[Travel]: Romantic birds and ships in the landscapes of Istanbul

 Big greetings to everyone! We wish you all happiness, love and good health!

 

 I haven't written about a city that is impossible to forget for a long time. This is Istanbul! I often dream about its beauty if I haven't been on the shores of the Bosphorus for several months... And with the general situation in the world, many trips to different countries, including Istanbul, had to be postponed. Fortunately, there is a lot of work. There is always something to do besides traveling... 

Today I will dream a little and remember the beautiful sketches of old Istanbul, which excites many hearts. I suggest that you make such a trip with me. I took photos last year at the end of March.

 I will start with my first impressions of Istanbul. My friends have always said that Istanbul is a city that cannot be forgotten... It was not clear to me... Since childhood, I have been with my mother only in the south of Turkey on vacation. It was only at the age of 16 that I came to Istanbul for the first time. My eyes and ears were wide open for everything new. My soul was trembling waiting for something unusual and magical...

I will start with the first fact that struck me in the dynamics of the development of knowledge about Istanbul. This is the age of the city. Since my first visit in 8 years, Istanbul has "aged" very much... Every year, historians added an age to the city, which is located in Europe and Asia at once. The water expanses of the Black and Marmara Seas are connected by the beautiful Bosphorus. So how old is Istanbul??? Probably, historians cannot answer this question exactly, as well as about other cities. But recent excavations have shown that 8500 years ago people lived on the territory of Istanbul. 

 The second thing that fascinates my soul in Istanbul is a historical monumental building surrounded by four slender minarets — the Hagia Sophia amazes with its architecture, magnificent mosaics and the easily felt aura of a place of power. On its walls, the symbols of Christianity are side by side with Arabic script, not mixing, but mutually complementing each other. There are few similar historical buildings in the world that have preserved their luxurious decoration, despite the complex twists and turns of an unusual fate. I have been to the cathedral many times, I am dizzy from the beauty of the architecture and the history of this building. Last year, the Turkish president transferred the Hagia Sophia from the status of a museum to a mosque. Since 1935, the cathedral was transferred to the status of a museum by the reformer Ataturk.

According to history, the Hagia Sophia was built on a hill, where the sanctuary of Artemis was located until 360. The story says that in the 6th century, an angel appeared to the Emperor Justinian with a model of a giant temple in his hands. To implement the project, columns were brought to Byzantium from Ephesus and Lebanon, the altar was decorated with rubies, amethysts and pearls. The magical luxury convinced the Russian ambassadors of the truth of the Orthodox faith, and they recommended that Prince Vladimir accept it. However, in 1453 Constantinople fell, Sultan Mehmet rode a horse into the temple and ordered the building to be rebuilt into a mosque. The imprint of his bloody hand is still visible on the wall near the altar. All Orthodox icons and mosaics were painted over. After a careful restoration, we see the remnants of luxury in the cathedral, but even in this form, the cathedral does not lose its grandeur at all.

Istanbul is grandiose in terms of the number of attractions, its history is intertwined with bizarre intricate threads, and brings together the influence of the Persians, Sparta, Galatians, Hellenes-Greeks, Romans and Ottoman Turks. A rich history has left an amazing cultural heritage as a gift to descendants. You can write about this city forever. I don't know how long it takes to see everything and find out the whole story...

During its history, Istanbul was the residence of 10 Roman, 82 Byzantine emperors and 30 Ottoman sultans.
Istanbul is 150 km long and 50 km wide. According to unofficial estimates, 17 million people live here, and this is every fifth resident of Turkey...
Istanbul ranks second in the world after Las Vegas in the number of registered marriages. It is one of the most popular destinations of wedding tourism. Beautiful romantic places, grandiose history, excellent cuisine and excellent service-all this attracts the bride and groom to create a family in Istanbul.

I was unspeakably surprised by the dynamic and diverse life of ships in Istanbul. Ships are just everywhere. This is the most convenient mode of transport for me! At the same time, you see many historical buildings and beautiful landscapes of water expanses at the same time. A variety of shapes and sizes of ships! You can see everything that you can imagine. Pleasure, patrol, military, international liners and tankers. This is the meeting place of the ships!

The next surprise is the number of children in families. That's great! Three children or more in the family is the norm. That's great!

 It should be noted that the Turks are great workers. They work very hard. In families, most often only men work, women look after the children and the order in the house. Divorce in Turkish families is an unusual phenomenon and very rare. A man knows that after a divorce, he is obliged to provide for his ex-wife for the rest of his life. The law is more on the side of the woman. Although some Ottoman rules of attitude to a woman have been preserved in life. The younger generation of my age and a little older are leaving under this influence

Birds... Here, too, you can talk forever. So many unusual and magical things. Gulls, for example, are accustomed to tourists and are very intrusive. They are always close to the person. We often visited restaurants on the Bosphorus. You can stay without food if you are sitting on the balcony:) They are waiting for the moment to have lunch from your plate:)

 Pigeons are most often found near mosques. There are even specially designated places for them. Visitors are sure to feed them. But their number is simply huge!

I write a post and mentally go around all my favorite places in Istanbul - there are a lot of them. But there is an old part in the Asian part, where I always visit-this is Uskyudar, the coast of Salajak. This is the Bosphorus, birds, an incredible sky, a Maiden fortress, a wide tangibility of areas, a variety of ships and a huge number of photographers! There are so many shades of life here! I can't live without this part of Istanbul. It's like a magnet for me. I take tea or coffee, food for birds and a camera. I spend four hours on the Bosphorus

On the shores of the Bosphorus, thoughts work intensively, new ideas come, plans are being made. I am always completely relaxed by this beauty! Ships pass nearby and birds soar. There is a feeling that you have fallen into a fairy tale and magic happens. This is an amazing feeling of happiness.

Thank you for traveling with me! Istanbul is beautiful for its majestic beauty and history. I hope that I will soon be on the Bosphorus to think about all new plans and tasks... Good luck to everyone and all the best!

@r3benok