If you take a Bosphorus tour, you’ll pass many lavish and intriguing buildings, but the most opulent of them all, surely has to be the 600m long Dolmabahçe Sarayı (Dolmabahce Palace). It took 13 years to build and was completed in 1856, and served as the administrative center of the Ottoman Empire until 1922. The palace was commissioned by Sultan Abdülmecid (who decided there should be a more European palace than Topkapi) and designed by Armenian architect Karabet Balian and his son Nikoğos Balian. (read Balyan family on wikipedia). It is an ostentatious blend architectural styles including Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and modern Ottoman, dripping in luxury.

Described by some as a miniature Dolmabahce Palace but without the crowds, the Beylerbeyi Sarayı (Beylerbeyi Palace) was commissioned by Sultan Abdülaziz to act as an imperial summer residence. With 24 rooms, 6 halls, and a hamam, it would have been quite the summer home, and was also used to entertain visiting dignitaries.

The Bosphorus Bridge is one of two bridges that spans the Bosphorus Strait, connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. It stretches from Ortakoy on the European side to Beylerbeyi on the Asian side and is sometimes referred to as the First Bosphorus Bridge. At 1560 meters long, the Bosphorus Bridge was the fourth longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1973 and was the first bridge to connect Europe and Asia since a bridge spanning the Dardanelles in 480 B.C. Today, it is the 21st longest suspension bridge in the world. In 2007, an LED lighting system was installed to illuminate the bridge at night and the computerized system is now used to create a colorful light show every evening. While the bridge is typically closed to pedestrians, it opens each October for the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon – the only marathon that crosses from one continent to another.

Rumeli Castle (Rumeli Hisarı) is an Ottoman fortress dating to 1452. It was built by Ottoman sultan Mehmed II (Mehmed the Conqueror) in preparation of the conquest of Constantinople. The castle is situated on the shore of the Bosphorus Strait at its narrowest point with approximately 660 meters. It is just opposite of Anadolu Castle (Anadolu Hisarı) that is another Ottoman castle built in 1394 by Bayezid I. Both Anadolu Castle and Rumeli Castle were built by Ottoman sultans in order to prevent military and economic aid to the Byzantine Empire coming from the north, Black Sea. Thus, Bosphorus strait connects Black Sea with Marmara Sea. Rumeli Castle consists of three large towers, one small tower, and thirteen smaller towers, which all are in very good condition. The architect of the castle was architect Müslihiddin and by the time it was built, its name was Boğazkesen (Strait Cutter).

he Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also known as the Second Bosphorus Bridge, spanning the Bosphorus strait. It is named after the 15th century Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who conquered Istanbul in 1453 and ended the Byzantine Empire. The bridge was designed by Freeman Fox & Partners, who had previously also designed the Bosphorus Bridge. An international consortium of three Japanese companies, one Italian and one Turkish company carried out the construction works. The bridge was completed on July 3, 1988 and opened by Prime Minister Turgut Özal who drove his official car by himself as the first to pass. The cost of the bridge amounted to USD 130 million.

The mosque which decorates many postcards of the city is right on the Bosphorous, in Ortaköy. It is officially called Büyük Mecidiye Camii (Grand Imperial Mosque). It was ordered to be built by Sultan Abdülmecid on the grounds of an earlier mosque. The mosque was built between 1854-1856, in neo-Baroque style. Nikoğos Balyan was the architect of the mosque, who was also the architect of the Dolmabahçe Palace. Within the mosque, there are several examples of Islamic calligraphy executed by Sultan Abdülmecid himself.