| The Bosphorus is a narrow, navigable
strait between Europe and Asia connecting the
Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus) to the Marmara Sea
(Propontis). It
is about 31 km / 20 mi long and varies between 1
and 2.5 km / 0.5 and 1.5 mi wide. The narrowest
point is 700 m / 2,300 ft between the fortresses
of Rumeli and Anadolu. Swift currents make
navigation difficult. The average depth is 50 m /
164 ft. In the Bosphorus there are two currents;
one on the surface from the Black Sea towards the
Marmara Sea and one below the surface in the
opposite direction. The Black Sea is 24 cm / 9.5
in higher than the Marmara and this causes the
current on the surface. The other current is
because of the changes of salt rates in the two
seas.
Along both shores
are many attractions including ancient ruins,
picturesque villages and forested areas. Near the
southern end is the Golden Horn, the harbor of
Istanbul, one of the most commodious natural
harbors in the world. In ancient and medieval
times almost all commerce between the
Mediterranean and Black seas was routed through
the strait. It is still an important artery of
international trade. An average number of 38,000
ships pass through the Bosphorus annually.
The name Bosphorus
means "ford of the calf" in ancient
Greek and is derived from the myth of the maiden
Io.
Io
In mythology, Io
is seduced by Zeus and changed into a milk-white
heifer to protect her from the jealousy of Hera.
When Hera asked Zeus for the heifer, Zeus
complied and Hera employed the hundred-eyed Argus
to guard Io. After Argus was slain by Hermes at
the behest of Zeus, Hera tormented Io with a
gadfly, driving her from land to land crossing
the strait between Asia and Europe and giving its
name, Bosphorus.
Galata Kulesi (Tower)
The tower was
built by the Genoese colony as part of their town
defense fortifications in the 14C. In Genoese
sources it was named as Christea Turris
(Tower of Christ).
It was altered
considerably, particularly by upper parts being
added under the Ottomans during the course of the
centuries. It was used at different times as a
prison and a fire-watch tower. In 1967, the tower
was restored and an elevator was added. The
present height of the tower is 63 m / 206 ft.
Today two top floors serve as a restaurant with
folkloric shows. During the daytime it is open to
visitors for panoramic views of the region.
Flying
Turk
Mankind has always
longed to fly like a bird and the first human to
try it successfully was an Ottoman Turk.
In the 17C, during
the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Murat IV,
Hezarfen Ahmet Celebi, a scholar whose first name
means "a thousand sciences", managed to
fly by wearing rush-work wings, from the top of
the Galata Tower to Uskudar, an Asian settlement
opposite and across the Bosphorus. An excited
crowd including the sultan watched him achieve
this feat.
Sultan Murat
admired Hezarfen but he was also afraid that his
unusual ability would win him excessive power.
The sultan gave him a purse of gold and declared:
"This man is one to be feared. He can do
anything he wishes. The presence of such men is
not auspicious." Hezarfen was then exiled to
Algeria where he died broken hearted far away
from home.
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