Places You Will See While Touring the Bosphorus by Boat

 

1.Maiden's Tower

The tower, which has become the symbol of Üsküdar, is the only remaining Byzantine monument in Üsküdar. It has a history dating back to 24 BC. In 1110, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I built a wooden tower protected by a stone wall.

2. Şemsipaşa Mosque

The dome of the square-planned mosque made of cut stone sits on an eight-sided pulley. The courtyard has two gates, one of which opens towards the sea and the other towards the park. The minaret of the mosque is placed on the main structure and on the corner. The reason why it is called the Asparagus Mosque: Şemsi Ahmed Pasha Mosque, also known as Asparagus Mosque, located on the coastline in Üsküdar, was built in 1580 by Şemsi Ahmed Pasha to Mimar Sinan.

3. Bosphorus Bridge

Started on 20 February 1970, the bridge was inaugurated on 30 October 1973 at 12:00 pm with a state ceremony in honor of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey. At the time of its completion, it was the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world, but as of 2012, it ranks twenty-first.

A consortium consisting of Hochtief AG, a German company, and Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company, a British company, won the tender to select the construction company.

The construction of the bridge started on 20 February 1970. In March 1970, the excavation of the Ortaköy piers began, followed by the excavation of the Beylerbeyi piers. On 4 August 1971, tower erection was started. In January 1972, the first joint was made by pulling the guide wire. On 10 June 1972, the tensioning and bending of the wires started and continued until the opening of the bridge. In December 1972, the first deck was started to be mounted on the steel cables stretched on the bridge with a swing system. The hollow decks were attached to the suspension ropes with the help of cranes at the top of the towers and with the help of hoists. The pulling up of the decks started from the centre of the bridge and they were pulled equally towards the two ends respectively. On 26 March 1973, the assembly of the last deck was completed. Then 60 decks were welded together. Thus, for the first time, the bridge was crossed from Asia to Europe on foot. In April 1973, the casting of rubber alloy double layer asphalt was started, and the asphalt casting process was completed on 1 June 1973. Construction of the approach viaducts (passing over Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi) was completed in May 1973. On 8 June 1973, the first vehicle crossing test was carried out.

At the same time, the Istanbul Marathon is held every year by crossing over this bridge and it is the only marathon between two continents.

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4. Beylerbeyi Palace

Beylerbeyi Palace was conceived as a resort for the Ottoman sultans and a state guesthouse to host foreign heads of state or monarchs, and was built upon the request of the sultan of the time, Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-1876).

5. Gül Sultan Mansion

In the 1920s, the mansion was built by architect Kemalettin Bey for Hüseyin Kazım Kadri Bey. Hüseyin Kazım Kadri Bey was originally from Manisa and published the newspaper Tanin with Tevfik Fikret and Hüseyin Cahit after the declaration of the 2nd Constitutional Monarchy. In 1920, he served as the Minister of Awqaf and Deputy Minister of Finance.

6. Sadullah Pasha Mansion

One of the earliest and best preserved wooden mansions among the mansions on the Bosphorus, it is located in Çengelköy. The single-storey selamlık section of the mansion on the quay was demolished in the early 20th century, and the harem section and the aqueduct on the garden façade have survived to the present day. There was also a bathhouse, kitchen and boathouse belonging to the mansion. The mansion was given to Dârüssaâde Agha Mehmed Ağa during the reign of Abdülhamid I (1774-1789), according to the records in the bostancıbaşı books dating back to the late 18th century. Considering these records and architectural features, it can be dated to the end of the reign of Abdülhamid I and the beginning of the reign of Selim III (1789-1807). The mansion was given this name after it was purchased by Sâdullah Pasha in 1861.

7. Historic Çengelköy Çınaraltı

Located in Üsküdar Çengelköy, under a plane tree that is estimated to have been planted in the 1200s, the Historical Çınaraltı Tea Garden serves as a meeting point where people come together with their families and friends rather than a commercial place.

8. Kuleli Military High School

Kuleli Military High School, now officially known as National Defense University School of Foreign Languages Kuleli Campus, is a military school located on the Anatolian side of the Bosphorus. In today's campus, officer candidates who are accepted to the military academy receive one year of foreign language training.

9. Kucuksu Pavilion

Küçüksu Pavilion or Göksu Pavilion is a pavilion located on the Üsküdar-Beykoz coastal road on the Bosphorus between Göksu Creek and Küçüksu Creek in the Küçüksu neighborhood of Istanbul. It was built by Sultan Abdülmecit to Nigoğos Balyan and its construction was completed in 1856.

10. Anadolu Fortress

The Anatolian fortress was built by Yildirim Bayezid in 1395 on an area of 7,000 square meters, 660 meters from the narrowest point of the Bosphorus. The Genoese had established colonies in the Black Sea (in Kefe, Sinop and Amasra) in alliance with Byzantium. For this reason, the Bosphorus passage was of vital importance for the Genoese. The same was true for the Ottomans. The Rumeli Fortress on the opposite shore, on the European side of Istanbul, was built by Mehmed II between 1451-1452 in order to control the passage of the ships of these foreign countries. Mehmed the Conqueror had outer walls added to this castle while building the Rumeli Fortress. The Anatolian Fortress consists of the inner and outer castles and the walls of these castles. The inner castle is a rectangular four-story tower. When it was first built, since it did not have an entrance gate, the tower was accessed from a suspension bridge extending to the inner castle walls. The upper floors were accessed by wooden stairs from inside. The inner castle walls connect the northeast and northwest corners of the outer castle. These walls are three meters thick. There are many arches and three towers built to protect the walls on the outer castle walls that merge with the inner walls. The walls of the main castle extend 65 meters in the east-west direction and 80 meters in the north-south direction. The thickness of the walls is 2.5 meters. There are culverts on the outer walls where cannons were placed. Block stones filled with mortar were used in the main castle and inner walls of the Anatolian Fortress. The Anatolian Fortress lost its military importance after the Conquest of Istanbul and its surroundings became a residential area over time. Today, a road passes through the middle of the Anatolian Fortress, some parts of which are ruined.

11. Amcazade Mansion

Amcazade Hüseyin Paşa Mansion is a mansion on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, a little north of Anadoluhisarı. Built in 1699, it is the oldest residence in Istanbul. It was built for Grand Vizier Amcazade Hüseyin Pasha of the Köprülü family. The original mansion was a much larger complex, of which the divanhane remains today. The drafts of the Treaty of Carlofça were prepared in this mansion. The mansion consisted of harem and selamlık sections. The remaining divanhane belongs to the selamlık section. In the original structure, a garden separated the harem and selamlık sections. According to the photographs, the harem was a two-storey building with two sofas and an average of 15-20 rooms, which was destroyed due to the immigrants settled here during the Russian War of 1877-1878.

12 Rumeli Fortress

Rumeli Hisarı is the fortress that gives its name to the neighborhood on the Bosphorus in Sarıyer district of Istanbul. It was built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet before the conquest of Istanbul, directly opposite the Anatolian Fortress on the Anatolian side to prevent attacks from the north of the Bosphorus. This is the narrowest point of the strait.

13 Galatasaray Island

The island, which was gifted to Sarkis Balyan by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1872, was known as Sarkis Bey Island for a while. During the Ottoman period, this island, where the famous painter Ayvazovski stayed, was turned into a coal depot from the 1914s. After a while, it became a place that provided fuel for the city line ferries. Kuruçeşme Island, which was planned to be opened to the public as a touristic facility at the time, was purchased in 1957 with the initiatives of Galatasaray Sports Club President Sadık Giz for 150 thousand TL and offered to the service of Galatasaray members. Between 1956 and 1992, it served as a school that trained students in rowing. Between 1957 and 1968, it was allocated to the Galatasaray Sports Club Water Polo Branch. In 2006, it was leased to Mehmet Koçarslan, an entertainment and restaurant operator, for 3 years. The operator named the facilities on the island "Suada".

14. Ortaköy Mosque

When the sanctuary built by Mahmut Aga in the place of the mosque located on the Bosphorus Coast at the Istanbul-Ortaköy Ferry Pier was ruined, Mehmet Aga, the Ibrahim Pasha Chamberlain during the reign of Sultan Ahmet III, built a new mosque in (1134) 1721. However, when this temple also fell into ruins, the present mosque was built by Sultan Abdülmecit (1271) in 1854.

15. Çırağan Palace

Çırağan, a large palace, also burned down in 1910. It had been built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1871 on the site of a previous wooden palace by Palace Architect Sarkis Balyan. The building, which cost 4 million gold in 4 years, had wooden partitions and ceilings and marble on the walls. It was borrowed from European states for its construction.

16. Dolmabahce Palace

Dolmabahçe Palace was built by Sultan Abdülmecid, the thirty-first Ottoman sultan. Dolmabahçe Palace, which was designed with a Western understanding in accordance with the modernization goal of the Ottoman Empire, was opened for use on June 7, 1856. The construction of this magnificent palace, which was started on June 13, 1843, took 13 years. Dolmabahçe Palace was built by Garabet Amira Balyan and his son Nikogos Balyan. This palace, built on the basis of Western architecture, was used to manage state affairs during the reigns of Abdülmecid, Abdülaziz, Murad V, Abdülhamid II, Mehmed Reşad V, Mehmed VI (Vahdeddin). Mustafa Kemal Atatürk spent his last years in this palace and died in his bedroom here. The magnificent palace, which is now used as the Palace Collections Museum, brings history enthusiasts together in Istanbul. There are many valuable artifacts to see here.

17. Galata Tower

Galata Tower, or Galata Tower Museum, as it was called after it started to be used as a museum, is a tower in the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul. It takes its name from the Galata neighborhood where it is located. The tower, which was built as a watchtower within the Galata Walls, has been serving as an exhibition space and museum since 2020, after being used for different purposes in different periods. 

In 1267, the Genoese, who were in alliance with the Byzantine Empire, established a colony called "Pera" in Galata, north of the Golden Horn, and expanded the area of control of this colony over time with the permits granted by Byzantium. The tower, which was then called the "Tower of the Holy Cross" (Turris Sancte Crucis) because of the cross on its top, was built as part of the fortifications built in the region between 1335-1349 by increasing the area of control towards the hill in the northeast direction in violation of these permits. The war that broke out between the two states that year ended with a treaty signed the following year, leaving the hill where the tower was located under Genoese control. 

After the capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Empire on May 29, 1453, the Genoese in Pera handed over the colony to the Ottomans without any resistance. Although some destruction was carried out on the fortifications in Galata, including the tower, the destruction of the tower was stopped by an edict of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II and the destroyed parts were rebuilt. Damaged by an earthquake in 1509, the tower was repaired in 1510. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was used as a place to hold prisoners of war and as a supply depot, and in the 18th century it was used as a fire tower by the Mehterhâne Ocağı and fire watchers.

18. Topkapi Palace

Topkapı Palace is the residence of the Ottoman Sultans and the administrative and educational center of the state. The palace was built by Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Istanbul, between 1460 and 1478 and some additions were made over time. The Ottoman sultans and the people of the palace resided in the palace until the mid-19th century. After the Ottoman monarchy was abolished in 1922, Topkapı Palace was converted into a museum on April 3, 1924 by order of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

After the conquest, Mehmed the Conqueror built a palace in Beyazıt, where today's Istanbul University is located, later known as the "Old Palace". After this first palace, Mehmed the Conqueror built the Tiled Pavilion and then the Topkapı Palace, where he would settle when its construction was completed. Fatih named this palace "Saray-ı Cedid", which means "New Palace" in Ottoman Turkish. The reason why the New Palace was called Topkapı Palace was as follows: When the large wooden coastal palace built by Sultan Mahmud I near the Byzantine walls and called "Topkapusu Coastal Palace" because of the salute cannons in front of it was completely destroyed in a fire, the name of this palace was given to the new palace.

The plan of Topkapı Palace consists of various courtyards and gardens, apartments for state affairs, buildings and mansions for the residence of the sovereign, and buildings for the officials living in the palace. Built on the Byzantine acropolis in Sarayburnu, located at the tip of the Istanbul peninsula between the Marmara Sea, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, the Palace was surrounded by the Byzantine walls on the land side and the Byzantine walls on the sea side with high walls called "Sur-ı Sultani", 1400 meters long. The area covered by the Palace is approximately 700 thousand square meters.