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ABOUT ISTANBUL THE BOSPHORUS
Kumkapı Fish Restaurants:
RUMELI FORTRESS UP
The great fortress of Rumeli Hisar, built by Sultan Mehmet II in the year
1452, is located immediately opposite Anadolu Hirasi, which was built by
Yildirim Beyazit I sixty years earlier. With a fortress on either side
of the Bosphorus, it was the first step in Mehmets plan to capture the
Byzantine capital.
Mehmet had sent out orders throughout his Empire for 1000 skilled masons
and 2000 workmen to collect wood and building stone and to assemble here
in the spring, Stone was brought from Anatolia. Mehmet himself laid out
the design, dictated by the lie of the land, and each of his three Vezirs,
the Grand Vezir, Candarli Halil Pasa, Zaganos Pasa, and Saruca Pasa were
made responsible for building a tower, while the Sultan himself undertook
the walls and bastions, introducing a healthy sprit of competition.
When it was completed a garrison of 400 Janissaries was stationed in it
and here they tried out the range of their new cannons by training them
on any ships rash enough to try to pass.
After the Conquest, the fortress found a new role as a prison before gradually
falling into disrepair.
In 1953, 500 years after the Conquest, Rumeli Hisar Fortress was well restored,
and the space inside laid out with lawns and paths. The cistern on which
the mosque once stood still marked by the stump of its minaret was opened
up and converted into an open air theatre where plays and folk dancing
are performed during the summer, especially at the time of the Istanbul
Festival.
CAMLICA HILL UP
The great Camlica Hill stands about four kilometers east of Uskudar and
can be reached by car. It is the taller of the twin peaks of Mount Bulgurlu,
the highest point in the vicinity of Istanbul, 267 meters above sea level.
It has a small teahouse in the midst of the pine grove which gives the
peak its name.
From here, there is an absolutely magnificent view, which makes it well
worth the climb. In the morning when the sun is still easterly one has
a panoramic sight of the whole city, the Bosphorus almost as far as the
Black Sea, the Marmara Sea with the Princes Islands, and behind that, the
great snow covered ridge of Uludag, the Bithynian Olympus. Toward evening
the sun sets almost directly behind Istanbul and its domes and minarets
are silhouetted against the flaming western sky like a splendid stage drop.
Especially in the spring are these hills and valleys most beautiful, for
everywhere is a profusion of the most varied wildflowers and many unusual
birds.
PRINCES ISLANDS UP
The most famous of all the beauty spots in the suburbs of Istanbul are
the Princes Islands, the little suburban archipelago just off the Asia
coast of the Marmara. The isles are about an hour's sail by ferry from
Sirkeci.
It is only in the last hundred years or so that the Princes Islands have
become fashionable as resorts and places to bathe and picnic. Before that
they were sparsely inhabited and rarely visited. But their picturesque
and historical associations appealed to the romantic imagination of the
nineteenth century.
The nine isles are situated between 20 and 30 kilometers south of Istanbul
in the Marmara Sea. It is a rather surprising fact that there are no cars
on the islands, people have to use horse drawn carriages as a means of
transport. Walking through well kept gardens and parks, the visitor will
be fascinated by the charm of the southern flora and will keep this excursion
forever in his mind. A Latin inscription on a tomb stone on the island
of Burgaz proves that already before Constantin a great number of Roman
pagan temples could be found here.
The first of the islands is called Kinaliada (henna coloured ısland ) where
sunbathers can find lovely pebble beaches which are suitable for swimming.
Of the former two Byzantine monasteries only some remnants of brickwork
are still visible.
The second of the islands is Burgazada. Its highest elevation rises 165
meters above sea level. There are excellent possibilities for watersports
activities on this island and for people who enjoy walking there are endless
beautiful footpaths.
The third island is Heybeliada ( saddle bag ısland ) on which the Turkish
naval academy is situated . Until 1970 this island was also the residence
of the theological seminary of the Orthodox Church.
The fourth island and the largest of the Princes Islands is Buyukada
A visit to Buyukada is particularly recommended because the island is a
paradise of pleasure. Splendid villas, in well-kept gardens, restaurants,
hotels, clubs and recreation facilities attract more and more visitors
every year. You can explore the island on foot, by horse and carriage,
or for those more energetic and adventurous, you can ride a donkey or rent
a bicycle.
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