Istanbul is a bridge between Europe and Asia, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, a position that endows it with one of the most unique and beautiful settings in the world. For, between the hills on the European and Asiatic shores flows the Bosphorus, the brightest gem in the diadem of nature. "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."

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Dolmabahçe Palace is a palace-museum located in İstanbul. The palace was built in the 19th century during the period of Sultan Abdulmecid. After the foundation of Republic, it was used as a Presidential Residence until 1949. The palace was open to diplomatic meetings until 1984 when it became a museum.

Seen from the Bosphorus cruise, the Bosphorus coastline on the European side resembles a string of villages, each with their own individual character and attractions, and indeed that’s just what it was. Located between down-to-earth Beşiktaş and chichi Kuruçeşme, Ortakoy does what its name suggests and positions itself somewhere in the middle (orta köy means ‘middle village’ in Turkish).

The Dolmabahçe Mosque is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by queen mother Bezmi Alem Valide Sultan.

The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges that spans the Bosphorus Strait, connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. It stretches from Ortakoy on the European side to Beylerbeyi on the Asian side and is sometimes referred to as the First Bosphorus Bridge.

Described by some as a miniature Dolmabahce Palace but without the crowds, the Beylerbeyi Sarayı (Beylerbeyi Palace) was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz to act as an imperial summer residence. With 24 rooms, 6 halls, and a hamam, it would have been quite the summer home, and was also used to entertain visiting dignitaries.

Çengelköy is a neighborhood in the Üsküdar district on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus strait in Istanbul, Turkey, between the neighborhoods of Beylerbeyi and Kuleli. It is mainly a residential district. Many mansions were built there in the Ottoman period.

Sarayburnu is a promontory quarter separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park stand. Sarayburnu is included in the historic areas of Istanbul, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985

The Romanesque style tower was built as Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. Galata Tower was the tallest building in Istanbul at 219.5 ft (66.9 m) when it was built in 1348.

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.

t literally means "Maiden's Tower" in Turkish. The name comes from a legend: the Byzantine emperor heard a prophecy telling him that his beloved daughter would die at the age of 18 by a snake. So he decided to put her in this tower built on a rock on the Bosphorus isolated from the land thus no snake could kill her.

After the 17th century, Topkapı gradually lost its importance. The sultans of that period preferred to spend more time in their new palaces along the Bosphorus