Bosphorus description. Europe and Asia

Basic moments

The Bosphorus is located in Turkey. Its strategic, military and economic importance for the Black Sea and Mediterranean countries is obvious. The passage of merchant ships and warships through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits is regulated by international maritime law and an international convention adopted in 1936. For passage through the strait, ship owners pay a lighthouse fee to maintain the operation of navigational signs that guide captains. About 50 thousand large and small ships sail here every year.

At the southern tip of the Bosphorus is Turkey's largest metropolis, Istanbul, home to more than 13 million people. It is the only city in the world that lies in both Europe and Asia. Well-preserved monuments from different eras attract tourists from all over the world to Istanbul. Here the Bosphorus is crossed by road bridges, and transport tunnels with city communications are built under the strait. Istanbul's city port of Karakoy is the main departure point for Bosphorus cruises.

Story

Long ago, photographs taken from near-Earth orbit showed that both banks of the Bosphorus Strait are identical in outline, like the edges of a broken gingerbread. This means that a great tectonic catastrophe once happened here. Scientists believe that about 10 thousand years ago, when the glaciers of the next cooling period on the planet melted, the waters of the Atlantic Ocean poured into the Mediterranean Sea, flooding many inhabited islands, and then broke through a narrow gap in the rocks and fell into the Black Sea basin, the level of which was several hundred meters below. The breakthrough of the rocks was also facilitated by the fact that part of the present Bosphorus was once a river valley that had already “gnawed through” the rocks. Perhaps a powerful earthquake contributed to this cataclysm: the Bosphorus region is seismically unstable. Many researchers suggest that it was this catastrophe, which raised the waters of the World Ocean throughout the planet, that is described in the Bible as the Great Flood.

The strait received its name in equally immemorial times. The myth tells that the thunderer Zeus fell in love with the beautiful Io, and his wife Hera, having learned about this relationship, vowed revenge. Then the loving god turned the girl into a cow, she swam across a narrow strait and hid in the mountains of Asia Minor. The word Bosporus means "Cow Ford".

It is interesting that in Ancient Greece two straits were called Bosporus - the Thracian Bosporus (Bosphorus itself) and the Cimmerian Bosporus (Kerch Strait).

In 658 BC. e. On the southern cape of the strait, not far from the Sea of ​​Marmara, the Greeks founded the city of Byzantium. On the opposite, Asian shore, a tower was built, from which a bronze chain stretched across the strait. Thus the rulers of the city became the first in a long line of kings who sought to control the busy Bosphorus shipping. A thousand years later, after the collapse of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern in the 4th century AD. e., Emperor Constantine moved his capital here. In his honor the city began to be called Constantinople. After the fall of Byzantium under the onslaught of the Turkish Sultan Mehmed in 1453, the victors named the city in their own way - Istanbul.

Climate, terrain and navigation

The Bosphorus is located in the coastal subtropical zone; in this region, the air temperature, even in the coldest months, January and February, rarely drops below +5 °C. Spring comes here at the beginning of April. From the end of May to October, the air temperature fluctuates between +19...+25 °C, reaching +31...+32 °C in August-September. This is the best period to travel along the Bosphorus.

In summer, the water on the surface of the strait warms up to +23...+26 °C, but the temperature of the deep current is always several degrees lower. In winter, the water temperature in the Bosphorus is +5...+8 °C. At the end of winter - beginning of spring, the weather over the Bosphorus is unpredictably capricious, with gusty gusts of icy wind sweeping along the steep banks. Very rarely, extreme cold comes from the north and the strait becomes covered with ice. Byzantine chronicles indicate that the Bosphorus Strait froze in the winter of 401. The last freezing of the Bosphorus is described in the Turkish chronicle; it happened in February 1621. In the spring of 1954, the strait was filled with ice brought by a Black Sea storm from the mouths of the Danube and Dnieper.

The water level in the Black and Mediterranean Seas varies, and the salinity of the water is also heterogeneous, so strong currents arise in the narrow, winding Bosphorus. The upper current is directed from north to south, it moves water at a speed of about 2 m/s from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, and the deep current is directed in the opposite direction, and near the coast it comes to the surface. Where multidirectional water flows collide, whirlpools are formed. The turbulent waters of the Bosphorus are especially dangerous for navigation at the sharp bend of the shores of the strait, about 10 km from the Black Sea mouth. The fishing town of Sariyer is located in this place. The depth of the fairway in the strait varies from 20 to 110 m, this is enough for the passage of the largest ocean-going ships.

The shores in most of the strait are rocky and steep, but there are areas with a gently sloping shore. There are several bays in the strait; the Golden Horn Bay, located within the city limits of Istanbul, wedges itself most deeply into the European coast. Several small rivers flow into the Bosphorus, two of them, flowing from the Balkan Highlands, flow into the Golden Horn.

Bridges over the Bosphorus

According to Herodotus, the first pontoon bridge across the Bosphorus in 514 BC. e. built by an engineer from the island of Samos named Mandrocles. The crossing was ordered to be built by the Persian king Darius, who was heading with a huge army to conquer Scythia. Twenty-five years later, his son Xerxes decided to conquer Greece. Two bridges that were built by Egyptian and Phoenician engineers were destroyed by the current. Then the angry king himself cut the Bosphorus with a whip. After the execution, the strait “reconciled”, and the Persian troops crossed the third bridge to meet their death in Europe. The battle of Marathon awaited them.

Since then, for many centuries, people crossed the Bosphorus only by boats and ferries. The great depth and strong currents did not allow the installation of bridge supports in the riverbed. Only in 1973 the problem was solved, and the shores of the strait were connected by the first Bosphorus bridge. Its supports are installed on the shore, and the road surface is suspended on cables. The second cable-stayed bridge was built in 1988.

In the north of the Bosphorus, at the exit to the Black Sea, the almost one and a half kilometer Sultan Selim Bridge was completed in 2016. Rail and road traffic is open here.

In addition, two tunnels were recently built under the water of the strait - the Marmaray railway (2013) and the Eurasia road tunnel (2016).

The plans of the Turkish government are not exhausted here. In the spring of 2017, at the southern tip of the Bosphorus near the Sea of ​​Marmara, the symbolic stone was laid for the new Çanakkale cable-stayed bridge, which will become the longest in the world.

From the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea

You will discover the Bosphorus by going on a sea voyage on board a ship sailing from the Black Sea ports to Turkey or further to other Mediterranean countries. From Russia, such a cruise can be taken from the port of Sochi. But this is not the only option. The world is open, and nothing prevents you from purchasing a sea tour along the Bosphorus on a passenger liner or ferry, for example in Bulgaria or Romania.

The passage of passenger ships on the Bosphorus is free, it is not necessary to use the services of a pilot, and experienced captains navigate cruise ships independently. The speed here is limited to 10 knots (about 18 km/h), and this provides an excellent opportunity to view the picturesque surrounding shores. When maritime traffic in the strait is especially busy or bad weather is raging, ships entering from the Black Sea take Turkish guides on board. The pilot base is located on Cape Fil.

The northern entrance to the strait is marked by two ancient lighthouses, built on the European and Asian shores. Off the left bank, several gray-blue warships silently sway on the waves. Here is a Turkish naval base guarding the entrance to the Bosphorus from the Black Sea.

You will see the first attraction of the Bosphorus from afar. This is the colossal Sultan Selim Bridge, among cable-stayed bridges it is the widest on the planet. The width of the bridge deck is 59 m. There are eight lanes of traffic and two railway tracks. The height of its 322-meter pylons has not yet been surpassed. From the deck of the ship, the cables holding the bridge above the water look like cobwebs; it is hard to believe that the weight of the steel cables exceeds 28,000 tons.

At the beginning of the strait, the green banks are high, but quite flat for descending to the water. Soon they give way to harsh, inaccessible cliffs with rare trees growing from crevices on the cliffs. Higher up, the surface of the banks is overgrown with dense forests. These places are almost untouched by civilization. This is how they were seen by the legendary Greek Argonauts, who sailed to the Black Sea Colchis for the magical Golden Fleece.

Closer to Istanbul, villas and palaces appear on both banks, surrounded by parks and gardens. In August, their fruity aroma can be felt even on the deck of a passing ship. Many of these estates were built for recreation by the aristocrats of the Ottoman Empire in the 18th-19th centuries. About 300 residences received the status of architectural monuments. Soon there are so many villas that they begin to crowd together, climbing higher and higher along the terraces of the high banks. The balconies of coastal buildings hang over the water. Music and laughter can be heard from the open windows, and behind the wide panoramic windows the owners lead their usual lives - they have dinner, play backgammon, watch TV, not paying attention to the thousands of curious glances from the decks of the ships passing very close. Summer residents sunbathe on the terraces facing the water; they will wave their hand at you in a friendly manner. Yachts and boats of country dacha owners are moored directly to the doors of the house; this part of the Bosphorus is a little reminiscent of Venice.

As soon as the cruise ship enters Istanbul, the panorama becomes completely different. Here the banks are densely dotted with thousands of buildings, rising like an amphitheater on the steep left bank and tightly covering the more gentle right one. The squat domes of mosques and hundreds of minarets rising from the greenery of parks rise above the city.

To the right float the mighty walls and towers that surrounded medieval Byzantine Constantinople. Few of the buildings of the fallen empire have survived. The pearl of Byzantine architecture and the shrine of the Christian Church - the Hagia Sophia, towering on the right bank of the Bosphorus - have survived. A little further to the south, the huge Blue Mosque, built on the orders of Sultan Suleiman, competes with the cathedral. Closer to the edge of the water you can see the complex of Topkapi palaces, where several generations of Turkish sultans lived. Now there are world famous museums here. Built into the fortifications is the ancient Church of St. Irene (IV century), erected by Emperor Constantine on the hill where the city of Byzantium was founded. A kilometer-long bronze chain was kept in this temple, locking the Bosphorus in front of enemy ships. Further on the shore, the Dolmabahce Palace, built later in the Baroque style, is clearly visible, surrounded by gardens. The Rumelihisar fortress stands nearby, and opposite, across the strait, is its twin, the Anadoluhisar fortress. Here the Bosphorus narrows, and the cannons of the fortresses did not give ships a chance to sail through without permission.

The Golden Horn Bay is surrounded by many historical monuments, its outline reminiscent of a curved Turkish dagger, deeply embedded in the rocky European coast of the Bosphorus. The length of the bay is 12 km. Since ancient times it served as a military and commercial harbor. There was always a lively city center here, no matter what it was called - ancient Byzantium, medieval Constantinople, Sultan's Istanbul. There are hundreds of piers in the Golden Horn Bay, and each one sells freshly caught fish.

The shores of the bay are connected by four bridges, the most famous of which is Galata. This colorful bridge is in full swing with life: cars are moving along the upper level in constant traffic jams, fishermen are standing along the fences with fishing rods, and the most unexpected flea market goods are laid out right there. On the second tier, above the water, there are dozens of small restaurants and cafes offering delicious dishes of fish, shrimp and other seafood. Everything is fresh, caught in the Bosphorus and the Sea of ​​Marmara in the morning. Visitors can choose the fish themselves from a display with ice, and it will be cooked right away. And bream, herring, and sea bass are caught here by restaurant fishermen using spinning rods. There is a good selection of such delicacies in the restaurant "Balik Noktasi". Yachts often sail to it to pick up meals ordered by phone for passengers. The embankment is dotted with similar establishments. Often inexpensive cafes are set up right on moored fishing feluccas.

To the southwest above the bay, in the ancient quarter of Fener, is the residence of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. This is a large complex of buildings and temples. In the church in the name of the Great Martyr George, there is a patriarchal pulpit, darkened by time. It was moved here from the Hagia Sophia, which was the main temple of the Orthodox world before the Turkish conquest. At the iconostasis there is a marble column with a shrine brought by Empress Helena from Jerusalem in 326. This is the iron ring to which Jesus Christ was chained before the crucifixion. The remains of the Church Fathers John Chrysostom, Gregory the Theologian and other saints are kept in the crayfish.

Opposite the Golden Horn on a small rocky island you will be surprised by a small fort. Today it is one of the symbols of the city of Istanbul, in Turkish it is called Kız Kulesi (Maiden Tower), which is associated with the legend about the sad fate of the daughter of one of the Turkish sultans. But the fortification was erected long before the Turkish conquest, and even before the formation of the Byzantine Empire. Within its walls lie the stones of a fortress built by the Athenian commander Alcibiades in the 4th century BC. e. Therefore, this stronghold also has a second, more ancient name – Leander’s Tower. The Greek legend tells of a tragic love story. Leander, in love, swam across the Bosphorus at night to enjoy the embrace of Hero, the young priestess of the temple of Aphrodite. She lit a torch on the tower for guidance, but one day the wind blew out the fire, and Leander drowned. Gero, in despair, threw herself from the top of the tower into the Bosphorus.

In memory of this legend, the Olympic Committee of the Turkish Republic annually holds an event under the motto “Swim the Bosphorus!” Athletes from all over the world come to the swim. The movement of ships on this day stops for two hours.

The tower was rebuilt several times, it served as the headquarters of admirals, an ammunition depot, a prison, a customs office for checking the cargo of foreign ships, a control room for the navy, and even a sanitary isolation ward where cholera patients were placed.

Today, tourists are taken to the Maiden Tower by boats from piers in the Yüksüdar area (Asian coast), and from the opposite shore - from the Kabatash piers. The tower houses a restaurant with excellent Turkish cuisine, a cafe and a bar. You can dine or just drink a cup of Turkish coffee in the vaulted halls or on the observation deck.

Next, you will pass the Bosphorus Bridge, looking at the colorful panoramas of the eastern city. After a couple of kilometers, the strait suddenly widens, and the azure Sea of ​​Marmara appears before your eyes, dotted with silhouettes of ships waiting their turn to pass through the Bosphorus.

Cruises on the Bosphorus end at the pier of the village of Anadolu Kavaji, on the shores of Asia Minor. There are many fish restaurants where tourists enjoy dining after a sea voyage.

Mini cruises

You can go on a short one and a half hour cruise along the Bosphorus within Istanbul on one of the small double-deck ships that regularly depart directly from the Galata Bridge. The cost of the trip is 15 ₺. On board they serve tea, juices and cookies, but this is the entire diet. Stock up on burgers with grilled fish wrapped in crispy fresh lettuce, sandwiches with cheese and bacon; they are sold at the pier for 5-10 ₺. Try nibbling on delicious baked chestnuts – 7 ₺/100 g. The ship makes several stops. You can get off at any of them and go for a walk through the streets of the city, and then continue your journey along the Bosphorus on another ship. You just need to keep your ticket and present it to the sailor when entering the gangway.

Take your time with your choice, look at the schedule at the Galata Bridge pier. If you wish, choose an evening cruise on a more comfortable ship. It leaves at 19:00. You will see evening Istanbul shining with lights, fantastically illuminated bridges and coastal palaces. The ship has a passenger lounge and a grill bar where they will fry kebab or fresh fish for you. Duration of the voyage – 2 hours 30 minutes, cost – 60 ₺.

Bird's eye view of the Bosphorus

You can also explore the famous strait and the sights located on its shores from the air. Istanbul offers excursion flights over the Bosphorus by helicopter. Flight duration is from 15 to 60 minutes. The cost of a 15-minute overview of the Bosphorus Strait in the Istanbul area from a height of 500-600 meters starts from $169 per person. The route of the 60-minute excursion runs along the entire strait from the Black Sea to the Marmara Sea, with a flight over the historical center of Istanbul and the Princes' Islands. Cost – $3499. Up to 6 people are accepted on board; the number of passengers does not affect the cost of an hour-long air excursion. Such an excursion should be arranged in advance. Please note that departure permission is only given in favorable weather conditions.

Beaches

The busy traffic of ships in the Bosphorus raises doubts - is it possible to swim in the strait? The townspeople claim that taking a dip in the heat won’t hurt at all, as the water here is running. The inevitable pollution from hundreds of ships is quickly carried away by the current. The difficulty is that almost the entire embankment is built up either with roads or houses. There is a good place for swimming called Arnavutkoy on the European coast, approximately halfway between the bridges over the Bosphorus. You can get there by ferry from the Kabatash pier or by any bus going along the embankment. Within Istanbul on the Bosphorus there is a poorly equipped small Küçüksu beach. Admission is free.

To enjoy a beach holiday, you should take a bus or metro to the Sea of ​​Marmara. Here, on both sides of the Bosphorus, there are good city beaches, but they are far from the resort coastlines of Antalya or Marmaris.

Hotels with Bosphorus view

Several dozen hotels in Istanbul can boast panoramic views of the Bosphorus. Among the best are “The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul at the Bosphorus” (from € 150/day, the restaurant offers a Ritz-Kids children’s menu), “Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul” (from € 183/day).

There are hotels overlooking the Bosphorus Strait that offer more affordable rates. Not far from the Galata Tower on the shores of the Golden Horn Bay, the Nordstern Galata Hotel is located in an ancient building. Guests dine on the veranda overlooking the bay. The cost of living is from € 85 per day.

In the Beyoğlu district, on a hill above the Bosphorus, is the Hilton Garden Inn. Very close is the famous pedestrian Istiklal Street with its ancient monuments and popular nightclubs. The cost of living in a standard double room is from € 40 to € 85.

On the opposite bank of the Bosphorus, in the Kadikoy area, there is another hotel of this international chain - “Double Tree by Hilton Istanbul - Moda”. The cost of living in a standard double room is from € 40 to € 83 per day.

The windows of the Kalyon Hotel Istanbul, located on the embankment in the Fatih area, offer views of both the Bosphorus and the Sea of ​​Marmara. There is a wonderful garden on site. A walk to the Hagia Sophia and other monuments in the center will take no more than 10 minutes. The cost of a double room is from € 80 per night.

Istanbul and the Bosphorus Bay are inseparable concepts. A long curved bay divides the European part of 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 lie huge districts of the Turkish city of Istanbul. In addition, from geography we remember that the Bosphorus Strait connects the Black and Aegean Seas. Needless to say about the importance of the Bosphorus Strait as a transport hub that 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 navigable zone (or fairway) varies from 30 to 80 meters.

Istanbul is unthinkable without the Bosphorus; these geographical objects are inseparable today. However, curious tourists are often interested in the history of the origin of the name of the strait. They say that Zeus fell madly in love with Io, who was the daughter of King Inachus. The revenge of the Thunderer's wife was cruel. The beautiful rival was turned into an ordinary cow, which managed to find refuge from the further terrible claims of Zeus’s wife only in the waters of the strait, which was nicknamed the cow ford.

To appreciate the magnificence of the Bosphorus, tourists definitely need to travel through its waters on a modern, safe steamship. Both short and long tours are offered. You can read about their features, cost and duration in a special article.

Bridges over the Bosphorus in Istanbul

The first successful attempt to connect the shores of the Bosphorus Strait was made in the 6th century AD. for crossing more than 70 thousand Persian soldiers along ladders laid securely on top

Several years ago, the construction of a third bridge in the north of Istanbul began (in connection with the construction of a third airport). It is appropriate to recall the completion of the Marmaray project, which ran across the Bosphorus, but along the bottom of the strait. Now it takes less than 20 minutes to travel by metro from the European to the Asian parts of Istanbul using Marmaray.

Bosphorus - transport line in Istanbul

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 also their tankers that transport oil or gas, as well as various cargoes. Often the waters of the Bosphorus in Istanbul are routes for submarines and a wide variety of surface warships, including heavy cruisers or aircraft carriers.

The Bosphorus in Istanbul threatens sailors with many dangers - high speed currents, strong fogs, sharp turns, dangerous storms. Therefore, large ships along the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul are accompanied not only by tugboats, but also by a pilot from the guild of Turkish pilots.

Options

The length of the strait is about 30 km. The maximum width of the strait is 3700 m (in the north), the minimum is 700 meters. The depth of the fairway is from 33 to 80 m.

Emergence

Name

According to one of the most widespread legends, the strait got its name thanks to the daughter of the ancient Argive king - the beautiful beloved of Zeus named Io was turned by him into a white cow to avoid the wrath of his wife Hera. Unhappy Io chose the water route to salvation, diving into the blue of the strait, which has since been called the “cow ford” or Bosphorus.

Meaning

The Bosphorus is one of the most important straits, as it provides access to the Mediterranean Sea and the world's oceans in large parts of Russia, Ukraine, the countries of Transcaucasia and southeastern Europe. In addition to agricultural and industrial products, oil from Russia and the Caspian region plays a large role in exports through the Bosphorus.

The Bosphorus Strait occupies a special place among the famous most difficult straits in the world due to the intense traffic of transit ships, ferry crossings, small ships, currents of up to 6 knots and sudden weather changes in the autumn-winter period. Many shipping companies recommend that captains use pilots for transit passage of the Bosphorus Strait. Transit speed in the strait should be no more than 10 knots. For passage through the straits, a lighthouse fee is charged in the amount of about one thousand dollars, depending on the class of the vessel.

The solution to the problem of the passage and congestion of the strait is proposed in the form of the construction of a shipping canal to the west of Istanbul with a length of 50 to 100 km.

Communications

The banks of the strait are connected by three bridges and two tunnels (from north to south):

Story

As part of the only passage between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, the Bosphorus is of great importance in trade and military affairs. Its control was the goal of a number of conflicts, notably the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and the Allied attacks on the Dardanelles during the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli during the First World War.

Ancient Greek, Persian, Roman and Byzantine eras (before 1453)

The Greek city-state of Athens in the 5th century BC. BC, dependent on grain imports from Scythia, maintained allied relations with cities that controlled the straits, such as Byzantium.

During its heyday between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Ottoman Empire used the strategic importance of the Bosporus to expand its regional ambitions and establish control over the entire Black Sea, which they considered the "Ottoman lake".

Subsequently, several international treaties regulated the passage of ships in these waters. According to the Treaty of Günkar Iskelesi of July 8, 1833, the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits were to be closed at the request of Russia to sea vessels of other powers. Under the terms of the London Convention of the Straits, concluded on 13 July 1841 between Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Austria and Prussia, the "ancient rule" of the Ottoman Empire was restored by closing the Turkish Straits to all warships except those of the Sultan's allies in time of war.

Turkish Republican era (1923–present)

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Turkish straits became especially important for the oil industry. Russian oil is exported by tankers primarily to Western Europe and the United States through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits. In 2011, Turkey planned a 50 km canal through Silivri as a second waterway.

see also

• Kerch Strait (in Ancient Greece it was called the Cimmerian Bosporus)

Notes

1. // Small Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 4 volumes - St. Petersburg. , 1907-1909.
2. Kravchuk P. A. Records of nature. - L.: Erudite, 1993. - 216 p. - 60,000 copies. - ISBN 5-7707-2044-1., With. 22
3. Bosphorus // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
4. Grinevetsky S. R., Zonn I. S., Zhiltsov S. S. Black Sea Encyclopedia. M.: International Relations, 2006. P. 94.
5. Bosphorus (undefined) . MIDSHIPS.RU. - Marine Catalog-Directory. Retrieved February 26, 2013. Archived March 9, 2013.
6. “Cow Ford” - the history of the formation of the Bosphorus (undefined) . geosfera.info. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
7. //

The Bosphorus Strait, which resembles a man-made canal, is the most visible border between 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 attractions that can be briefly explored in one boat excursion. Suspension bridges across the strait and several mosques, ancient fortresses on the banks at the narrowest point, palaces of the nobility and simple dwellings are clearly visible from the ship.

The Bosphorus Strait is a wonder for visitors, but the natives of Istanbul treat it like a city pond. The shores and even the cultivated embankment have become favorite places for fishermen; in the central part of the city, a row of fishing rods creates the impression of an athletic competition. Fishing lovers are not disturbed by ships and boats scurrying on the water, nor by numerous passers-by.

As a shipping artery, the Bosphorus Strait is used very actively and in a very diverse way. International container shipping has become one of the most popular cargo operations, as it combines low cost of transportation by sea with ease of loading and unloading.

Cruise ships serve lovers of distant travels, and sightseeing tours allow vacationers to get acquainted with the sights of the Bosphorus Strait directly in Turkey. Local routes use a variety of types of vessels, from multi-deck motor ships to sea taxis for small groups of tourists.

Yachts of various displacements are also found in local waters, which are used for walks and training of athletes.

The opportunity to take a sightseeing tour, crossing the Bosphorus Strait from Istanbul to the Black Sea and back, should be used by all travelers and vacationers.

Pleasure boats are decorated in national Turkish traditions, the salons are mostly open on the sides and provide excellent visibility.

What's on the banks?

The width of the waterway does not exceed 3.5 km, so the buildings located along the banks can be examined in sufficient detail. The city blocks of Istanbul and villages on its outskirts, numerous mosques, palaces and mansions in the coastal area are clearly visible.

Directly next to the pier, from where sightseeing tours depart, is the Sinan Pasha Mosque. The date of its construction is considered to be 1555; structurally, the mosque is a typical Muslim religious building.

The building, rectangular in plan, is decorated with many domes of various sizes, the height of which increases as they approach the main dome. Mandatory for mosques, minarets in the form of tall, sharp towers have balconies for the exit of the imam, who convenes fellow believers for prayer.

Multi-storey residential buildings and individual mansions line the Bosphorus in the urban neighborhoods of Turkey's largest city. Only a narrow strip of coastal territory, used for embankments and boat moorings, is free from buildings. The hilly terrain periodically displays noticeable elevations, observed by tourists from on board.

Here is one of the most prominent landmarks of Istanbul - the Galata Tower, whose history began in the 14th century, during the time of Genoese rule. The tower's own height, exceeding 60 meters, and its location on the top of a hill make the structure a convenient observation point. The Galata Tower has been used in this capacity since ancient times. The magnificent panorama of the surrounding area attracts many visitors.

Attractions are multiplying

The Bosphorus Strait is notable for another Muslim temple - the New Valide Sultan Mosque (mother of the Sultan). The mosque was named after the mother of Sultan Mehmed III, a former concubine of his father, the previous ruler. The construction of the building took a long time, more than half of the 17th century. The Valide Sultan Mosque is located very close to the Eminönü pier, and the mosque can be seen in detail from a pleasure boat. The main building with arched facades is topped by a massive tower and a wide dome on it. Tall minarets complement the appearance of an Islamic temple in its traditional form.

The density of development on the hilly shores that characterize the Bosphorus Strait within Istanbul is very high. Examining the appearance of individual buildings from on board a moving ship is difficult; only tour guides and guidebooks can help.

Attention is drawn to a long three-story building stretching along the strait near the water's edge. This is the Ciragan Palace, or rather, a former palace - the building has been converted into a classy world-class hotel, where the Russian president also stayed. This fate befell many palace buildings located on the shores of the Bosphorus Strait.

Road bridges are an essential part of Istanbul's urban transport infrastructure and at the same time a noticeable landmark. The first of them, simply called Bosphorus, was built in the second half of the last century.

Structurally, it belongs to the category of suspension bridges; the load-bearing functions for the span are performed by powerful supports and ropes of the suspension system. Car traffic on the bridge is paid, and pedestrians are sometimes allowed or prohibited. The current ban is motivated by the large number of suicides committed by people jumping from it.

In the background, not far from one of the pillars, you can see a mosque known as Ortakoy. The mosque was built in the mid-19th century under Sultan Abdul-Mecid, which is reflected in its second name - the Great Mecid Mosque. The building was built on an artificially raised square, which also serves as a pier for tourist ships. From here you can enjoy magnificent views of the Bosphorus Strait and an overview of the Asian part of the city on the opposite bank. The classic silhouettes of a Muslim temple seem to protrude from the water, which is especially colorful when observed from passing ships.

The largest fortification built on the Bosphorus is the Rumelihisar fortress, which is translated from Turkish as Roman fortress. It was built for the Turkish siege of Constantinople 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 a complete blockade of the capital of Byzantium, has now become a tourist attraction.

A curious object is located next to the Sultan Mehmed Fatih Bridge; 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; the side wall, covered with climbing greenery up to the top floor, looks especially colorful.

The historical past, favorable location and decorativeness of the building are complemented by the personality of its creator. The 19th-century French-Turkish architect Alexandre Vallaury is famous 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 shores of the Bosphorus Strait are quite numerous; about six hundred such buildings are known.

The architectural features of the buildings, their sizes and colors are varied. A common feature of all mansions is a very high price, because the Bosphorus Strait 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 beauty, because the delights of a forest and the surface of the sea are rarely found at the same time.

The number of mosques in Istanbul number in the hundreds, and many of them can be seen on a boat trip along the Bosphorus.

Sometimes several groups of characteristic turrets - minarets - are simultaneously observed from the ship. The mosques closest to the water extend the recruiting structures to the very shore, from which passengers disembarking on land are notified about the time of prayer.

The Bosphorus Strait is an interesting detail

Passing the Bosphorus Strait on our return, we managed to capture an interesting and even symbolic shot. The foamy wake of a high-speed vessel, as it were, draws a line under an interesting journey, while simultaneously 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 became the location of the Artillery Museum, which enjoys the attention of tourists.

The sightseeing tour gives a fairly complete picture of the maritime border of the two parts of the world, as well as the largest Turkish city. Most often, the Bosphorus Strait becomes the starting point for exploring Istanbul, which is replete with attractions. The former capital of three powerful empires welcomes visitors warmly and welcomingly.

The land border of Europe and Asia runs through the mountains, the Ural Mountains and the Caucasus, and the sea border passes through the waters of several seas and the Bosphorus Strait. The article will discuss which sea is connected to the Marmara Bosphorus Strait.

Bosphorus: origin

A touching ancient Greek myth is associated with the name of the strait between the shores of Europe and Asia. Once Zeus fell in love with the beautiful girl Io, who was the daughter of the river god. To avoid the wrath of Hera, the wife of Zeus, Io, taking the form of a cow, threw herself into the waters of the strait, which has since been called the Cow (Bull) Ford, or Bosphorus. Many people do not suspect which sea is connected to the Bosphorus Strait of Marmara. The sea that is connected to Marmara through the Bosphorus is the Black Sea.

The formation of the strait is explained by the Black Sea flood that occurred about 8 thousand years ago. He connected the two seas: since then the Bosphorus (strait) has connected the Black Sea and another version of the formation of the strait is the flooding of the river bed. Both versions have scientific evidence: the bottom topography and flora features are explained by the first point of view, and the presence of a double current, fresh and salty, by the second.

Bosphorus: meaning

The strait has an exceptional geographical position. It demarcates Europe and Asia. leading from the Black Sea to Marmara and back, is the only route from the Black Sea to the World Ocean. Thus, the Bosphorus has important geopolitical significance. Through the waters of the Bosphorus, goods are transited from Europe, in particular from the Black Sea countries (Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus states) to Africa, North and South America, and vice versa. Which sea is connected to the Bosphorus Strait of Marmara? This is the Black Inland Sea, for which this strait, about 30 km long, is a strategically important route of communication with the open Mediterranean.

Dardanelles

To access the World Ocean, ships heading to the Sea of ​​Marmara (which sea is connected to the Bosphorus Strait of Marmara is discussed above) need to overcome not only the Bosphorus, but also another, no less significant strait - the Dardanelles. This is a set of straits connecting the Sea of ​​Marmara with the Aegean and further with the Mediterranean. It is twice as long as the Bosphorus. The Dardanelles and the Bosporus are equally important geographical, economic and political sites.

Bosphorus and Türkiye

On both sides of the strait there is territory occupied by Türkiye. The Bosphorus Strait has been closed more than once by the Turkish authorities for political and economic reasons. Foreign ships were allowed through the Bosphorus only after receiving a special license from Turkey. Because of this policy, disputes periodically arise between the Black Sea states and Turkey. Currently, the waters of the Bosphorus are considered open, but the Turkish authorities have reserved the right to restrict the passage of military vessels and ships of non-Black Sea countries through the strait.

Bosphorus and Istanbul

The history of one of the oldest cities on the planet - Istanbul - is directly connected with the Bosphorus. Istanbul's location is unique: its territory lies in both Europe and Asia, and the Bosphorus serves as a natural border between the two parts of the world and the city. At the same time, the European part of the city is the main cultural and historical center where the majority of the population lives. The city of Istanbul (aka Byzantium) is also mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles as the place from which Orthodoxy originated on Russian soil. This city, with the Bosphorus at its heart, has the largest population in Europe. Perhaps this is due to its favorable location, its rich history and unique culture.

The Bosphorus also makes Istanbul the busiest sea route in the world. For example, the load on the connecting Red Sea with the Mediterranean is three times less. Ships from the Black Sea countries continuously ply along the Bosphorus.

Such congestion has a significant impact on the ecology of the city. Rarely, but they happen from tankers passing through the Black Sea. Ships, cars, and a large number of enterprises pollute the environment of Istanbul. On the shores of the Bosphorus you cannot hear the splash of waves due to noise pollution, and at night the stars are rarely visible from the city due to light oversaturation. However, the current environmental situation in Istanbul does not stop the multimillion-dollar flow of tourists. After all, the city is truly unique.

on the Bosphorus

It is impossible to imagine Istanbul without numerous ferries and vapors running from one bank of the Bosphorus to the other. The city's population cannot do without this transport, because a significant part of the population from the Asian part of Istanbul visits the European part every day. Vapors and ferries create a special flavor of the city. They also help tourists get to some attractions located on the banks of the Bosphorus.

From the coastline, tourists can see the Dolmahce, Yildiz, Bukoleon palaces, the ruins of the Vlaharna Palace, numerous fortresses and castles.

The main one is the Topkani Palace Museum - perhaps the most majestic palace of the Ottoman sultans, occupying the extreme point of Cape Sarayburnu, which is washed by the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Bosphorus Strait.

Istanbul, where pleasures and dangers coexist, fascinates with its beauty, ancient and fascinating history, and special culture. However, tankers carrying petroleum products and other hazardous substances are a cause for concern. The terrain and coastline of the Bosphorus are difficult for large ships to navigate. But highly qualified pilots help avoid disasters on the Bosphorus.