Aliya Shakoor Khan
Istanbul with its never ending & all increasing charm & magic from centuries is gaining new sensations every year with steeping increase of tourists pouring from all over the world with an unspoken, mysterious kind of love in their hearts for this city of surprises it unfolds to its visitors by nourishing their aesthetic anticipations every moment after they enter this hub of hopes & happiness. A strange conglomerate of ancient architecture & civilization behind the bewitching high-rise buildings, everywhere the solid structures of cement, glass, marble & ore is euphemized with lush green layers of vegetations in all patterns & forms of flowers, grass & fountains: a feast for eyes & souls to surrender to this charisma. All this beauty becomes only a meager percentage after a first glimpse of Bosphorus from far, wide & near.
Bosphorus: From Black Sea To The Sea Of Marmara
It is not unknown to anyone now that Bosphorus (Boğazici in Turkish) is a natural strait connecting Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. From old & all times it remains important due to its strategic location & secondly being the only passage way from the Black Sea into the Mediterranean. Moreover what is making it unique even further is the fabulous fact that Bosphorus strait separates the European part from the Asian part of Istanbul.
And this beautiful Bosphorus is not only a thing of beauty&joy for the eyes & hearts but is one of the very important & lucrative trade routes of the world. Around 48,000 ships pass through this strait annually which signifies it as having three times denser traffic from Suez Canal & four times denser than that of Panama Canal. And it becomes all the more busier with its local fishing & ferries going through it back & forth.
Boshphorus & Its Suspension Bridges
And here comes three suspension bridges spanning this strait to enhance the beauties & benefits of Bosphorus; a crucial cohort for the country. The unofficially called the First Bridge of Bosphorus was renamed in 2016 as the ’15 July Martyrs Bridge’. Second one is ‘Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge’ & third is named as ‘Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge’.
The First Bridge was completed in October 1973 which becomes the first bridge in this sense too in the world to connect two continents: Asia to Europe. At present, daily around 180,000 vehicles pass through this bridge to both directions.
The Longest & Widest Bridge Of The World
The second bridge is among one of the widest & longest bridges in the world and likewise the third bridge ranked the third tallest bridge in the world. And after gracing by the grandeur of these three bridges on Bosphorus, Istanbul won the credit of the only city in the world having three high ranked suspension bridges in a row.
These bridges by their lightings at night playing a huge part in making Istanbul one of the most prominent cities for tourists in the world. People thronging in Istanbul with bright or blind anticipations equally making a huge treasure of magnificent memories related to Bosphorus & its marvelous bridges days & nights.
Aliya Shakoor Khan is an Istanbul based freelance writer and has degree in English Literature
