City of Istanbul - If one had but a single glance to give the world, one should gaze on Istanbul. ~Alphonse de Lamartine

Valide Dam in Belgrade Forest

Valide Dam (Valide Bendi) in Belgrade Forest, Istanbul

Valide Dam (Valide Bendi) in Belgrade Forest, İstanbul. I took the video and the photo on February 18, 2023.

A beautiful street view at night at the ITU. January 25, 2023

A beautiful street view at night at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU)

A beautiful street view on a cold winter night at the Istanbul Technical University (ITU). The wet road reflects the streetlights and creates a beautiful, romantic scene. I took this photo on January 25, 2023.

İstanbul facts: 10 fascinating things about the city that lies on two continents

İstanbul facts: İstanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. Istaanbul, Bosphorus Bridge from Ortaköy

İstanbul is a fascinating city with a rich history and culture, and as a result, there are many interesting facts about it. Some of the most interesting facts about Istanbul include:

Hagia Sophia in 1880

An 1880 photo showing Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. From the Pierre de Gigord Collection of Photographs. Photographer unknown.

A walk in the snow-covered Belgrade Forest

Snow-covered Belgrade forest and Topuzlu dam

After a snowy week in Istanbul, I took a walk in the snow-covered Belgrade forest. It was really beautiful.

A rainy winter evening at the Istanbul Technical University. January 1st, 2022.

A rainy and cold winter evening at the Istanbul Technical University. The wet road reflects the streetlights and creates a beautiful, romantic scene. I took this photo on January 1st, 2022.

Sarıyer and the Bosphorus at a winter evening

While I was walking from Sarıyer to Büyükdere, I took these photos on December 26, 2021. Sarıyer and the Bosphorus at a winter evening.

Newspaper-selling boy (Istanbul, 1958)

This famous photo of a newspaper-selling boy was taken in 1958 at the Little Hagia Sophia district in Istanbul by the journalist Hilmi Şahenk (1903-1972). The 9-year-old boy is running, waving a newspaper in his right hand, and there’s a small bunch of newspapers under his left arm. There’s a 1950 Plymouth in the background.

A view of Bosphorus and my bicycle from Rumelikavağı

Here’s a view of Bosphorus with my road bike (a 2015 Cannondale CAAD10) from Rumelikavağı (Rumeli Kavağı), a neighborhood of Sarıyer district in Istanbul Province.

A beautiful sunset in Istanbul

Sunsets in Istanbul are beautiful. Here are a few photos that I took while I was crossing the Bosphorus aboard a Vapur (ferry) on a January evening. Istanbul’s ferries, locally called “vapur”, travels between two continents, between Asia and Europe.

The word vapur comes from French “Bateau à vapeur”, sometimes simply referred to as “vapeur”, which means steamboat in English (vapeur means steam).