Bosphorus
comes from a Tracian word of
unknown origin, interpreted
in Greek as meaning "Ford of
the Cow", from the legend of
Io, one of the many lovers
of Zeus, who swam across the
sea here as a cow chased and
continuously disturbed by
flies sent by Hera.
Known in Turkish as Bogazici (the Strait), it links the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and, with the Dardanelles (in Canakkale), separates Europe from Asia. It is a former river valley which was drowned by the sea at the end of the Tertiary period. This is a very busy strait with many ships and oil tankers, as well as local fishing and passenger boats.
The current flows north to south; however, a strong subsurface countercurrent with numerous points and coves sets up swirls and eddies that make navigation dangerous to the inexperienced.
There
are two suspension toll
bridges on this Strait: The
first one over the Bosphorus
between Beylerbeyi and
Ortaköy, opened in 1973, is
called as Bogazici Bridge,
1074m (1175yards) long, 6
lanes, 165m (540ft) height
of piers. The second one
between Anadolu Hisari and
Rumeli Hisari, opened in
1988, is called as Fatih
Sultan Mehmet Bridge, 1090m
(1192yd) long, 8 lanes, 65m
from the water.
With
the shores rising to heights
up to 200m (650ft), lined
with palaces, ruins,
villages, and gardens, this
is one of the most beautiful
stretches of scenery in
Turkey. The best way of
seeing the Bosphorus in all
its beauty is to take a trip
on one of the coastal boats,
in this way you can also
admire many of the old
Ottoman wooden houses
(called as Yali in Turkish).
You can also stay in some of
the best hotels or eat in
some of the best restaurants
along its shores during your
stay in this magnificent
city.
Some of the interesting palaces, buildings or neighborhoods on the Bosphorus are: Galata tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Yildiz Palace, Besiktas, Ortaköy, Arnavutköy, Bebek, Rumeli Fortress, Tarabya, Yeniköy, Istinye, Sariyer, Uskudar (Scutari), Kanlica, Beykoz, Anatolian Fortress, Beylerbeyi Palace and Kuleli Military High school.