On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

September-October 2020.

No matter where one is and what one does in the Turkish capital, chances are you are never too far from the sparkling blue waters of The Bosphorus. Indeed this natural, seemingly omnipresent strait holds huge historic and cultural importance in Turkey.

Serving as the continental boundary between Europe and Asia, The Bosphorus links The Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. In Istanbul itself it sweeps elegantly from the upper balconies of Topkapi Palace. It stretches into the distance from the windows of Pandeli Restaurant. Moreover, in cahoots with the sky, it frames the city’s gentle hills and their majestic mosques.

No wonder then that The Bosphorus inhabits such a romantic place in Turkish art, film, music and literature. It features in some of Turkey’s most treasured novels, such as The Museum of Innocence. It is front and centre in the award-winning Turkish movie Journey to the Sun. And it shimmers with an alluring mystery in View of Constantinople by the Russian marine art master Ivan Aivazovsky.

Unsurprisingly, when Sladja and I get all nostalgic about our time in Istanbul, it is the Bosphorus that sits at the heart of our happiest memories. Take the wonderfully atmospheric Galata Bridge, for example, which spans The Golden Horn, the Bosphorus’ primary inlet.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Connecting the unmissable neighbourhoods of Eminönü and Karaköy, we must have crossed Galata Bridge dozens of times during our Istanbul adventures.

Although a number of bridges have stood on the spot over the centuries, Galata Bridge is actually a modern construct that opened in 1994. Serving motorists, cyclists, public buses, trams, pedestrians and wandering dogs, this is definitely one of Istanbul’s most fascinating people-watching spots. Not least due to the near ever-present crowd of local fisherfolk who gather with their rods and buckets.

As such, it is virtually impossible simply to cross the bridge without stopping. Rather, we invariably found ourselves pausing along the way to absorb the atmosphere. The fishermen themselves were always good value. Some smiled and nodded as we stopped to look and take photos. Most though were grizzled, grimacing veterans, conversing among each other gruffly. Or simply staring out across the Bosphorus with a cigarette hanging out of their mouths.

Galata Bridge.

Bosphorus gazing soon became one of our favourite pastimes too. Handsome and hypnotic, we’d breathe in the mildly salty air, watch the gulls flap by and follow the trains as they rumbled through Haliç Station on Golden Horn Metro Bridge.

One afternoon we came across a giant swarm of jellyfish at the bridge’s southern end. Having never seen jellyfish in a city centre, we were both taken by surprise. Later, I read that overfishing is responsible for the increase in Istanbul jellyfish action. In fact, species such as mackerel and sprat (that typically feed on jellyfish) are now so few in the Marmara Sea that jellyfish numbers have swollen and migrated into the city.

Another day, early morning, we were lucky enough to catch the bridge in quiet mode. Much to our delight, we realised that a team of workmen and painters had risen at the crack of dawn to carry out some maintenance. This included a comprehensive paint job of the bridge’s railings in a pleasing sea blue.

It was a lovely moment to be on the bridge for more Bosphorus views. Free from traffic, the fishing crowds and even for the most part other pedestrians.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

It was a cool morning and there was a faint breeze. The sky was magnificent, an expansive blanket of fluffy grey and white clouds breaking apart in preparation for the coming day.

A little further along Galata we came across the workmen. They had gathered by their truck to take a rest and drink tea from a rusty old kettle. Easily the friendliest labourers I have ever met, they smiled and waved as we passed. One even posing with a peace sign for the photo I dared to take.

We’d been exploring Istanbul for over a week when I suddenly realised we should get onto the Bosphorus for a cruise while we still had time. Not keen on a luxury yacht tour, nor indeed any of those overpriced tourist ordeals with live music and a buffet, we resolved to simply do the local thing. Yup, we hopped on one of the public transport ferries that regularly shuttles folk from one side to the other.

Kabatas Ferry Station.

As luck would have it, we found ourselves in the vicinity of Kabatas Ferry Station, from which one can zip across the water, disembarking at Üsküdar. Joining a short line at the counter, we grabbed a pair of tickets for 24 Lira (roughly $1.15) and leisurely boarded our waiting boat, the Mehmet Erding.

Gradually, the boat began to fill up. As we waited, it was fun to watch the other ferries come and go. Especially when one such departure revealed the chiselled form of nearby Dolmabahçe Mosque.

Completed in 1855, this lovely baroque mosque was commissioned by The Queen Mother, Bezmiâlem Sultan, a consort of Sultan Mahmud II. She brought in the highly respected Turkish-Armenian architect Garabet Amira Balyan to design it.

He did a fine job and the mosque remains a favourite among many Turks. Chiefly thanks to its signature stone arches on the facade, in addition to ornamental wall calligraphy, a sublime marble floor and massive windows that allow light to flood into the interior.

With the ferry around a quarter full, we pulled out of the station and were soon gently gliding through the delicious blue of the Bosphorus.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Glancing around the deck, I saw a suited businessman, perhaps on his way to a meeting. A frazzled looking mother armed to the teeth with shopping bags, her toddler daughter sat on her lap sucking on a lollipop. A pair of English speaking westerners who, in light of the considerable breeze, now felt comfortable enough to remove their face masks.

In the distance, we spied a number of handsome yalı, the undeniably gorgeous Ottoman era waterfront mansions that belong to Istanbul’s rich and powerful. Some, I’ve read, date as far back as the late 17th century. Other more modern creations, meanwhile, stand as some of the world’s most expensive real estate.

Photo courtesy of Moonik.

Soon, we would be arriving in Üsküdar. So we wasted no time in grabbing a last batch of photos before our crossing drew to a close.

At Üsküdar, near the ferry terminal, there is a cluster of atmospheric cafes where one can dine on the Bosphorus, so to speak. One of these, Paci Lounge, was packed to the rafters with people drinking coffee and grabbing a late lunch.

Not yet satisfied with the amount of time we’d spent on Istanbul’s famous waters, we resolved to jump onto another vessel. This time the destination was Maiden’s Tower (Kiz Kulesi), a 5-floor former lighthouse built in the early 18th century. It sits on a tiny islet at the Bosphorus’ southern end, with dinky boats ferrying curious visitors to and from Üsküdar every ten to fifteen minutes.

Maiden’s Tower.

The journey takes less than ten minutes, with tickets going for 30 Lira per person ($1.50). Yeah, incredibly cheap, not least when we realised this included entrance to the actual tower itself! Chugging through the Bosphorus again, the ride gave us an opportunity to consider Maiden Tower’s long and eventful history.

The tower as we know it today sprang up in 1725 upon the orders of the fearsome Ottoman Grand Vizier, military commander and statesman Damat Ibrahim Pasha. While a tower of some sort had stood on the islet for centuries, this one was built as a lighthouse. In the centuries that subsequently passed it has been used as a hospital, a tax collection centre and a radio station. 

Furthermore, thanks to its picture perfect location, the tower has found itself featured in a number of movies, both domestic and international. Most famously, it appeared in the 1999 James Bond blockbuster The World is Not Enough. Basically, the island serves as villain Elektra King’s lair. This is where she keeps kidnapped M and where, inevitably, 007 speeds off to for his usual heroic rescue.

On arrival we began our self-guided tour by doing a swift 360 of the islet, which took about 5 minutes. Nevertheless, it was fun to look back towards the city and observe a gull that swooped down to land by the tower for a breather.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

Inside the tower, we passed through the ground floor restaurant on our way to the main staircase. Apparently, it does excellent albeit pricy Turkish cuisine, though things were very quiet that afternoon.

A winding stone staircase took Sladja and I up through the tower’s five floors. As we climbed, there were some wonderful angles of the Bosphorus and the city through the open apertures. That’s Galata Tower poking out of the skyline in the background.

On the various floors, there are some quirky though admittedly tacky exhibitions on the many legends of Maiden’s Tower. They mainly focus on the ancient towers that predate today’s 18th century form. One legend is that of an emperor who had a beautiful daughter (a maiden). Unfortunately, an oracle told the king that his beloved daughter would die from a snake bite on her eighteenth birthday.

As a result, the emperor built a home for her on what is today’s islet in the Bosphorus. Mistakenly believing he had saved her from the oracle’s grim prophecy, daddy arranged for a lavish eighteenth birthday party on the island. One of the maiden’s presents was a large basket of the freshest most delicious grapes in the land. Dipping her hand inside the basket for a taste, a snake that had been hiding inside duly bit her and she died in her father’s arms.

Maiden’s Tower.

Another legend is that of Leander and Hero. As the tale goes, Leander was a young peasant man who fell in love with Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite. Every night Leander would swim to the islet tower where Hero lived in order to woo her.

Eventually, they enjoyed a passionate love affair until one stormy, fateful night. In such terrible weather conditions, the light that Hero usually lit for Leander atop the tower blew out. With waves crashing into him as he swam, Leander sadly lost his way and drowned before later washing up ashore.

Brokenhearted, Hero decided to end her own life by jumping from the tower. It’s another miserable story. But one that is famous enough that many people in Turkey refer to the building as Leander’s Tower.

Kooky legends aside, at the top of the tower visitors get what they really came for. Namely some lovely views of the Bosphorus and the two sides (European and Asian) of Istanbul. Definitely worth the modest fee.

On The Bosphorus in Istanbul.

It was early evening when we jumped back on the ferry to make our way home. By this point the sun was beginning its slow descent, which made for some magical shifting colours and beams of light dancing off the water.

And then there’s dusk of course and the romanticism of nighttime. When The Bosphorus is illuminated by Istanbul’s bright lights. Lit by hillside mosques and the constant flow of cars on the bridges. And by the waterside mansions, the street lamps of the market districts and the boats themselves that continue to operate way into the wee hours of the morning.

One evening, towards the end of our stay, Sladja and I were feeling so captivated by Istanbul we stopped for a photo by the water’s edge. Looking back, it was a moment that made me realise how brave we’d been. Right in the heart of the global pandemic, the eye of the storm if you will, we had thrown caution to the wind by stopping in Turkey for a few weeks before heading home to Belgrade.

Our reward came in the form of a city and its people who treated us so kindly. That reward was present throughout the incredible sights we saw and the delicious food we ate. It was there in the Bosphorus too, an enchanting aspect of the Turkish capital that plays a key part in making it such an enthralling city.

Goodnight, Istanbul.

Like this? Take a look at my series of articles on Istanbul.

I’ve been living, working and traveling all over the world since 2001. So why not check out my huge library of travel reports from over 30 countries.