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Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

The Wonder of The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

Istanbul is known for many things, but one of those has to be its huge and iconic bridges.

Of course, we know that the Bosphorus is the huge span of water which passes through the city, effectively separating the continents of Europe and Asia, but in order to pass between the two, there needs to be a bridge! Well, Istanbul doesn’t do anything by halves, so that means one bridge is not enough, it has to have two!

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge is widely known as the ‘second bridge’. The main Bosphorus bridge, located in the Ortakoy region of the city is more formally known as the ‘Bogazici Bridge, or the Bosphorus I. This bridge was completed in 1973 and covers a huge 1074 metres across the water, from one side of Europe, to the other side of Asia. Due to the fact that traffic in Istanbul is never light, that one bridge struggled to cope with the sheer number of vehicles which needed to pass over the water, so another bridge was built a few years later, in 1988.

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About The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

As we just mentioned, this second bridge was built in 1988 and is named after the famous Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed The Conquerer, who conquered Istanbul way back in 1453.

Whilst strictly speaking, Istanbul has three bridges in total spanning over the two continents, the other bridge is so far out of the main city limits that it isn’t considered when talking about the main ones, for that reason, we’ll stick with two.

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge spans for a mile from one side to the other, and is one of the most commonly photographed sites in the city. The iconic photograph of the second bride looming in the distance, with the huge Rumeli Castle on one side, and the old houses of Asia on the other is iconic. This is also the bridge that you’re almost certainly going to cross when you travel into Sabiha Gokcen Airport in Istanbul. The main road from that airport takes in this bridge, although it is possible to detour and cross on the first bridge too.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Statistics

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge has four lanes for traffic to cross, e.g. two in each direction, as well as an emergency lane in each direction too. To give you an idea of the sheer numbers which pass over the bridge, it is likely that in one side day, around 150,000 vehicles will pass from one side to the other. That’s a lot of cars! In addition, when you factor in the first bridge’s capacity too, you can understand the traffic conditions in Istanbul!

The Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge also boasts an environmental claim to fame, as it was one of the first motorway bridges in the country to have LED lighting. This ensures better visibility for drivers during adverse weather and at night, whilst also looking after the environment through energy efficiency.

Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge

The Mighty Bosphorus

In order to understand the scale of the two bridges that cross the Bosphorus, you first have to understand the sheer might of the body of water itself.

The Bosphorus is a strait of very deep water which brings together two major seas, namely the Black Sea, and the Sea of Marmara. In effect, it therefore separates the two continents also, but is a very busy shipping passage as a result. You can imagine that back in the day, when Istanbul was Constantinople and all manner of invaders were looking upon it, the business side of things, via the shipping route and the fact it could invade other countries via tit, was extremely attractive! This is why there are so many fortresses built along the banks.

The Bosphorus itself is 19 miles in length, and it is widest at the northern section, i.e. where you will find the two major fortresses, Rumelihisari and Anadoluhisari. It’s a deep waterway too, with a maximum depth of around 408 feet. It’s not unusual to see dolphins and all manner of other marine life in the Bosphorus, and as you head towards Galata Bridge, you’ll see people fishing enthusiastically – seafood in Istanbul is a must do, simply because it’s so fresh, and has been caught from the cold waters of the Bosphorus, right in front of you!

However you visit Istanbul, and however long you choose to stay for, checking out the bridges is a must do. Not only will you fill your camera with some fantastic pictures, but come on, crossing from one continent to another in a matter of seconds is pretty cool too, right?

Location

Place Information

  • Place Address : Anadolu Hisarı, 34810 Beykoz, Turkey
  • Visit Hours :
    • Monday: Open 24 hours
    • Tuesday: Open 24 hours
    • Wednesday: Open 24 hours
    • Thursday: Open 24 hours
    • Friday: Open 24 hours
    • Saturday: Open 24 hours
    • Sunday: Open 24 hours
  • Place Rating : 4.5
  • Learn how to reach this place.
  • Taksim: From Taksim Square take M2 metro line to go Gayrettepe. Take bus 59N from zincirlikuyu.
  • Kadıköy: Take ferry to Beşiktaş then take bus 58N.
  • Sultanahmet: Take Marmaray from Sirkeci station. At yenikapı station Take Metro M2 to Gayrettepe then transfer to bus 59n
  • Istanbul Ataturk Airport: Take Metro M1a to yenikapı then transfer to M2 to Gayrettepe after that take Bus 58N
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