Trip to Istanbul: One city, two continents
Istanbul, located in Turkey, is a city called "the city of minarets". This name translates in Romance languages to the Arabic word منار, which designates the towers of Muslim mosques. In Istanbul alone, you can appreciate the more than 2,500 there.
But on a trip to Istanbul, you can not only enjoy a beautiful view of the mosques and their high "beacons", called minarets.
For example, The Galata Köprüsü (Galata Bridge), which links the old quarter of Sultanahmet in the old city with Beyoğlu (European Istanbul). This representative bridge crosses the Golden Horn.
A historic estuary at the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, which divides the city, this site, which forms a spectacular natural harbor, has protected Greek, Roman, Byzantine Ottoman, and other ships for thousands of years.
The transformation of Istanbul through its bridge
Over the past 500 years, the Galata Bridge has taken various forms. Here we tell you a little about it.
In 1453, a temporary structure consisting of boats was installed for travelers to cross the stretch of water. In the early 16th century, Sultan Bayakheti II took the first steps to install a fixed bridge.
The renowned Italian artist and inventor Leonardo Da Vinci drew the plans, but the sultan rejected them and asked (another renowned artist) Michelangelo to design them. However, the project was abandoned for more than 300 years.
Finally, Sultana Bezmiâlem, mother of Sultan Abdülmecit, succeeded in erecting the first Galata Bridge in 1845, over which travelers from all over the world passed.
Due to a necessary modernization and a devastating fire, the bridge was replaced three times during the next century and a half.
On a trip to Istanbul, you can enjoy the current bridge (built between 1992 and 1994). It has two levels: on the lower one, there are restaurants, bars, and cafes facing east, overlooking the Bosphorus, towards Asia, and also to the north: towards the Golden Horn.
The famous Topkapı Palace, Sultanahmet and Süleymaniye
Also, on a trip to Istanbul, you should visit the famous Topkapı Palace - the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire from 1465 to 1853 - which was 750,000 square meters and had many inhabitants.
In the kitchen alone worked, they say, between 800 and 1,000 people with the duty of feeding the sultan and his inner circle 24 hours a day.
These rooms included a dairy, a wine cellar, and the harem kitchen, which prepared dishes for the sultan's family and his concubines.
Today, these rooms are furnished with displays of weapons, cooking utensils, clocks, and priceless treasures.
In the Pavilion of the Holy Robe and Holy Relics, under a dim light, is the Holy Robe of Muhammad, hair from his beard, a reliquary with a tooth, the bow and sword of the prophet, soil from the tomb and a footprint of the foot. Also here is the rod of Moses.
In this city, five times a day the call to prayer is usually heard, wherever it is. To enter the mosques you have to take off your shoes and wear appropriate clothing and women must cover their heads. If you don't have one handy, they lend you a headscarf.
On a trip to Istanbul, while getting organized, strolling, or philosophizing, you can have a cup of tea black and strong, good at all hours, and serve in tulip-shaped glasses, a Turkish coffee or a glass of raki (an aniseed-flavored liqueur).
The Hippodrome of Constantinople
It will be hard to imagine a trip to Istanbul the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
This hippodrome was located where today is the great Sultan Ahmet Square, where tourists and peddlers walk among Greek and Egyptian relics.
Its inauguration coincides with the ceremonies of the declaration of Istanbul as the second capital of the Roman Empire by Emperor Constantine the Great in 330 AD, it was rectangular and almost 400 meters long by 120 meters wide.
During the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, it was used for sporting and cultural activities - horse races, gladiator fights, athletic events - and public demonstrations, and as an open-air museum with monuments of importance.
Nearby destinations
Many travelers often combine trips from Istanbul with Ankara or Aegina.
