Maiden's Tower - Istanbul

A place I still haven't visited though I've been to Istanbul 10+ times. Thanks to nazomci (December RR 2009). Here is the legend of the tower. I always write it on the cards I'm sending of Maiden's Tower.

Once upon a time, a sultan had a much beloved and beautiful daughter. One day, an oracle foresaw that she would be stung to death by a venomous snake's bite on her 18th birthday. The sultan, in an effort to save his daughter by placing her away from land so as to keep her away from any snakes, had the tower built in the middle of the Bosphorus to protect his daughter until her 18th birthday. The princess was placed in the tower, where she was frequently visited only by her father.

On the 18th birthday of the princess, the sultan brought her a basket of exotic fruits as a birthday gift, delighted that he was able to prevent the prophecy. Upon reaching into the basket, however, an asp that had been hiding amongst the fruits bites the young princess and she dies in her father's arms, just as the oracle had predicted. Hence the name becomes Maiden's Tower.