Its very name ‘Bosphorus’ means ‘Ox Ford’. Needless to say, not all the Bosphorus myths and legends Belge recounts can be squeezed into the pages of a brief article such as this. To swim in the Bosphorus, warns Belge, you need to have learned how to negotiate its waters. “The Bosphorus is not treacherous, but you need to know the direction of the currents. There is a surface current from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, which changes course when it hits the points. A person unfamiliar with those currents could easily be swept away and have to swim a lot farther than he bargained for!”

WORKS BY THE BALYAN FAMILY OF ARCHITECTS
Settlement on the Bosphorus first got underway in the 18th century. But the hills that run parallel with the shore have always made access difficult. The construction of the Dolmabahce Palace and the introduction of steamship travel in the 19th century facilitated settlement even in the waterway’s most remote recesses.