It was from Galata Tower, now part of Istanbul, that the first intercontinental flight took off. Ahmed Çelebi was an Ottoman scientist who experimented with winged flight until one time in 1638, with the assistance of southwest winds, he jumped off the top of the Galata Tower (in Europe) and soared about 2 miles over the Bosphorus Strait and landed in Üsküdar (in Asia, also now part of Istanbul). The Sultan of the time awarded him with a sack of gold ... and exile to Algeria: "A man to be feared, whatever he wishes, he can do. He can not stay".

The tower was built in 1348 and stands just shy of 220 feet tall. The roof was replaced in the mid-1960s.

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