Ancient Greece's Restored 'Tower Of Winds' Is Now Open To Public

After the restoration of the 2,000 year-old Aerides Clocktower, also known as the 'Tower of Winds,' is finally open to the public after 200 years. The Tower of Winds still stands at the bottom of Athens' Acropolis hill despite attempts by Lord Elgin to move it to Britain.

It is said to be the world’s first weather station and was used by merchants to tell the time – even in darkness. At nearly 14 meters (46 feet) tall, it is credited to the architect and astronomer Andronicus of Cyrrhus, but all these years later no one knows exactly how it worked.

Stelio Daskalakis, head of conservation, said “It was of great value for the merchants to read the weather and also tell the time their goods would arrive.”

 

Based on the most prominent theory, a hydraulic mechanism powered a water clock device with water flowing from a stream on the Acropolis hill.

“It’s unique in that such an important work was not a temple but had a utilitarian use,” Daskalakis said. “We don’t know who funded it, whether it was private or a high-ranking official.

Over the years, the Aerides Clocktower transformed from a weather station to a place of worship. Restorers discovered fragments of frescoes with Christian subject matter, including an angel and a saint on horseback. In addition, a mihrab niche was carved in the direction of Mecca and Ottoman inscriptions decorate its walls.

The monument has been largely shut to the public since the Dervishes left in 1828, barring brief use to store antiquities in 1843. The years took their toll, as did natural disasters, and pollution, prompting a full restoration, which began in 2014.

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