Earth Travel Walking Tours

Walk with me 👉 https://bit.ly/3O7D0vg My walk map 👉 https://bit.ly/39d4hxW Balat is in the old city on the European side of Istanbul, on the western shore of the Golden Horn, sandwiched between Fener and Ayvansaray. Historically, it was the centre of the Jewish community in Istanbul. The name Balat is probably derived from Greek palation (palace), from Latin palatium, after the nearby Palace of Blachernae. As in neighbouring Fener, Balat's back streets are lined with small stone two and three-storey terraced houses and a few grander mansions. in the 2010s Balat become one of the hottest parts of the city for tourism, including domestic tourism, and many of the houses have been turned into cafes, restaurants and accommodation for visitors. Many of the houses have been repainted in bright colours to give a distinctive feel to the neighbourhood. Balat is a stop on the T5 tramline connecting it to Cibali and the small bus terminal (for services to Anatolia) in Alibeyköy. The Golden Horn ferries also stop here, connecting Balat to Üsküdar, Karaköy, Kasımpaşa, Fener, Ayvansaray, Hasköy, Sütlüce and Eyüp. History A photograph of the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church of St Stephen of the Bulgars, also known as the Bulgarian Iron Church Balat first became home to a large Jewish population in the late 15th century, when Sultan Bayezid II offered citizenship to Jewish and Muslim Jews fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and Africa, and the 1492 Alhambra Decree. At its peak, Balat was home to 18 synagogues, though only two are still in use today: Ahrida Synagogue and Yanbol Synagogue. Opened in 1899 and designed by Gabriel Tedeşci, Or-Ahayim Hospital was originally set up to serve Balat's Jewish population, but now serves the general public. Balat was also home to a wide variety of ethnicities, cultures and religions. The famous Bulgarian Iron Church is located in the district, and there was traditionally a sizeable Armenian population too. Its proximity to St. George's Church and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in neighbouring Fener also meant that there was a large Greek Orthodox (Rûm) population. However, Balat today is overwhelmingly Muslim, with most minority populations having left the district or been forced to leave as a result of the Armenian genocide, Greek genocide, anti-Greek riots and expulsions throughout the 20th century. From the 17th century onwards European travellers recorded Balat as being particularly poor and unhygienic, although Marie-Christine Bornes-Varol has argued that their reports may not have been accurate reflections of Balat as a whole, since travellers' accounts were largely based on visits to Karabaş, the poorest part of Balat. In 1810 Balat's Jews attacked the Janissary patrols in the neighbourhood, claiming that they were defending themselves against mistreatment by the local Janissary unit; those who were caught after the attack were executed. In 1985, Balat was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, and in the late 1990s and early 2000s was the subject of a number of controversial renovation and revitalisation projects. Social Media / Contact Twitter : https://twitter.com/travelwalking Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/earthtravelwalkingtours Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Travel-Walking-Tours-102888222457618 Web : http://www.earthtravelwalkingtours.com E-mail : earthtravelwalkingtours@gmail.com

Walk with me 👉 https://bit.ly/3O7D0vg My walk map 👉 https://bit.ly/39d4hxW Taksim Square (Turkish: Taksim Meydanı, IPA: [ˈtaksim ˈmejdanɯ]), situated in Beyoğlu in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the Istanbul Metro network. Taksim Square is also the location of the Republic Monument (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Anıtı) which was crafted by Pietro Canonica and inaugurated in 1928. The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, following the Turkish War of Independence. The Square is flanked to the south by The Marmara Hotel, to the east by the Atatürk Cultural Centre, to the north by Gezi Park and to the west by Taksim Mosque. Several major roads converge on the Square: Gümüşsuyu Caddesi, Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Tarlabaşı Bulvari, İstiklal Caddesi and Sıraselviler Caddesi. History The word Taksim means "division" or "distribution" in Arabic. Taksim Square was originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to other parts of the city (hence the name.) This use for the area was established by Sultan Mahmud I. The square takes its name from the Ottoman era stone reservoir which is located along one side of the square. Another significant building that once stood on the square was the 19th century Taksim Artillery Barracks (Taksim Kışlası, which later became the Taksim Stadium), but which was demolished in 1940 during the construction works in accordance with the plans of French architect and city planner Henri Prost for Taksim Square and Taksim Gezi Park. Taksim Gezi Park is a small green park in the midst of the concrete expanse of central Istanbul. In 2013, the city municipality, wanting to rebuild the old barracks as a shopping venue on the site of the park, began forcefully removing protesters who had set up camp in the park. After news spread of the police brutality, thousands of people rallied in the Occupy Taksim movement, to stop the demolition of the park. As the current status of the demolition project is in limbo, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government has the Police stationed in and around Taksim Square ready with riot control equipment to deter any large demonstrations. Present day Taksim is a main transportation hub and a popular destination for both tourists and residents of Istanbul. İstiklal Caddesi (Independence Avenue), a long pedestrian shopping street, ends at this square, and a nostalgic tram runs from the square along the avenue, ending near the Tünel (1875) which is the world's second-oldest subway line after London's Underground (1863). In addition to serving as the main transfer point for the municipal bus system, Taksim Square is also the terminus of the Hacıosman-4. Levent-Taksim-Yenikapı subway line of the Istanbul Metro. Taksim's position was given an extra boost on June 29, 2006, when the new Kabataş-Taksim Funicular line F1 connecting the Taksim Metro station with the Kabataş tramway station and Seabus port was opened, allowing people to ascend to Taksim in just 110 seconds. Surrounding Taksim Square are numerous travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, pubs, and international fast food chains such as Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King. It is also home to some of Istanbul's grandest hotels including the InterContinental, the Divan, and The Marmara Hotel. Taksim used to be a favourite location for public events such as parades, New Year celebrations, and other social gatherings, although since 2016 permission has rarely been given for such gatherings. Atatürk Cultural Center (Atatürk Kültür Merkezi), a multi-purpose concert hall and cultural centre reopened after renovation in 2021, is also located in Taksim Square. It faces the Taksim Square Mosque which also opened 2021. Social Media / Contact Twitter : https://twitter.com/travelwalking Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/earthtravelwalkingtours Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Travel-Walking-Tours-102888222457618 Web : http://www.earthtravelwalkingtours.com E-mail : earthtravelwalkingtours@gmail.com

Walk with me 👉 https://bit.ly/3O7D0vg My walk map 👉 https://bit.ly/39d4hxW The Galata Bridge The Galata Bridge (Turkish: Galata Köprüsü, Turkish pronunciation: [ˈɡaɫata cœpɾyˈsy]) is a bridge that spans the Golden Horn in Istanbul, Turkey. From the end of the 19th century in particular, the bridge has featured in Turkish literature, theater, poetry and novels. The current Galata Bridge is just the latest in a series of bridges linking Eminönü in the Fatih district and Karaköy in Beyoğlu since the early 19th century. The current bridge, the fifth on the same site, was built in 1994. The bridge was named after Galata (the former name for Karaköy) on the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The first bridge on the Golden Horn, built by Justinian the Great, can be seen near the Theodosian Land Walls at the north-eastern end of the city in this rendering of old Constantinople. The first recorded bridge over the Golden Horn was built during the reign of Justinian the Great in the 6th century, close to the area near the Theodosian Land Walls at the western end of the city. In 1453, before the Fall of Constantinople, the Turks assembled a mobile bridge by placing their ships side by side across the water, so that their troops could move from one side of the Golden Horn to the other. Golden Horn Bridge designed by Leonardo da Vinci in 1502. In 1502–1503, Sultan Bayezid II solicited plans for a bridge in the current location. Utilising three well-known geometrical principles, the pressed-bow, parabolic curve and keystone arch, artist Leonardo da Vinci designed an unprecedented single span 240 m (790 ft) long and 24 m (79 ft) wide bridge across the Golden Horn, which, had it been constructed, would have become the longest bridge in the world.[citation needed] However, the ambitious design was not approved by the Sultan. Another Italian artist, Michelangelo, was also invited to contribute a design but rejected the proposal, and the idea of building a bridge across the Golden Horn was shelved until the 19th century. In 2001 a small-scale version of Leonardo's bridge design was constructed near Oslo, Norway by the contemporary artist Vebjørn Sand, the first civil engineering project based on a Leonardo sketch ever to be constructed. Hayratiye bridge In the early 19th century, Mahmud II (1808–1839) had a bridge built further up the Golden Horn, between Azapkapı and Unkapanı. This bridge, known as the Hayratiye (Benefaction in English), was opened on September 3, 1836. The project was carried out by Deputy Lord High Admiral Fevzi Ahmet Paşa using the workers and facilities of the naval arsenal at nearby Kasımpaşa. According to the History of Lutfi, this bridge was built on linked pontoons and was around 500–540 m (1,640–1,770 ft) long. Cisr-i Cedid bridge In 1845 the first Galata Bridge at the mouth of the waterway (i.e. on the current site) was constructed out of wood at the request of the Valide Sultan, the mother of Sultan Abdülmecid (1839–1861). It was known as the Cisr-i Cedid (New Bridge) to distinguish it from the earlier bridge further up the Golden Horn, which became known as the Cisr-i Atik (Old Bridge).[citation needed] The Baedeker's guidebook also referred to it as the Sultan Valideh Bridge[1] It continued in use for 18 years On the Karaköy side of the bridge, an inscribed couplet by poet İbrahim Şinasi recorded that the New Bridge was built by Sultan Abdülmecid I who was the first to pass over it. The first to pass below it was the French captain Magnan in his ship the Cygne. The second bridge In 1863 this bridge was replaced by a second wooden bridge, built by Ethem Pertev Paşa on the orders of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861–1876) during the infrastructure improvements that preceded Napoleon III's visit to Istanbul. The third bridge In 1870, a contract was signed with a French company, Forges et Chantiers de la Mediteranée for construction of a third bridge, but the outbreak of war between France and Germany delayed the project, which was given instead to the British firm G. Wells in 1872. This bridge, completed in 1875, was 480 m (1,570 ft) long and 14 m (46 ft) wide and rested on 24 pontoons. It was built at a cost of 105,000 gold liras and was used until 1912, when it was towed upstream to replace the old Cisr-i Atik Bridge. The fourth bridge The fourth Galata Bridge was built in 1912 by the German firm Hüttenwerk Oberhausen AG for 350,000 gold liras. This floating bridge was 466 m (1,529 ft) long and 25 m (82 ft) wide. In 1992 it was badly damaged in a fire and towed up the Golden Horn to make way for the current bridge. Social Media / Contact Twitter : https://twitter.com/travelwalking Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/earthtravelwalkingtours Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Travel-Walking-Tours-102888222457618 Web : http://www.earthtravelwalkingtours.com E-mail : earthtravelwalkingtours@gmail.com

Walk with me 👉 https://bit.ly/3O7D0vg My walk map 👉 https://bit.ly/39d4hxW Long version coming soon... HAYREDDIN BARBAROSSA Hayreddin Barbarossa (Arabic: خير الدين بربروس, romanized: Khayr al-Din Barbarus, original name: Khiḍr; Turkish: Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa), also known as Hızır Hayrettin Pasha, and simply Hızır Reis (c. 1466/1478 – 4 July 1546), was an Ottoman corsair and later admiral of the Ottoman Navy. Barbarossa's naval victories secured Ottoman dominance over the Mediterranean during the mid 16th century. Born on Lesbos, Khizr began his naval career as a corsair under his elder brother Oruç Reis. In 1516, the brothers captured Algiers from Spain, with Oruç declaring himself as Sultan. Following Oruç's death in 1518, Khizr inherited his brother's nickname, "Barbarossa" ("Redbeard" in Italian). He also received the honorary name Hayreddin (from Arabic Khayr ad-Din, "goodness of the faith" or "best of the faith"). In 1529, Barbarossa retook the Peñón of Algiers from the Spaniards. In 1533, Barbarossa was appointed Kapudan Pasha (Grand admiral) of the Ottoman Navy by Suleiman the Magnificent. He led an embassy to France in the same year, conquered Tunis in 1534, achieved a decisive victory over the Holy League at Preveza in 1538, and conducted joint campaigns with the French in the 1540s. Barbarossa retired to Constantinople in 1545 and died the following year. Background Khizr was born sometime between 1466 and 1478 in Palaiokipos on the island of Midilli (Lesbos), a son of an Ottoman sipahi father, Yakup Ağa,of Turkish or Albanian origin from Giannitsa (now Greece), and an Orthodox Christian Greek mother, Katerina, from Mytilene (also Lesbos). His mother was a widow of an Orthodox priest.The couple married[5] and had two daughters and four sons: Ishak, Oruç, Khizr and Ilyas. Yakup took part in the Ottoman conquest of Lesbos in 1462 from the Genoese Gattilusio dynasty (who held the hereditary title of Lord of Lesbos between 1355 and 1462) and as a reward, was granted the fief of the village of Bonova on the island. He became an established potter and purchased a boat to trade his products with. The four sons helped their father with his business, but not much is known about the daughters. At first Oruç helped with the boat, while Khizr helped with the pottery. ---- HECTOR BARBOSSA Captain Hector Barbossa is a fictional character of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, appearing in all films of the series. Starting out as a villainous undead pirate in The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), the character dies at the end of the film. However, he is revealed to have been brought back to life at the end of Dead Man's Chest before appearing in anti-heroic roles as a Pirate Lord in At World's End (2007), a privateer with the Royal Navy in On Stranger Tides (2011), and finally as the rich and influential leader of his own pirate fleet in Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). Throughout the series, the character has been conceptualized as a "dark trickster" and the evil counterpart of Captain Jack Sparrow. Background and development As it appeared only on the DVD commentary, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio originally thought it was fan-made when they saw it on the Internet, and decided to use it nonetheless. Actor Geoffrey Rush has expressed fondness with the potential and development of his character, who evolved throughout the series and ventured into different terrains every film, which kept him challenged as an actor: while he was only a classical evil villain in the first film, he turned into a pirate politician, hosting a "G 20 summit of pirate lords", and in the fourth film has turned legitimate and works for the king. As for the fifth installment, Rush has referred to Barbossa as a "corporate pirate" who has amassed immense influence and wealth for his fleet and brags of his showcased riches, although it is revealed in the 5th film that part of the reason Barbossa turned to piracy was the difficult feelings he had to live with after giving up his daughter for adoption. Also, he commented on the selfless sacrifice Barbossa makes to save his daughter, referring to it as a nice and final conclusion to the character's journey of redemption. Due to this, Rush stated that he cannot see himself portraying the character in a potential sequel again, with the exception of a short cameo as a ghost "annoying Jack Sparrow with his wisdom." Barbossa's name is based on Ottoman admiral, Hayreddin Barbarossa. Social Media / Contact Twitter : https://twitter.com/travelwalking Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/earthtravelwalkingtours Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/Earth-Travel-Walking-Tours-102888222457618 Web : http://www.earthtravelwalkingtours.com E-mail : earthtravelwalkingtours@gmail.com