Ancient Athenian general Alcibiades , after the naval victory at Cyzicus , possibly built a custom station for ships coming from Black Sea on a small rock in front of Chrysopolis ( today 's Üsküdar ) . In 1110 Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus built on this site a wooden tower protected by a stone wall . The structure , known as Leander 's Tower after the legend of Hero and Leander ( which took place in the Dardanelles ) , was rebuilt and restored several times by the Ottoman Turks , until in 1763 it was erected using stone . The most recent restoration took place in 1998 . Steel supports were added around the ancient tower as a precaution after the 1999 İzmit earthquake
1999 İzmit earthquake
1999 İzmit earthquake
Architecture of Istanbul