On the second floor of the Galata Tower Museum a giant screen shows the legend of Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi, the man said to have flown from the tower to Üsküdar. We visited on 4 July 2024, and our daughter got the animation going by jumping toward a line on the floor. This is what the exhibit is, what we saw, and what is known about the story behind it.
First-hand note: We visited the Galata Tower Museum as a family on 4 July 2024. Every photograph in this article is ours, taken on iPhones, and we blurred the faces of our family and of other visitors. Exhibits, prices and queues may have changed since then, so we checked the floor plan against the Ministry of Culture and Tourism museum portal in November 2026.
What the exhibit is
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism museum portal describes the second floor as a simulation area with a giant screen. An animation shows Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi’s flight from Galata Tower to Üsküdar. The same floor also holds objects and information from the period when the tower served as an observatory.
How it worked for us
Our daughter stood at the start point on the floor and sprang toward the line. The simulation then began, and we watched an amusing flying sequence. The screen shows a figure with large pale wings, first in a green landscape, then on a platform that sticks out from the tower, with the sea and the city behind. Dashed markings run along the floor in front of the screen.
It is short and playful, and our daughter loved it.
Here is our video clip of the simulation, without sound. It shows the start of the animation and the first part of the flight.
Who was Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi?
Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi was an Ottoman scientist and inventor. He is reported in the writings of the 17th-century traveller Evliya Çelebi to have achieved sustained unpowered flight; see the Wikipedia entry for Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi. The account describes a glide across the Bosphorus from the tower. Because the story comes from a single traveller’s account, we treat the details as legend rather than documented fact, and the museum presents it as an animation, not as proof.
Practical notes
- Where: the second floor, which you pass on the walk down from the fourth floor.
- How long: our video of the sequence runs about 19 seconds. Count a few minutes, longer if others are waiting.
- Photographing it: a phone video catches the whole sequence, which is what we did.
- With children: it works best for children who like to move. Ours did.
Where to go next
Read on: our floor-by-floor visit, visiting with a child, the Golden Horn chain and artifacts.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the flight simulation in Galata Tower?
On the second floor, according to the Ministry portal. You reach it on the way down.
Did Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi really fly from Galata Tower?
The story comes from Evliya Çelebi’s writing. We treat it as a legend, and the exhibit shows it as an animation.
