Istanbul, Turkey
The major city of turkey is Istanbul which straddles Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. The city has the cultural influence of many empires that once ruled the city. The Sultan Ahmet district of the city has the open-air, Roman-era Hippodrome was for centuries the site of chariot races, and the Egyptian obelisks also remain there. The iconic Byzantine Hagia Sophia features a soaring 6th-century dome and rare Christian mosaics. Sometimes as a bridge, sometimes as a barrier, Istanbul for more than 2,500 years has stood between conflicting surges of religion, culture, and imperial power. With a population of over 13 million people, Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus strait, providing the only passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.
Dolmabahce Palace
On the European coast of the Bosporus strait, located in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey, is the magnificent Dolmabahçe Palace. It served as the main administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1856 to 1887 and from 1909 to 1922. In the early periods, it was a bay, and the navy anchored when the Ottomans conquered Istanbul. Between the years 1611-1614, this bay was filled in and a timber building with a large garden called "the Besiktas Palace". It was built by the order of Sultan Ahmet I. The land of the Besiktas Palace, which had become completely useless due to a fire, was chosen as the site for the new palace by Sultan Abdulmecit I. They did that because it was seaside and close to the city center. It is built on an area of 11.1 acres, Dolmabahce is the largest palace in Turkey. It served as the main administrative center under the Ottoman Empire and was home to six sultans between 185 and 924. The beautiful palace contains 46 halls, 285 rooms, 6 baths, and 68 toilets.
Balat
Balat is an exquisite, colorful, and traditional Jewish quarter in the Fatih district of Istanbul. It is on the European side of Istanbul. It lies in the old city on the historic peninsula, on the western bank of the Golden Horn. It is the oldest and most spectacular district of İstanbul. When you enter this area of Istanbul's narrow cobbled streets and historic buildings, you will fall in love with a beautiful atmosphere unlike any other that you have ever visited in any country in the world. The most iconic part of Balat is the district’s colorful houses along sloping cobbled streets. Most of these homes are 50 years old and some are 200 years old. These beautiful wooden homes are the most photographic buildings in the city. These streets have cafes and restaurants for visitors to sit and admire the beauty of the place.
Hagia Sophia Mosque
Hagia Sophia is an exquisite mosque in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. It began as a church and later became a mosque. It also served as a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Hagia Sophia was designed with an enormous dome and is said to have changed the history of architecture. Hagia Sophia had been the largest cathedral in the world for almost 1000 years. In 1931, after having been to a mosque since 1453, Hagia Sophia was closed to the public. It remained closed for four years until the Republic of Turkey reopened it as a museum.
Bosphorus Strait
Bosphorus Strait is also known as the Strait of Istanbul. It is a natural waterway that forms part of the continental boundary between Europe and Asia. Its shorelines are densely populated by locals of Istanbul and are a maritime waterway. It connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and by extension the Dardanelles, Aegean, the Sea of Azov, and the Mediterranean Sea. Bosphorus is a very busy waterway with many ships and oil tankers going through it all the year, making it the busiest waterway. Through this, the local fishing ferries go to the Asian side back and forth. Around 48.000 ships pass through this strait annually. It gets three times denser than the Suez Canal traffic and four times denser than the Panama Canal.
Emirgan Park
Emirgin Park is a very beautiful and historical urban park in the Sariyeh district of Istanbul. It covers over 117 acres of land. The park is known for its decorative ponds and over 120 species of plants. In the 1960s, they planted a tulip garden to revive the city’s tradition of tulip growing. Now every April, the park hosts an annual tulip festival where visitors from around the globe come to admire Emirgan’s colorful tulip display. Now every spring over 11 million tulips blossom in the parks and streets of Istanbul. Istanbul’s Tulip Festival which is hosted annually by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality celebrates the coming of spring and honors Turkey’s long devotion to this beautiful flower, known locally as ‘lale.’ It was originated in Turkey and the tulip grew to be a symbol of beauty, wealth and perfection for the elite Ottomans during the Tulip Era (1718 -1730).
Galata Tower
Galata tower is an exquisite medieval stone tower in the city of Istanbul. It was the tallest building in the city in 1348, at the time this Romanesque-style tower was built. You can find a beautiful panoramic view of the city by taking an elevator to the top of the building, where there is a restaurant and a cafe.
Although it’s not known when the Galata Tower was exactly built. It is commonly agreed that the tower took life during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian around 507 CE. In old times, the tower was known as the ‘Christea Turris,’ or the Tower of Christ, by the Genoese. While the Byzantines referred to it as the ‘Megalos Pyrgos,’ or the Great Tower. But it was during the Genoese period the tower took on its current shape. When the Galata neighborhood was inhabited by the colonies of the Republic of Genoa, which served as a series of economic and trade posts in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
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