The Tower of the Winds in Athens

The Tower of the Winds in Athens is an octagonal building, with each side measuring 3.20 meters, set on three steps made of Pentelic marble. It features a conical roof, a cylindrical annex on its southern side, and two Corinthian porticos to the northeast and northwest. It was designed and built by the architect and astronomer Andronicus of Cyrrhus in Macedonia, likely in the first half of the 1st century BC. At the top of each side, reliefs depict the winds, each with its symbol and inscribed name. Sundials were placed on the exterior, while the interior housed a water clock. During the Early Christian period, the Tower was converted into a church or possibly a baptistery of a nearby church. A Christian cemetery existed just outside the northeastern entrance. In the 15th century, it was referred to by Cyriacus of Ancona as the Temple of Aeolus, while an anonymous traveler's account described it as a church. In the 18th century, it was transformed into a dervish tekke. Pictured: The Tower of the Winds in Athens, 1878. ©Municipal Photography Museum of Kalamaria ‘Christos Kalemkeris.