During the Byzanti ne period there used to be a “Tetratsiyon” tower which was built for fire-watching in remote areas and it is where the Beyazit Tower stands today. It was the first tower built for fire-watching.  It was Hüseyin Ağa who made the tower built and it was also named as “Harik Tower”. The word “Harik” means fire. The fire-watchers in the tower were called “köşklü, köşlü or dideban”. The wooden tower of the time was set on fire in a revolt by janissaries. Beyazıt Tower was ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, and designed by the brother of Architect Krikor, Senekerim Balyan,  who built it of stone in 1828 on the place of the original wooden Beyazıt Tower, which was destroyed in fire. Before Beyazıt Tower was built, it was the minarets of Süleymaniye Mosque that were used for fire-watching. Beyazıt Tower is 85 meters high and it has 256 wooden steps.