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Bosphorus One of the world's most strategic waterways, Bosphorus is the strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara; it is an inundated valley that follows an irregular northeast-southwest course 20 miles long, 800-3600 yards wide, 100-395ft deep. The name Bosphorus comes from a Tracian word of unknown origin, interpreted in Greek as meaning "Ford of the Cow", from the legend of Io, one of the many lovers of Zeus, who swam across the sea here as a cow chased and continuously disturbed by flies sent by Hera. Known in Turkish as Bogazici (the Strait), it links the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and, with the Dardanelles, separating Europe from Asia. It is a former river valley which was drowned by the sea at the end of the Tertiary period. This is a very busy strait with many ships and oil tankers, as well as local fishing and passenger boats. There are two suspension toll bridges on this Strait: the Bogazici Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge. With the shores rising to heights up 650ft, lined with palaces, ruins, villages, and gardens, this is one of the most beautiful stretches of scenery in Turkey. The best way of seeing the Bosphorus in all its beauty is to take a trip on one of the coastal boats, admiring many of the old Ottoman wooden houses. Some of the interesting palaces, buildings or neighborhoods on the Bosphorus are: Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Yildiz Palace, Besiktas, Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Bebek, Rumeli Fortress, Tarabya, Yeniköy, Istinye, Sariyer, Scutari, Kanlica, Beykoz, Anatolian Fortress and Beylerbeyi Palace. |
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