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The Bosphorus of Turkey is the 32km strait that forms the boundary between Europe and Asia and meets the Sea of Marmara and The Black sea of Istanbul. It is an inundated Valley that follows an irregular Northeast and Southwest course 730-3300m wide,30-120m deep.
Strategic Importance of Bosphorus
· It has a lot of traffic from many commercial ships, oil tankers, fishing and passenger boats and is regarded as one of the busiest and narrowest channels in the world.
· It cuts right through the city of Istanbul separating it into the European Istanbul and the Asian Istanbul.
· This channel has always been important from ancient times strategically, from ancient Greece, Persia, Rome, The Byzantines and The Ottoman Empire.
It passes right through the Istanbul Art Museum, several ottoman Palaces,2 fortresses, forested hills and various shore villages with Ottoman architecture.
Sunken Cities
-Several sunken cities have been discovered recently in the underwater slopes along the Turkish coast lines strengthening the belief that it was the scene of Noah’s flood and the legend of Noah’s arc. In addition to this the Mt Ararat is also found in Turkey.
Crossings
There are 2 suspension toll bridges crossing the strait with a third one under construction.
-There is also a tunnel passing under the Bosporus for the subway system and a second tunnel under construction for vehicles.
Site seeing Bosphorus
the breath taking beauty of the Bosphorus can be seen by taking a site seeing cruise on the available coastal boats. With the shore rising to heights of up to 200m, the course is lined with beautiful stretches of scenery, palaces, ruins, villages, gardens, old wooden Ottoman houses. The cruises may take 26 minutes to the whole day depending on what you want.
You may opt to take the intercontinental ferry boat to cross from Europe to Asia for just 30 minutes. On this cruise you will be able to view the Minarets of Istanbul, Leander’s Tower, The magnificent facade of Dolmbahce Palace, the panoramic view of the strait to the north, and to the south. You may also take a short Bosphorus cruise a short way up the strait and back with a stop for you to have a look at the Ottoman Palaces and still get to enjoy seeing the wonderful sites of part of the strait along the way.
-You may also to take a cruise option with no stoppages. You will get to enjoy sites along the course way on the ferry’s journey to Faith bridge and back Or you may opt for the long Bosphorus cruise which takes about 5 hours. Sailing on a traditional ferry boat from Eminomu docks to Anatole Lavage, while enjoying the spectacular view along the course way. You will get to climb the ruined fortresses on Joshua’s Hill with this tour.
Another option is the Bosphorus tour by cruise vessels for half day, full day, evening, dinner or moonlight or Istanbul cruises by night with meals served and site seeing commentary given. There are many types of these cruise tours options on offered depending on your budget, comfort and availability. British nationals will require a Turkish Entry Visa in order to visit Turkey. You can get it online through the official e visa website.
