You motor out of the Golden Horn past Topkapı Palace, covering the hill at the tip of Saray Burnu (Palace Point).

The façade of this great Ottoman palace (1853) is nearly a quarter of a mile (400 meters) long.

This three-towered fortress was built in 1452 on the Bosphorus to protect the narrow waterway from advancing ships.

You've probably seen photos of the Mecidiye Mosque (1854).

2.5 km (1.5 miles) northeast of Üsküdar, is a "small" Istanbul summer palace overlooking the Bosphorus from its Asian shore

The largest Asian district, directly across the Bosphorus.

Ever since the Persian emperor Darius built his bridge of boats acoss the Bosphorus in 490 BC, rulers of Istanbul have dreamt of a bridge between Europe and Asia.

The swath of green forest behind Ciragan is Yıldız ("Star") Park.

Its English name "Bosporus" comes from mythology. Zeus had an affair with a beautiful woman named lo. When Hera, his wife, discovered his infidelity, she turned Io into a cow and created a horsefly to sting her on the rump. lo jumped clear across the strait. Beyond the Bosphorus Bridge there's plenty more to see: The village of Cengelköy, Kuleli Naval Academy, Arnavutköy with its photogenic Ottoman yalıs (wooden Bosphorus seaside mansions), Rumeli Hisarı (the mighty Fortress of Europe), the town of Bebek with its pretty bay, and Bosphorus University.

Currently closed but stunning to see from the water