Bosphorus Bridge

The Bosphorus Bridge, also known in Turkish as "Bogazici Koprusu" is officially called the Memorial Bridge for Martyrs who died on July 15 or "15 Temmuz Koprusu" and it is one of three bridges connecting Asia with Europe. The Bosphorus Bridge was the first of these three bridges to be built.

It is basically a gravity anchor suspension bridge 1,500m long and 34m wide. In fact, when the Bosphorus Bridge was built in 1973, it was the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world and the first to be built outside of the United States. These numbers really prove the greatness of the construction of this bridge.

As mentioned before, the Bosphorus bridge is 1500 m long and 34 m wide, including 8 lanes, of which 2 are used for emergency situations. This bridge is a toll bridge but it is only considered payable for traffic back and forth from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side. Commercial vehicles are not allowed on the bridge and about 170,000 vehicles use this bridge daily.

Every October, the Istanbul Intercontinental Marathon is held and people take part in this marathon to run from the European side of Istanbul to the Asian side across the Bosphorus Bridge. So, on marathon day, the bridge is closed to traffic and marathon runners can take a few minutes to enjoy the breathtaking views and take a few photos from the bridge.

One of the funny events that also took place on the Bosphorus bridge was when tennis star Venus Williams played a game show with famous Turkish tennis player Ipek Senoglu at 7 am on May 15, 2005. It was one of the most entertaining plays and it is still remembered to this day.

The area around the Bosphorus Bridge is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. You can find most of Istanbul's famous monuments such as the great Dolmabahce Palace, which has been a palace for kings and leaders for many years, and the famous Ortakoy mosque overlooking right away. the Bosphorus, where people often spend hours in prayer and the local market located right next to it, or the great fortresses of Istanbul built to protect the city from invaders. There are also many other ancient buildings, palaces and monuments that you are sure to enjoy seeing. That is not to mention the spectacular natural landscapes stretching everywhere in both Asia and Europe such as verdant parks, colorful flowers and trees, and houses built on top of the hills. An unforgettable charming picture.

The Bosphorus Bridge was officially renamed on 25 July 2016 to 15 July Bridge in memory of the martyrs who gave their lives to protect the city of Istanbul when a group of soldiers attempted a coup to take over the important position. this by using tanks and guns to control the bridge. These martyrs died standing in front of their soldiers and tanks to prevent them from crossing the bridge.

Today, the Bosphorus Bridge, in addition to acting as a bridge between the two continents of Asia and Europe, is also a symbol of the city of Istanbul and a place that attracts many tourists when visiting this city.