Bosphorus by Boat

Drive to the pier in Eminönü for a short visit to the historical Spice Market (Egyptian Bazaar). This bazaar was built in 1664 as part of the nearby Yeni Mosque complex and is named the Egyptian Bazaar because spices and herbs brought from or via Egypt were sold in it.

Then board a regular boat for the cruise along the Bosphorus, a narrow strait between the continents of Europe and Asia connecting the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara. During Byzantine and early Ottoman days there was little settlement on either side of the Bosphorus, but from the 18th century it became the favourite place of the sultans and their entourage, who built their kiosks and waterside residences along its shores.