 Contents Anadolu Hisari (Anatolian Fortress) Fatih Sultan Mehmet Koprusu (Sultan Mehmet Bridge)
|
 |
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. IoIn 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 TurkMankind 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. |
|
||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Kiz Kulesi (Maiden's Tower) |
|||||||||||||||||||
| One of the most distinctive landmarks in Istanbul. The Kiz Kulesi was originally a 12C Byzantine fortress built on a natural rock. The present structure dates from the 18C and is used as an inspection station by the Navy. There are plans to restore it to become a cafe and restaurant. | |||||||||||||||||||
Ciragan Sarayi (Ciragan Palace) |
|||||||||||||||||||
| This palace was built by Abdulaziz I between 1863 and 1867. This was a period in which all Ottoman sultans used to build their own palaces rather than using those of previous sultans. Unfortunately because of a fire in 1910 this beautiful palace was just a ruin until very recently when it became one of the most exclusive hotels in Istanbul. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Ortakoy Camisi (Ortakoy Mosque) |
|||||||||||||||||||
| This mosque is also known as Buyuk Mecidiye Camisi and was built by Abdulmecit in 1853. The architect is Nikogos Balyan. | |||||||||||||||||||
Beylerbeyi Sarayi (Beylerbeyi Palace) |
|||||||||||||||||||
| The Architect Sarkis Balyan
constructed the Beylerbeyi Palace between 1861
and 1865 for Abdulaziz. The exterior decoration
was adopted from European Neo-Classicism but the
interior was completed in the traditional Ottoman
style. This palace was used both as a summer lodge and as a residence for visiting royalty. |
|||||||||||||||||||
Bogaz Koprusu (Bosphorus Bridge) |
|||||||||||||||||||
In 1973, on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, a suspension bridge similar to the British River Severn Bridge was opened at Istanbul linking the Asian and European shores of the strait. It is 64 m / 210 ft high with 6 lanes. The total length is1,560 m / 5,117 ft and the distance between two legs is only 1,074 m / 3,523 ft. The construction took 3 years and the cost was 22 million US Dollars. During its first years pedestrians could walk across the bridge and the elevators inside the legs were open to the public. However, after many suicides it is no longer open to pedestrians.
|
Sultan Mehmet II made preparations for the siege of Constantinople. He decided to build a fortress on the Bosphorus opposite the Anadolu Hisari in order to cut off the city from its sources of grain on the shores of the Black Sea. The construction was completed in 1452 in less than four months and it served its purposes well. After the conquest, it lost its military importance.
This bridge is also 64 m / 210 ft high, but it has 8 lanes. The total length is 1,510 m / 4,953 ft and the distance between the two legs is only 1,090 m / 3,575 ft. The construction was completed by a Japanese company and the cost was 125 million US Dollars.
Copyright © 1997-2011Serif Yenen All rights reserved. NO part of the information and materials in this web site may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including copying, recording and storing in any information storage and retrieval system without written permission from Serif Yenen
Disclaimer
While every effort has been made to make this web
site as complete and as accurate as possible,
this text should only be used as a general guide
and not as an original source of information.
Comments, suggestions or corrections relating to
possible errors both typographical and in terms
of content would be much appreciated.
The author shall have neither liability nor
responsibility to any person or entity with
respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged
to be caused, directly or indirectly by the
information contained in this web site.
For more information
write to info@turkishodyssey.com
For your advertisements write to ads@turkishodyssey.com
|
|||||||||||||
Anadolu Hisari (Anatolian Fortress)
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Koprusu (Sultan Mehmet Bridge)
