The Bosphorus Strait, which looks like a man-made canal, is the most obvious border between the two parts of the world located on the single continent of Eurasia. Connecting the waters of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, it divides Turkish Istanbul into European and Asian parts. The shores of the Bosphorus are replete with sights that can be briefly examined in one water excursion. Hanging bridges across the strait and several mosques, ancient fortresses on the banks in the narrowest place, palaces of the nobility and simple dwellings are clearly visible from the ship.
The Bosphorus is a curiosity for visitors, and the natives of Istanbul treat it like a city pond. The shores and even the cultivated embankment have become favorite places for anglers; in the central part of the city, a series of rods gives the impression of a competition between athletes. Fishing lovers are not disturbed by ships and boats scurrying through the water, nor by numerous passers-by.
As a navigable artery, the Bosporus is used very actively and very diversely. International container transportation has become one of the most popular cargo operations, as it combines the cheapness of sea transportation with the ease of loading and unloading.
Cruise liners serve lovers of distant wanderings, sightseeing tours allow tourists to get acquainted with the sights of the Bosphorus Strait directly in Turkey. Local routes use the most different types ships, from motor ships with several decks to sea taxis for a small group of tourists.
There are also yachts of various displacements in local waters, which are used for walking and training athletes.
The opportunity to make a sightseeing tour, passing the Bosphorus from Istanbul to the Black Sea and back, should be used by all travelers and vacationers.
Pleasure boats are decorated in the national Turkish traditions, the salons are mostly open along the sides and provide excellent visibility.
The width of the waterway does not exceed 3.5 km, so the buildings located along the banks can be considered in sufficient detail. The city blocks of Istanbul and the villages in its suburbs, numerous mosques, palaces and mansions in the coastal zone are visible at a glance.
Directly next to the pier where departures sightseeing tours, Sinan Pasha Mosque is located. The date of its construction is considered to be 1555. Structurally, the mosque is a typical Muslim religious building.
Rectangular in plan, the building is decorated with many domes. various sizes, the height of which increases with approaching the main dome. The minarets, obligatory for mosques, in the form of high, sharp towers, have balconies for the exit of the imam, who calls fellow believers to prayer.
Multi-storey residential buildings and individual mansions surround the Bosphorus in the urban areas of Turkey's largest city. Only a narrow strip of the coastal territory, used for embankments and boat moorings, is free from buildings. The hilly terrain periodically demonstrates noticeable elevations observed by tourists from the board.
Here is one of the most prominent sights of Istanbul - the Galata Tower, whose history began in the XIV century, during the Genoese rule. The tower's own height, which exceeds 60 meters, and its location on the top of a hill make the building a convenient observation point. As such, the Galata Tower has been used since ancient times. The magnificent panorama of the surroundings attracts many visitors here.
The Bosphorus is notable for another Muslim temple - the New Mosque of Valide Sultan (mother of the Sultan). The mosque is named after the mother of Sultan Mehmed III, the former concubine of his father, the previous ruler. They built the building for a long time, more half of XVII centuries. The Valide Sultan Mosque is located very close to the Eminonu Marina, from a pleasure boat the mosque is viewed in detail. The main building with arched facades is crowned with a massive tower and a wide dome on it. High minarets complement the image of the Islamic temple in its traditional form.
The building density of the hilly shores that distinguish the Bosphorus within Istanbul is very high. Considering the appearance of individual buildings from the side of a moving ship is difficult, only guides and guidebooks help out.
Attention is drawn to a long three-story building, stretching along the strait near the water's edge. This is the Chiragan Palace, or rather, the former palace - the building was converted into a classy world-class hotel, where he stayed and Russian President. Such a fate befell many palace buildings located on the banks of the Bosphorus.
An essential part of the urban transport infrastructure of Istanbul and at the same time a notable attraction are road bridges. The first of them, unpretentiously called the Bosphorus, was built in the second half of the last century.
Structurally, it belongs to the category of suspension bridges, load-bearing functions for the superstructure, the most powerful supports and ropes of the suspension system are performed. car traffic on the bridge is paid, and the admission of pedestrians is either allowed or prohibited. The current ban is motivated large quantity suicides committed by jumping people.
In the foreground, not far from one of the pillars, a mosque is visible, known as Ortakoy. The mosque was built in the middle of the 19th century under Sultan Abdul-Majid, which is reflected in its second name - the Great Mosque of Majid. The building was built on an artificially built area, which also serves as a pier for tourist ships. From here, magnificent views of the Bosphorus and an overview of the Asian part of the city are available. opposite bank. Classic silhouettes Muslim temple as if protruding from the water, which is especially colorful when observed from passing ships.
The largest fortification built on the Bosphorus is the Rumelihisar fortress, which translates from Turkish as a Roman fortress. It was built for the siege of Constantinople by the Turks at the end of the first half of the 15th century, under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed Fatih. The second bridge built nearby across the Bosphorus bears the name of this ruler, nicknamed the Conqueror. The once formidable defensive structure, which ensured the complete blockade of the capital of Byzantium, has now become a tourist attraction.
A curious object is located next to the bridge of Sultan Mehmed Fatih, this is the mansion of Zeki Pasha, the minister of the court of one of the Ottoman rulers. The rather expressive architectural appearance of the building is complemented by the abundant vegetation of the adjacent garden, which looks especially colorful. side wall, covered with climbing greenery up to the top floor.
The historical past, favorable location and decorativeness of the building are complemented by the personality of its creator. French-Turkish architect of the 19th century Alexander Vallori is known for a number of buildings in the Turkish capital and for the fact that he not only worked, but was also born in Istanbul.
Mansions on the banks of the Bosporus are quite numerous, about six hundred such buildings are known.
Diverse architectural features buildings, their sizes and colors. A common feature of all mansions is a very high price, because the Bosphorus is far from an ordinary territory, the cost of land on the banks is record high. The prestige of housing placement is combined with natural beauties, because the charms of the forest and the sea surface are rarely found at the same time.
There are many hundreds of mosques in Istanbul, and many of them can be seen during a boat trip along the Bosphorus.
Sometimes several groups of characteristic turrets - minarets - are simultaneously observed from the side. The mosques closest to the water put forward conscription structures to the very shore, from which they announce the time of prayer for passengers descending on land.
Bypassing the Bosporus on our return, we managed to capture an interesting and even symbolic shot. A foamy trail from a high-speed vessel, as it were, draws a line under interesting journey while drawing a visible border between Europe and Asia. On the shore, the ancient fortress is again visible, now turned into a tourist attraction. In particular, the citadel has become the location of the Museum of Artillery, which enjoys the attention of tourists.
A sightseeing tour gives a fairly complete picture of the sea border of the two parts of the world, as well as the largest Turkish city. Most often, the Bosphorus becomes the starting point for exploring Istanbul, which is replete with sights. The former capital of three powerful empires welcomes visitors cordially and affably.
The Bosphorus is a strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara (further through the Dardanelles you can get into the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean.
The Bosphorus is not just a strait. The Bosphorus divides the largest Turkish city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople, where Ukrainian Cossacks went on campaigns) into 2 parts.
It is also believed that the Bosphorus separates Europe and Asia (which is why this article is in 2 sections at once). Thus, Istanbul is the only city on the planet that is located on 2 continents at once :)
The length of the Bosphorus is about 30 km, the maximum width is 3700 m in the north of the strait, the minimum is 700 m. The depth of the fairway of the Bosphorus is from 33 to 80m.
The banks of the Bosphorus are connected by only 2 bridges. The Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973 and has a length of 1074m. The second Bridge of Sultan Mehmed Fatih (length 1090m) was built to the north, 5km from the Bosphorus Bridge only in 1988.
Another 1275m long bridge will link the Trans-European Highway and the Northern Marmara Expressway. The new bridge will have 8 traffic lanes. In 2013, the Marmaray railway bridge is to be completed.
It is believed that the Bosphorus appeared only 5000-7500 years ago. Previously, the water level in the Black and Mediterranean seas was lower, significantly lower, and they were not connected with each other.
The Bosphorus is a very important strait. provides access for ships from Ukrainian, Russian and Transcaucasian and Eastern European ports to the Mediterranean Sea, and from there to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
The Bosphorus plays a particularly important role in the export of Russian and Caspian oil.
Although a considerable number of dry cargo ships pass through it, following from America or Asia to the ports of the Black Sea.
The length of the Bosphorus is about 30 km., The width is from 0.7 to 6 km., and the length of the Dardanelles is 65 kilometers and a width of 1.3 to 3.7 km. Through the Bosphorus Strait, the Black Sea is connected to the Sea of Marmara, and then through the Dardanelles to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, so merchant ships, passenger liners and oil tankers regularly pass through the Bosphorus. Connecting Europe and Asia Bosphorus moves desalinated-salty waters from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, and further to the Mediterranean. The Bosphorus is unique in many respects - it is an old river valley that is flooded sea water and has two oppositely directed currents: desalinated upper and salty - lower.
Bosphorus, is the meeting point of two continents - Europe and Asia. Bridges across the strait, the Eurasian tunnel and the Marmaray railway tunnel under the Bosphorus, connect these two continents.
First bridge through the Bosphorus Strait, which connected the European and Asian parts of Istanbul, this bosphorus bridge. Official opening bridge took place in 1973, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. The length of the bridge is 1560 meters, the width is 33, and the height of the roadway above the water is 64 meters. It is open to pedestrians only once a year, during the Istanbul Intercontinental Marathon. In 2016, the Bosphorus Bridge was renamed the “July 15th Martyrs Bridge” in memory of those killed in the coup attempt.
Second Bridge (Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge), built in a place where the width of the strait is minimal (660 m). The official opening of the bridge took place in 1988, on the 535th anniversary of the conquest Istanbul. The bridge is 1510 meters long, 39 meters wide, and the height of the roadway above the water, like the first bridge, is 64 meters. Don't forget to look at the two Bosphorus. When dusk falls, they are illuminated by thousands of lamps, creating an even more romantic atmosphere.
The bridge crosses the Bosphorus in its northern part, at the outlet to the Black Sea. Construction began on the structure in May 2013, and the opening ceremony took place on August 26, 2016. The Third Strait Bridge is named after Sultan Yavuz Selim. The bridge has eight car lanes, four in each direction, and two railway lines between them. total length the bridge is 2164 meters, the length of the main span is 1408 meters. The bridge is 322 meters high and 59 meters wide.
The four-lane underwater railway tunnel "Marmaray", whose construction began in 2004, was officially opened on October 29, 2013. The total length of the tunnel is 9.8 km, the length of the underwater part is 1.4 km, and the deepest section of the tunnel is 60 meters from the surface of the Bosphorus. The railway tunnel with a total length of 13.6 km is designed to carry 1.5 million passengers a day.
On December 20, 2016, the Eurasian Tunnel was officially opened in Istanbul. The total length of the tunnel is 5400 meters, of which 3340 meters lie under the Bosphorus. Together with access roads, the total length of the tunnel is 14.6 kilometers, and the maximum depth is 106 meters. The tunnel is designed to pass cars and minibuses.
Population density on both banks Bosphorus high. Its waters are constantly plowed by city transport ships (vapurs), pleasure boats, steamers with tourists, private yachts and large sea vessels. To see Istanbul from both sides of the strait, be sure to take a walk on a pleasure boat along the Bosphorus or think over a route on regular ships of public transport.
Many have rooms or chic terraces overlooking the Bosphorus, but not so many stand right on the shore. Bosphorus hotels located on the strait are mainly in the Istanbul region Besiktas. These are the most expensive and most luxurious hotels in which eminent guests of Istanbul usually stay - presidents, sheikhs, movie stars and big businessmen.
On both sides of the strait, you can find a wide variety of restaurants, both expensive, where you can usually meet show business stars, and ordinary eateries that will suit any tourist's wallet. There are also many national restaurants where you can taste traditional Turkish cuisine. And what could be better than having lunch on the terrace of a restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus where you can taste a wide variety of food and drinks.
Bosphorus - the soul of Istanbul
Istanbul and the Bosphorus are inseparable concepts. A long, curved bay separates European part Istanbul into two parts and gives the city a special, unique identity.
Any schoolchild knows that the Bosphorus is a strait connecting two continents - Asia and Europe. On the shores of the Bosphorus Strait are the vast districts of the Turkish city of Istanbul. In addition, from geography, we remember that the Bosporus connects the Black and Aegean Sea. Needless to say, the importance of the Bosphorus as a transport hub that has united many states. The length of the strait exceeds thirty kilometers, the width constantly fluctuates from 700 meters to four kilometers. The depth of the navigation zone (or fairway) varies from 30 to 80 meters.
Istanbul is unthinkable without the Bosphorus, these geographic features are inseparable today. However, curious tourists are often interested in the history of the origin of the name of the strait. Rumor has it that Zeus fell in love with Io, who was the daughter of King Inach. The revenge of the wife of the Thunderer was cruel. The beautiful rival was turned into an ordinary cow, which managed to find refuge from the further terrible claims of the wife of Zeus only in the waters of the strait, which was called the cow ford.
To appreciate the magnificence of the Bosphorus, tourists certainly need to make a trip along its waters on a modern safe steamer. Both short and long tours are offered. You can read about their features, cost and duration in a special article.
The first successful attempt to link the shores of the Bosporus was made in the 6th century AD. for the crossing of more than 70 thousand Persian soldiers along the ladders laid on top of the
A few years ago, the construction of the third bridge in the north of Istanbul began (in connection with the construction of the third airport). It is appropriate to recall the completion of the Marmaray project, which passed across the Bosporus, but already along the bottom of the strait. Now it takes less than 20 minutes to travel by metro from the European to the Asian side of Istanbul with the help of Marmaray.
The Bosphorus is a transport channel, the strait has international status, since it is crossed not only by many city ferries, but also by more than one hundred and fifty 
different ships in one day. Among them you can find not only cruise ships, but their tankers, which transport oil or gas, as well as various cargoes. Often the waters of the Bosphorus in Istanbul are the routes of movement submarines and a wide variety of surface warships, including heavy cruisers or aircraft carriers.
The Bosphorus in Istanbul threatens sailors with many dangers - high current speed, heavy fogs, sharp turns, dangerous storms. Therefore, large ships along the Bosphorus in Istanbul are accompanied not only by tugboats, but also by a pilot from the Turkish Pilots Guild.
It is under the jurisdiction of our neighbor - Turkey. It is a link between Europe and Asia Minor. Connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. And together with another strait - the Dardanelles - it connects the Black Sea with the Aegean, which is part of the Mediterranean. The length of the strait is about 30 kilometers. Depth within 120 meters. The maximum width in the northern part is 3700 meters, the minimum is 700 meters. It also has another name - the Istanbul Strait. For on both sides of it the Turkish city of Istanbul is spaciously spread with almost thirteen million people. One of the most attractive cities, which is very popular with both local and foreign tourists. More than fifty thousand large and small commercial and military vessels pass through the strait every year.
There was such an ocean with a surprisingly capacious and mysterious name back in the Mesozoic era - about a billion years ago. And it stretched between the then ancient continents of Gondwana and Laurasia. He constantly changed his outlines. From the wide equatorial ocean of the Old World, then suddenly turning into a bay Pacific Ocean, then into the Atlanto-Indian channel. Until it broke up into a series of seas. Of course, the use of the word “suddenly” in time is very long: whole centuries passed until changes in its configuration became noticeable. And the picture has changed due to various natural disasters. Now the oceans, as they say, have sunk into oblivion. And instead of it, the Mediterranean, Marmara, Black, Caspian and even Azov and other seas continuously roll their waters. By the way, all of them (except for the gray-haired Caspian) are interconnected by straits. So from the same Sea of Azov through Kerch Strait you can get into the Black, then into the Mediterranean, and so on, and in the final version, find yourself in Atlantic Ocean. That's just the Caspian Sea, which is otherwise called a lake, has become a closed reservoir.
Natural disasters, like the ways of the Lord God, are inscrutable. Before the ice age of the Istanbul Strait, especially the metropolis on both sides of it, there was no world wide. True, the Mediterranean, Black, Marmara and the same Azov seas were already constantly rolling their waters. And the level of the Mediterranean kept rising and rising. Due to the melting of a huge mass of snow and ice. The waters became simply cramped in their bed. And they punched in rocks your way to the Black Sea. Some scientists believe that the ancient bed of a certain river also helped in this. Whatever it was in reality, but the strait appeared to the world as a race long, to be absolutely precise, 29.9 kilometers. The ancient Greeks called it the Frankish Bosphorus. But the Kerch Strait received from them the name Cimmerian. By the way, the Bosphorus has two currents. The upper one, rushing from the Black Sea, is salty. The lower one - from the Marmara Sea to the Black Sea - is desalinated.
And this outlandish name is connected with the daughter of the Argive king (and the river deity Inach), who ruled Io in very distant times. From ancient mythology it is known how much love would be abundant chief god Olympus Thunderer Zeus. So he fell head over heels in love with Io. But he had a legal wife - Hera. Of course, she did not like another affair with a young girl. To avert trouble from the latter, Zeus turned Io into a white cow. In order to avoid the wrath of Hera, Io (the white cow) rushed into the waters of the strait. That is why the Bosphorus is also called the Cow's Ford. But according to legend, when was that? In our time, the Bosphorus provides access to mediterranean sea and to the world's oceans. With it, you can get to Russia, and to Ukraine, and to the Transcaucasus, and to southeastern Europe. And to put it simply, this is one of the busiest trade (and not only) routes. By the way, oil products, food, industrial, and other goods are delivered through it. Vessel traffic is very heavy. Pilots are used. Speed no more than ten knots per hour. The fee for the passage of ships through the strait is from a thousand dollars and depending on their class. It is appropriate to say that it is already getting crowded in its waters. Therefore, the plans are to build a navigable canal with a length of fifty to one hundred kilometers west of Istanbul. And here it must be recalled - in the winters of 1621-1669, the Bosphorus was covered with ice. And that time, far from us, was called the Little Ice Age. Now the vicinity of the strait, in essence, is subtropical. Like, for example, our Sochi. They grow many types of palm trees, magnolias and other types of southern tree species. An abundance of vegetables and fruits. Which are also delivered to Russia - there is a lively trade between the countries. And from the same Greater Sochi you can cruise to Istanbul and along the Bosphorus itself. It is noteworthy that thanks to the strait, Istanbul is simultaneously located in both Europe and Asia. And its seaport Karakoy is a center organizing sea cruises. So that's about the subtropics. Spring in Istanbul and the vicinity of the Bosphorus comes in April. In May-October it is plus 19-25 degrees. The warmest months are August and September - above thirty degrees Celsius. Water warms up to 23-26 degrees in summer. In winter it cools down to 5-6. Almost like Russian Black Sea coast. The Golden Horn Bay in the city of Istanbul looks fantastic. Balconies of residential and other buildings literally hang over the strait. Houses either climb up or rush to the coast. They are buried in the southern vegetation. Magic beauty! By the way, it is not so difficult to get from one coast to another.
About this ancient Greek historian, scientist, and so on and so forth, only the deeply lazy have not heard a lot. So, according to his sources, the first bridge between the banks of the Bosphorus was built in 514 BC. new era. Pontoon. From boats and ropes. Engineer from the island of Samos Mandroklom and by order of King Darius. When he went hiking to conquer the Scythians. A quarter of a century later, his son Xerxes ventured to conquer Greece. He also built a bridge. But that element was destroyed. The king became so angry that in anger he hewed the waters of the strait with his own hand. Scourge! And they seem to have reconciled. The troops passed over the third bridge. To your death. In Europe at the Battle of Marathon. Then people used boats and ferries to cross. It was very problematic to build capital bridges - a strong current, great depth. Capital bridges across the strait appeared closer to our time. In particular, one of them appeared in 1979. Its pillars were erected on both sides of the banks, and roadbed fun on ropes. The second (cable-stayed) bridge appeared in 1988. And in 2017, at the southern end of the Bosphorus near the Sea of Marmara, a symbolic stone was laid for the new Canakkale cable-stayed bridge, which will become the longest in the world. The northern entrance to the strait is marked by two powerful lighthouses. One stands on the European, the other on the Asian coast. At the left - ships navy Turkey. They guard the entrance from the Black Sea to the Bosporus. And the main attraction of the metropolis is connected with the bridge. Bearing the name of Sultan Selim. Vantov. 59 meters wide. With eight stripes. Plus railroad tracks. With pylons 322 meters high. From below, the cables on which the bridge hangs look like cobwebs. While the weight of their ropes is 28 thousand tons! This is what the engineers did!
So far, there are three bridges across the strait. The automobile plus railway of Sultan Selim the Terrible was put into operation in 2016. Its length is 1408 meters. But the automobile bridge of Sultan Mehmed Fatih with a shorter length - 1090 meters, but no less grandiose was erected in 1988. Five kilometers from the first bridge. Finally, the third bridge, slightly shorter than the second (1074 meters) was built in 1979. As for the tunnels, they also have a place to be. One of them, in particular, between the two districts of Istanbul - Kazlıçeşme on the European coast and Airılıkçeşme on the Asian coast was opened in 2013. 13.6 kilometers of it pass under water and 1.4 kilometers on the surface. There is also the Eurasia Tunnel between Kazlıçeşme and Göztepe districts of Istanbul. It stretched for 14.5 kilometers. Of these, 5.4 are under the strait at a depth of 106 meters. Opened in 2016.
