Visiting Istanbul [Part 3/3]: A Cruise along the Bosporus

We have come to the end of our Istanbul series. In this last part you will be taken along on a cruise along the Bosporus. It's the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation and the Bosporus connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

This is a multi part series. Other parts include:
Part One: The Blue Mosque and Grand Bazaar
Part Two: The Topkapi Palace
Part Three: A Cruise along the Bosporus

click on the images for a bigger view

The Bosporus remains strategically important. It is a major sea access route for Russia and Ukraine. Control over it has been an objective of a number of hostilities in modern history, notably the Russo–Turkish War, 1877–1878, as well as of the attack of the Allied Powers on the Dardanelles during the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli in the course of World War I.

The site of Dolmabahce in the image below, was originally a bay on the Bosporus which was used for the anchorage of the Ottoman fleet. The area was reclaimed gradually during the 18th century to become an imperial garden, much appreciated by the Ottoman sultans.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, once completed in 1988, was the 5th longest suspension bridge span in the world; today it is the 19th. The highway bridge has four lanes for vehicular traffic plus one emergency lane in each direction.

We end the cruise with a shot of the Rumelihisari (also known as Rumelian Castle and Roumeli Hissar Castle). It is a fortress located in the Sarıyer district. It was built by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452, before he conquered Constantinople. The three great towers were named after three of Mehmed II's viziers, Sadrazam Çandarlı Halil Pasha, who built the big tower next to the gate, Zağanos Pasha, who built the south tower, and Sarıca Pasha, who built the north tower.

The End

Thank you for coming along. I hope you enjoyed this little detour from my photography. I will be back on Sunday with a new post. Tomorrow I'm taking a break since it's my birthday. Have a great weekend everybody!