Tower of the Winds, Athens

At the Tower of the Winds, you have science, mythology, and a touch of irony collide in an exquisite octagonal package. Standing proudly at 12 meters tall, this marble masterpiece was ancient Athens' answer to the weather app, a multi-functional timepiece that not only told the time but also predicted the wind’s next move. Think of it as a 2,000-year-old smart gadget, featuring sundials, a water clock, and a wind vane—all meticulously designed by a Syrian Greek astronomer around 50 BC (or perhaps even earlier, if some historians are to be believed).

Its frieze is a who’s who of the wind gods, with eight deities sculpted into the marble: from Boreas, blowing in the chill from the north, to Zephyrus, the west wind who, according to mythology, had a rather dramatic love life. Beneath them?—Eight sundials, because one just wasn’t enough. Inside?—A once-impressive water clock, powered by water piped directly from the Acropolis. And its height? Not just for show—it was designed so that Athenians could check the time and weather without craning their necks too much.

But history, as always, had its way with this tower. Early Christians turned it into a belfry, because why not? Then, during the Ottoman era, it became a tekke for whirling dervishes, where spiritual dancers twirled in meditation while the ancient sundials probably sighed in retirement. Over time, parts of the tower were buried, and today, faint Turkish inscriptions still linger on its interior walls—a nod to its many past lives.

Want to see it for yourself? Your ticket to the Roman Agora (or the Acropolis combo pass) will get you in. A small price to pay for a glimpse into one of history’s most sophisticated and repurposed buildings!