Izmir Istanbul
Stretching
for 33 km (20 miles) between the. Sea of Marmara and the
Black Sea, the Bosphorus separates the continents of Europe
and Asia. For much of its length, its shores are lined with
wooden waterside villas known as yalis, graceful
mosques, such as the 16th century palaces. The southern
end of the Bosphorus is dominated by Istanbul, the tranquil
former palace gardens of Yildiz Park contrasting with bustling
suburbs such as the former fishing village of Ortakoy, which
nestles at the foot of the Bosphorus Bridge. Completed in
1973, this 1560 m long suspension bridge was the first to
span the straits.
Ephesus(Kusadasi)
Ephesus
is one of the greatest ruined cities in the western world.
A Greek city was first built in about 1000 BC and very soon
rose to fame as a centre for the worship of Cybele, the
Anatolian Mother Goddess. The city we see today was founded
in the 4th century BC by Alexander the Great's successor,
Lynsinachus. But it was under the Romans that Ephesus became
the chief port on the Aegean, with a population of around
25,000. Most of the surviving structures date from this
period. As the harbour silted up the city declined, but
played an important part in the establishment of Christianity.
Two great Councils of the early Church were held here, in
AD 431 and 449. It is said that the Virgin Mary spent her
last years nearby and that St. John the Evangelist came
from Pátmos to look after her.
Bodrum
A
fishing village until the early 1970s, Bodrum is built on
the ruins of ancient Halicarnassus. It is now Turkey's liveliest
resort, attracting poets, singers, artists and package tourists.
Its perfect harbour was colonized by Greeks in the 11th
century BC and the city later flourished under Persian rule.
It was here that the historian Herodotus 9484-420 BC was
born, but Halicarnassus's greatest glory was under Mausolus,
who ruled on behalf of the Persians from 377 to 353 BC.
His tomb, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
was so well-known that it bequeathed the word mausoleum.
Originally a temple-like structure decorated with reliefs
and a few pieces of sculpture now remain. After the brief
tenure on the Knights of St. John, who founded the Castle
of St. Peter in 1404, the city sank into obscurity. Today,
the sheltered anchorage is busy with yachts and locally-built
gullets used by seafaring holidaymakers.
Izmir
In
the 1st century BC the Greek historian Strabo described
Roman Smyrna as the most beautiful city in Ionia . The same
cannot be said for its modern equivalent, Izmir . During
the Ottoman period its large Greek, Armenian, Italian, Spanish
and Sephardic Jewish communities made it seem a foreign
enclave within Turkey. After World War I, Greece was given
a mandate over the Izmir region, but when a Greek army pushed
further inland Turkish reprisal was swift. Over three days
in September 1922, three-quarters of old Izmir burned to
the ground and, with it, the tolerance of Greeks and Turks
for one another. Today the city is a commercial and industrial
metropolis and Turkey's second port. Most of the main sights,
including the Archaeological and Ethnographic museums and
the frenetic bazaar quarter, are near leafy, waterside Konak
Meydam (Square). There is a superb view form the Kadifekale
( Velvet Castle ). Uphill from the Roman Agora is a district
of pre 1922 wooden houses, which gives and idea of what
was lost in the great fire.
Tokapi
Palace
Between
1459 and 1465, shortly after his conquest of Constantinople,
Mehmet II built Topkapi Palace as his principal residence.
It was conceived as a series of pavilions contained by four
huge courtyards, a stone version of the tented encampments
from which the nomadic Ottomans had emerged. Initially,
the palace served as the seat of government and contained
a school in which civil servants and soldiers were trained.
In the 16th century, however, the officials were moved to
the grand vizier's offices of the Sublime Porte nearby.
Sultan Abdul Mecit I left Topkapi in 1853 in favor of Dolmabahce
Palace further along the Bosphorus on the east of the city.
In 1924 the sultan' treasures were nationalized and Topkapi
was opened to the public as a museum.
Bosphorus
Strait
Stretching
for 33 km (20 miles) between the Sea of Marmara and the
Black Sea, the Bosphorus separates the continents of Europe
and Asia . For much of its length, its shores are lined
with wooden waterside villas known as yalis, graceful
mosques, such as the 16th century palaces. The southern
end of the Bosphorus is dominated by Istanbul, the tranquil
former palace gardens of Yildiz Park contrasting with bustling
suburbs such as the former fishing village of Ortakoy, which
nestles at the foot of the Bosphorus Bridge. Completed in
1973, this 1560 m long suspension bridge was the first to
span the straits.
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