = [[Thessaloniki]], [[Greece]]
| coordinates      = {{coord|format=dms|region:GR_type:landmark|display=title,inline}}
| status           = Museum
| completion_date  = c. 15th century
| floor_count      = 6
| map_dot_mark     = {{File:Blue 0080ff pog.svg}}
| building_type    = Fortress; garrison; prison
| architectural_style = [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] and [[Early Ottoman architecture|Early Ottoman]]
| height           = {{Convert|33.9|m|abbr=on}}
| diameter         = {{Convert|22.7|m|abbr=on}}
}}

The '''White Tower of Thessaloniki''' ({{langx|el|Λευκός Πύργος}} ''Lefkós Pýrgos''; {{langx|tr|Beyaz Kule}}; {{langx|lad|Kuli Blanka}}) is a monument and museum on the waterfront of the city of [[Thessaloniki]], capital of the [[Macedonia (Greece)|region of Macedonia]] in northern [[Greece]]. The present tower replaced an old [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] [[Byzantine military|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 in Greece|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 {{convert|23|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter with a height of {{convert|34|m|ft|abbr=on}} above ground level, on top of which is a turret {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter and {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on}} high. Some of the [[embrasure]]s 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 {{convert|10|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and the platform at the top of the main tower in front of the turret is about {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide.

==History==

=== Origins ===
The present tower likely replaced an older [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] tower mentioned by the 12th-century archbishop [[Eustathius of Thessalonica]] during the [[Sack of Thessalonica (1185)|sack of the city in 1185]].<ref name=":0">{{cite journal|last=Kiel|first=Machiel|year=1973|title=A Note on the Exact Date of Construction of the White Tower of Thessaloniki|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1299559455|journal=Balkan Studies|volume=14|pages=325–357|id={{ProQuest|1299559455}} }}</ref> The present tower, which once guarded the eastern end of the city's sea walls, was for many years attributed to [[Republic of Venice|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.<ref name="Tracy" /> Until 1912, an inscription in [[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]] verse above the door attributed the tower's construction to [[Anno Hegirae|AH]] 942 (1535–1536) on the orders of Sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent|Suleiman]].<ref name=":0" /> 

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 [[Vlorë|Valona]] in 1537.<ref>Tracy (2000), p.306, note 56.</ref> This dating is supported by historian Michel Kiel, though he states that Sinan's involvement cannot be ascertained.<ref name=":0" /> Another study by French scholars estimates a date between 1450 and 1470, arguing that the 16th-century inscription refers only to an outer ''[[Chemise (wall)|chemise]]''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Braun|first1=J.P.|last2=Faucherre|first2=N.|last3=Spieser|first3=J.M.|date=1987|title=La Tour Blanche et Ia Tour du Trigonion de Thessalonique|journal=Byzantinische Forschungen|volume=XI|pages=269–270}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Pepper|first=Simon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7dUv-1Ql2oC&q=white+tower|title=City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-521-65221-6|editor-last=Tracy|editor-first=James D.|pages=305–306|language=en|chapter=Ottoman military architecture in the early gunpowder era: A reassessment}}</ref>

===Modifications===
The Ottoman-built structure itself has been altered substantially over the years. Early illustrations{{when|date=January 2016}} 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 (wall)|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 ''[[caponier]]s'' 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.<ref name="Tracy">Tracy (2000), p.303–307.</ref>

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.<ref name="Glenny, p.181"/> The city walls were demolished in 1866.

===From the Red Tower to the White Tower===
[[File:White tower 1912.jpg|250px|thumb|The White Tower in 1912, showing the ''[[Chemise (wall)|chemise]]'' that surrounded the tower until its demolition in 1917|left]]
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 [[The Auspicious Incident|a massacre]] of the rebellious [[Janissary|Janissaries]] imprisoned there. Owing to the "countless victims of Ottoman torturers and executioners", the tower acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or "Red Tower" ({{langx|tr|Kanlı Kule}}), a name which it kept until the end of the 19th century.<ref name="Glenny, p.181">Glenny, p.181</ref>

The current name of The White Tower came to be in 1890, when it was [[Whitewash|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, and 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.<ref name="Borza">{{cite book | title=The Eye Expanded: Life and the Arts in Greco-Roman Antiquity |last1=Borza |first1=Eugene N. |last2=Titchener |first2=Frances B. |last3=Moorton Jr. |first3=Richard F. | year=1999| page=256| publisher=University of California Press| isbn=0-520-21029-8}}</ref>

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==
[[File:White Tower and Beach front.jpg|thumb|270px|View from Thermaic gulf.]]
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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.mbp.gr/html/en/pirgos.htm | title = White Tower. Thessaloniki. - New exhibition at the monument-symbol of the city | publisher = Museum of Byzantine Culture | access-date = 22 July 2012 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120622081348/http://www.mbp.gr/html/en/pirgos.htm | archive-date = 22 June 2012 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.museumsofmacedonia.gr/Archaeological_and_Byzantine/Arx_Leukos_Pyrgos.html Museums of Macedonia] web site</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Museums/credits.html |title=Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license |access-date=2012-09-23 |archive-date=2016-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424093344/http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/Museums/credits.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Depiction==
{{See also|Macedonia naming dispute}}
[[File:White tower banknote.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Unofficial souvenir banknote from the Republic of Macedonia depicting the White Tower of Thessaloniki, {{circa|1992}}]]
In the 1990s, the White Tower was depicted on various objects, including T-shirts and posters, in the Republic of Macedonia (now [[North Macedonia]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=The Macedonian Conflict: Ethnic Nationalism in a Transnational World |author=Loring M. Danforth | year=1997 |page=177 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0-69104-356-6}}</ref>

According to historian Donald Sassoon, banknotes depicting the White Tower were created by extreme nationalist organizations in the Republic of Macedonia.<ref name="Sassoon">{{cite book |title=Looking Left: European Socialism After the Cold War |last=Sassoon |first=Donald |year=1997 |page=77 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=1-86064-180-6}}</ref> [[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 [[Macedonian denar|denar]], which was issued in 1992.<ref>{{cite book |author=Victor Roudometof |year=2002 |title=Collective Memory, National Identity, and Ethnic Conflict |chapter=Toward an Archaeology of the Macedonian Question |page=64 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |isbn=0-275-97648-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Tamed Power: Germany in Europe |first=Peter |last=J. Katzenstein |year=1997 |page=149 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=0-8014-8449-9}}</ref>

''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."<ref>{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Helena |title=Gamble of the Macedonia Gambit |work=The Guardian |page=23 |publisher=Guardian Newspapers |date=31 January 1992}}</ref>{{Request quotation|date=December 2023|reason=Could not find any information about the printing by IMPRES and the disclaimer in the other sources.}}<ref>{{cite book |title=The State, Identity and Violence |last=Ferguson 
|first=R. |year=2003 |page=202 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-27412-5}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:White Tower Solun.jpg|[[Bulgarian language|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.''
File:Macedonian Museums-85-Arx Leukos Pyrgos-379.jpg|Second floor gallery
File:Macedonian Museums-85-Arx Leukos Pyrgos-381.jpg|Roof
File:Θεσσαλονίκη 2014 - panoramio (15).jpg|View from the roof
File:Thessaloniki Θεσσαλονίκη (46938892835).jpg|Night view
File:White Tower, Thessaloniki 2013.jpg|White Tower in 2013
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Ottoman architecture]]
* [[Ottoman Greece]]
* [[Byzantine architecture]]
* [[Byzantine Greece]]

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|2}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |first=Misha |last =Glenny |author-link =Misha Glenny |year =2001 |title =The Balkans: Nationalism, War and the Great Powers, 1804-1999 |chapter =A maze of conspiracy |edition =Penguin 2001 softcover |page =181 |publisher =Penguin |location =New York, New York |isbn =0-14-023377-6 }}
*{{cite news |first=Marlise |last=Simons |title=As Republic Flexes, Greeks Tense Up |date=February 3, 1992 |work=New York Times |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DD103CF930A35751C0A964958260 }}
*{{cite book|author1-link=James Tracy (historian) |first=James D. |last =Tracy |year =2000 |title =City Walls: The Urban Enceinte in Global Perspective |publisher =Cambridge University Press |isbn =0-521-65221-9 }}

==External links==
{{commons category|White Tower (Thessaloniki)}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120730082334/http://www.lpth.gr/en/ Official Museum Site]

{{Landmarks of Thessaloniki}}
{{Ottoman monuments of Thessaloniki}}
{{Museums in Thessaloniki}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:White Tower Of Thessaloniki}}
[[Category:1536 establishments in the Ottoman Empire]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1536]]
[[Category:Towers completed in the 16th century]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Thessaloniki]]
[[Category:Ottoman architecture in Thessaloniki]]
[[Category:Culture of Greece]]
[[Category:Towers in Greece]]
[[Category:History museums in Greece]]
[[Category:Museums in Thessaloniki]]
[[Category:Fortified towers]]
[[Category:16th-century fortifications in Greece]]
[[Category:George I of Greece]]
[[Category:Suleiman the Magnificent]]
[[Category:Military history of Thessaloniki]]