Galata Tower, also called Christea Turris, is a medieval stone tower located in the Galata quarter of Istanbul, Turkey. It was built as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in 1348 AD during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. The upper section of the tower with the conical cap was slightly modified in several restorations during the Ottoman period when it was used as an observation tower for spotting fires.