"This beautiful strait, sometimes spelled Bosporus and sometimes Bosphorus, was so called from the earliest ages by the ancients; from the mythology of 10, the mistress of Jupiter, having passed over it in the shape of a cow. It resembles the Dardanelles, in length, breadth and current, and like it, is a narrow separation which divides Europe from Asia; but it has many features familiar to itself. Instead of being a solitary stream running between deserted shores, it is a body of water full of life and animation, winding its way through banks covered with palaces and villages, shaded with magnificent forest trees, presenting to the eye, at every mile, a new scene of crowded existence.

Dolmabahce Palace stands on the European shore of the Bosphorus and the with its various dependencies forms almost a little town, its gardens extending for a mile or more along the water's edge.

Ortaköy Mosque, officially the Büyük Mecidiye Camii in Beşiktaş, Istanbul, Turkey, is situated at the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square, one of the most popular locations on the Bosphorus.

Which was inaugurated on October 29, 1973 on the fiftieth anniversary of the Turkish Republic, has the longest span in Europe and the fourth in the world. This suspension bridge has a total length of 1560 metres (1706 yards) and a width of 33.4 metres (110ft).

Situated between Besiktas and Ortaköy on the European shore of the Bosphorus stands the ruins of the Ciragan Palace, built by Sultan Abdülaziz, during the years 1863-1867. It resembles the Dolmabahce Palace with its long facade and its baroque architectural style.

RUMELISHISARI FORTRESS - (RUMELIHISARI CASTLE) At the narrowest point of the Bosphorus stands the Rumelihisarr Fortress, built by Sultan Mehmet, the Conqueror on the European shore. The Sultan himself on the 26th day of March 1452 laid the foundation stone of the Fortress with a view to controlling the passage of the ships through the Bosphorus and using it as a base for his attack on the city.

In the 19th century, Ottoman aristocrats picked Bebek's ideal location to build their summer houses and palaces. Today it is still a popular residential area.

Kanlıca is a neighborhood on the Asian side of the Bosphorus strait, in the Beykoz district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Kanlica is known for its popular specialty, yogurt topped with castor sugar, offered in local restaurants and cafés.

On the opposite bank stands the Anadoluhisari Fortress by the Göksu stream. This romantic castle which adorns the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus was built in 1395 by Sultan Bayazit, the Thunderbolt and named as "Güzelcehisar". Later it was extended by Mehmet, the Conqueror. Today, as the first possession of Turks on the Bosphorus, it serves as the landmark of Turkish rule.

KUCUKSU PALACE The summer Palace of Kucuksu, sometimes called the Palace of Göksu, is situated between the villages of Anadoluhisan and Kandilli on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, is a bridge in Istanbul, Turkey spanning the Bosphorus strait. When completed in 1988, it was the 5th-longest suspension bridge span in the world; today it is the 24th.

BEYLERBEYI PALACE Situated on the Asiatic shore of the Bosphorus between the villages of Kuzguncuk and Cengelköy, the palace was built by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1865. Beylerbeyi Palace seen from the Bosphorus floats like a white vision in a fairy tale. It is the most extravagant royal house of the 19th Century on which millions were spent.

The Galata Bridge is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels.

The Galata Tower — called Christea Turris by the Genoese — is a medieval stone tower in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of Istanbul, Turkey, just to the north of the Golden Horn's junction with the Bosphorus.

KIZKULESI (MAIDEN'S TOWER - LEANDER'S TOWER) About 180 metres away from the shores of Üsküdar stands this tower which bears two different names. Europeans who named it the Leander's Tower thought that it was here where Leander was drowned while attempting to swim the Bosphorus to reach his beloved Hero, the priestess of Aphrodite. But, in fact, Leander never crossed here even in the legend which refers to the Hellespont, Dardanelles.

One of the popular areas of the historical peninsula, the Golden Horn shores are among the must-see places on your Istanbul trip. It is long and narrow but also has a horn-shaped geographical structure. For this reason, it is also known as the Golden Horn. Haliç is also one of the most important trade centers of old Istanbul.