Bosphorus - The Straits Of History...

"Either I conquer Istanbul or Istanbul conquers me." - Fatih Sultan Mehmet

And I guess there was no doubting that Istanbul conquered our hearts - right from the airport to the hotel. By the time we were at the Bosphorus, we were absolutely captivated by whatever little we had seen of the city. It was as though Istanbul had conquered us.
Our first stop on this sojourn was a dinner cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, a natural 32-kilomere long strait. The straits forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, and quite literally separates Asian part of Istanbul from the European side, besides linking the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara.
And obviously since Istanbul stands at the crossroads of civilisations, the Bosphorus was the focal point of all the intrigues that the region has seen over the years.

The Dolmabahçe Palace or the Dolmabahçe Sarayı located on the Bosphorus, served as the main administrative centre of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1922...

Dolmabahçe Palace was built by the Ottoman Empire's 31st Sultan, Abdülmecid I, and was built between the years 1843 and 1856. The royal family who had previously lived at the Topkapı Palace, shifted here because the medieval Topkapı, to match the opulence of other European monarchs.

The construction of the Dolmabahçe was financed by massive issue of paper money, as well as by foreign loans. These huge expenses placed an enormous burden on the treasury. Eventually, deteriorating financial situation of the Ottoman Empire led to sovereign bankruptcy. Turkey was bailed out by European nations, who in turn established their de-facto control over the nation, calling it the "sick man of Europe". That stigma stayed on long despite Mustafa Kemal Atatürk restoring Turkish pride. Even to this day, the entry of Turkey into the European Union is being frowned upon, Caliph Abdülmecid Efendi was the last monarch to live here. With the declaration of the Turkish Republic, ownership of the Dolmabahçe passed on to the state. Atatürk often used the palace as a presidential residence during summer. It is here, Atatürk died on November 10, 1938.

The Galatasaray University, whose main building was built in 1871, during the reign of Sultan Abdülaziz. The building was built by an Armenian architect, Sarkis Balyan...

People on the boat wait for the show to begin...

The Rumelihisarı or the Roumeli Hissar Castle, located on a hill at the European side of the Bosphorus...

The castle was built by Sultan Mehmed II between 1451 and 1452. The castle was used to control the ship traffic on the Bosphorus strait and prevent aid from the Black Sea to reach Constantinople during the Turkish siege of the city in 1453, particularly from Genoese colonies - Caffa, Sinop and Amasra...

One of the three watchtowers of the Roumeli...

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge...

The Ortaköy Camii or the Ortaköy Mosque, officially called the Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid) is located in Beşiktaş district of the European side of Istanbul, close to the Ortaköy pier square...

The mosque was build by the Ottoman Sultan, Abdülmecid and was built between 1854 and 1856. The mosque was designed by Armenian architects - father and son duo of Garabet Amira Balyan and Nigoğayos Balyan...

The Bosphorus Bridge, or the Boğaziçi Köprüsü...

Heading back to the Kabataş Motor İskelesi jetty...