İstanbul has been known by many names including: Byzantium, Constantinople and Stamboul. It was given the name İstanbul in 1453 when Sultan Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire conquered the city from the Byzantine Empire. At the time, İstanbul was only a fraction of the size that it is today.
The tradition I learned about this weekend was the importance of the Bosporus Strait which divides the city of Istanbul between the continents of Europe and Asia, while also connecting the Aegean Sea and the Black Sea. Therefore, the Bosporus Strait plays a large role in İstanbul. Life seems to be centered around this stretch of water. During my weekend in İstanbul, I was able to take the ferry all around the city. I was staying on the Asian side of İstanbul, so to visit the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, The Basilica Cistern and Topkapi Palace, I had to use the publicly run ferry which costs about 2.15 USD. Additionally, I traveled all the way up the strait to a town called Andadolu Kavagi. While on the ferry, I saw Ottoman Palaces, Turkish naval ships, fishermen and lots of tourists. Additionally, I learned about the three bridges that cross the strait that all have stories to them.
