12 October, Istanbul
Haci Mimi Apartment 53TL
The Bosphorus strait, the Sea of Marmara
and the Dardanelles strait together form the boundary between European and Asian
Turkey. The Bosphorus is the world's narrowest strait used for international
navigation, and connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, which via the
Dardanelles is connected to the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean. It is also
the world’s second busiest strait (after Dover) with 48,000 commercial vehicles
transiting each year. The Bosphorus is 31km long, with a maximum width of 3,420m
and a minimum of just 700m. Parts of the strait, where course alterations range
from 45 to 80 degrees, are dangerous for maritime traffic; ships approaching
from the opposite direction cannot be seen around some bends. “The risks posed
by geography are multiplied by the heavy ferry traffic across the strait...”
While on the surface of the Bosphorus the Black Sea flows into the Marmara, the
current in its depths flows in the opposite direction. A great way to while
away a day in Istanbul is to take the local ferry from Eminönϋ on the Golden
Horn to the north end of the Bosphorus at Anadolu Kavaği. The 90 minute journey
cruises past palaces and mosques, forts and wooden mansions, and under the two
suspension bridges spanning the strait. With my parents we spent a pleasant
three hours in Anadolu Kavaği before returning to the city on the same ferry.
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour
Bosphorus ferry tour