Istanbul and the Bosphorus

 Hi friends!  

Istanbul ... the Ancient capital of three mighty empires — Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. A city that shares and simultaneously unites Western and Eastern civilization and uniquely conveys the refined Oriental flavor and culture of modern Europe. It is possible to feel it fully, having walked on Bosporus Strait, the main waterway of Istanbul which is its heart, a symbol and keeps a set of secrets.

The former capital of Turkey, its main cultural, commercial and industrial center is divided into two halves, even geographically. It is located on two banks of the Bosphorus Strait, which means that it is located on two continents. The European part of the capital is conditionally divided by the Golden horn Bay: the Old town with its famous sights has largely preserved its medieval appearance, and business and trade life is concentrated in the new one. The Asian part is less popular among tourists, but it is here that you can learn in great detail the traditions and way of life of local residents.

The Turkic name of the Bosphorus - Istanbul Boaz - be translated as "Istanbul Strait". It divides the city into Rumelia and Anatolia, and the inhabitants into "Europeans" and "Asians". The 31-kilometer Strait brings billions of dollars of annual injections into the budget for the wiring of ships from the Black sea to the Mediterranean. Pleasure boats on the Bosphorus walk from the Galata bridge. The route passes by the Dolmabahce Palace, the bridges, Rumeli fortress, fish market and restaurants in the village Saryan. The last point is the village of Anadolu Kavai, where the ruins of the Genoese fortress Black Sea meets the Bosphorus.

Today it does not smell like ancient myths, as Bosphorus is the heart of the Turkish city of Istanbul, ancient Constantinople. In order to visit the Bosphorus, you should sit on one of the ships going through the Strait.

The narrowest point of the Bosphorus is 700 meters. It is easy to imagine how cramped it is for sea-going vessels to travel between these edges. At the Strait international status, so the traffic passing tourist and merchant ships is very large.

Moving along the Strait, you realize that a series of constrictions and extensions of the banks gives the Bosphorus similarity with a series of lakes. However, the ships plying every now and then make us remember that this is an important transport route. On both sides from water arise the luxury stone palaces, then poor shack. This is due to the history of the city. Turks after settling of Constantinople began to build up mainly the Central areas, and since the 19th century when there were steamships, construction began and in more remote and hard-to-reach from land sites.

A week is not enough to visit all districts of Istanbul. Therefore, we chose one of the simplest solutions to look at all the marvelous sights from the water, from a pleasure boat. In the nearly 2-hour walk along the Bosphorus, tested naslajdenie from what I have seen the wondrous beauty of the buildings and architectural monuments of Istanbul. Super!!!!

Uskudar District. Embankment

Maiden tower

View of Istanbul, with the Suleymaniye mosque.

Views of the Bosphorus and Istanbul

Galata bridge

 Photo taken on the iPhone 6S+

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