BOTH IN ASIA AND
EUROPE…..NEITHER IN ASIA NOR IN EUROPE: THE ISTANBUL STRAIT TOUR
Another way of enjoying
Istanbul is to have a boat trip on the Istanbul Straits where the water
reflects different colours at sunrise and sunset. The Yalis along the shores of
Istanbul Strait were built and enjoyed by Ottoman Sulatans, Sultanahs and
pashas. The palaces where the Ottoan court moved to after abandoning Toopkapi
Palace are also along these shores. The most prominent of them all are
Dlmabahce Beylerbey Palaces.
The first thing to mention
regarding a boat trip on the Istanbul straits s the KIZ KULESI (Leander’s Tower
) opposite Salacak. According to the legend, the Emperor Constantine had a
daughter who he loved deeply. An oracle predicted that the daughter would die
from a snake bite. The emperor decided to build the tower with the belief that
no snake could reach it from across the sea. However, there was no measure that
could prevent the oracle from being realized. A basket of fruit was sent to
maiden with a snake stealthily concealed within it and so she was bitten and
died from the venom.
Yet another legend about the tower relates the sad love
story of Hero and Leander, believed to have taken place in the tower. In
reality the tower was built in the 12th century during the Byzantine
Period. It was occasionally used as a prison but it was actually intended as a
light house for shipping. The present shape of the tower was realized during
the reign of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror and later Sultan Mahmut II.
The best season for boat tours
on the Istanbul Strait is between the end of April and September-ths is when
blooming woods on either side of the strait create a ceritable colour
explosion. Purple is the most striking of those colours , the colour of the
Byzantine emperors and the flowers f Judas Trees ( Cercis Siliquastrum).
Both shores of Istanbul Strait
were once lined with YALIS.Although some have not withstood the passing of time
and others have been destroyed by human hand, there are still a number of YALIS
along the shore. While they may look alike from afar, each has individual
features and was built under the influence of different architectural styles
which were fashionable at the time. Generally they reflect the taste of the
original owner and the preferences of his architects and master builders and
therefore each is known by its owner’s name. As you may quickly realize, most
were built by pashas of Ottoman Period.
For example, along the
Anatolian coast of the Strait lies KUzguncuk, where there are yalis too. One of
the best preserved examples is Pembe ( Pink ) Yali, built in 18th
century. If you proceed northwards and pass under the Bogazici Bridge, one of
the most attractive palaces along the Istanbul Straits shores is the Beylerbeyi
Palace on the Anatolian side, which serves as a museum. The palace was
completed in 1865 and since then it was also used as residence of foreign
dignitaries, emperors and statesmen during their visit to the empire.
CENGELKOY, too, has its share
of seaside kioks and yalis. Those still remaining intact are Sdullah Pash
Yalisi, Abdullah Pasha Yalisi, Fenerli Yali( A Yali with a lighthouse ) and
Server Bey Yalisi. The dominating white building under aleafy green backdrop is
the Kuleli Askeri Lisesi ( Military Cadets Lycee) which is the symbol
Cengelkoy.
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