White Tower, Thessaloniki is situated on the waterfront of the city. It is one of the finest Tourist Attractions in Thessaloniki. The White Tower, Thessaloniki is a very important structure and has been adopted as the symbol of the city. White Tower in Thessaloniki is also regarded as a symbol of Greek sovereignty over Macedonia.The White Tower dates back to the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. Previously, there was an older tower on the site of this tower. At that time, the Ottomans used the White Tower, Thessaloniki as a fort, garrison and a prison. In 1826, several prisoners were butchered in this tower at the order of the Sultan Mahmud II. As a result, the White Tower, Thessaloniki acquired the name "Tower of Blood" or the "The Red Tower". This name remained till the end of the eighteenth century.
The Tower was for centuries part of the walls of the old city of Thessaloniki (known as Solun in Ottoman times), and separated the Jewish quarter of the city from the cemeteries of the Muslims and Jews.[2] The city walls were demolished in 1866. When Thessaloniki was annexed from the Ottoman Empire to the Greek State during the Balkan War of 1912, the tower was whitewashed as a symbolic gesture of cleansing, and acquired its present name. King George I of Greece was assassinated not far from the White Tower in March 1913.
White Tower, Thessaloniki houses a Byzantine museum. The White Tower, Thessaloniki is considered to be a defensive structure. At a later stage, it was used as a quarter for the guards by the Janissaries. It also acted as a prison for those who were convicted to death. The museum that is inside the White Tower, Thessaloniki displays several collections related to sculptures, frescoes, fragments of mosaic floors and wall mosaics, icons, coins, inscriptions, pottery, glass and metal items. The most well known exhibit of this museum is the fragment of silk cloth woven with gold thread. This was found in a man's grave in the basilica of Saint Achilleios at Lake Prespa. You can also find a couple of armlets made of gold and enamel in this renowned museum of the White Tower, Thessaloniki.
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