Bosphorus Bridge
One bridge, two continents — Europe ends at Ortaköy, Asia begins at Beylerbeyi, 1,560 metres apart.
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When it opened in 1973, this was the longest suspension bridge outside the United States and the fourth-longest span on Earth. It held the European record until 1981. Renamed the 15 July Martyrs Bridge after soldiers seized it during the 2016 coup attempt, it carries both a transport artery and a sharp piece of recent Turkish history.
What to look for
- The 165 m steel towers with inclined hangers — the aerodynamic deck they hold is 33.4 m wide
- 64 m of clearance between the deck and the Bosphorus strait below
- The European shore at Ortaköy and the Asian shore at Beylerbeyi framing each end
The bridge is the southernmost of Istanbul's three Bosphorus crossings; the Ortaköy and Beylerbeyi waterfronts on either end are the closest ground-level vantage points.
Bosphorus Bridge is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Istanbul, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Istanbul pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Istanbul
- Hagia SophiaCompleted in 537, it held the title of world's largest church for over 500 years — then a mosque, a museum, and a mosque again.
- Constantinople (Istanbul)One peninsula that served as the throne of four empires for sixteen centuries straight.
- Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)Ahmed I placed it directly opposite Hagia Sophia in 1609 and gave it six minarets — a deliberate challenge to the city's greatest building.
- Topkapı PalaceFor nearly four centuries, the sultans who ruled the Ottoman Empire lived and governed from here — until the court finally moved to Dolmabahçe in 1856.
- ByzantiumGreeks from Megara planted a colony here in the 7th century BC — and the name they gave it eventually became the word for an entire empire.
- Rams Park (Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex)Galatasaray's 53,978-seat fortress on the European side of Istanbul — and the second most eco-friendly stadium on the planet.