Returning to the ship, we continued sailing along the Bosphorus to Constantinople. We passed Therapia (Tarabia), where the summer palaces of the English and French ambassadors flaunt, the Bay of Stenia (ancient Stenchos), where the Persian king Darius Hystaspes ferried his army of seven hundred thousand across the strait on a pontoon bridge, and later the Goths and crusading knights crossed.
At the narrowest point of the strait (no more than four hundred fathoms wide), two formidable fortresses rise opposite each other: Anadolu Hisar (Asian Castle), built by Sultan Bayazid the Lightning, and the colossal Rumeli Hisar (European Castle), erected by Mohammed II the Conqueror in 1452, just a few months before the fall of Byzantium. The jagged towers of Rumeli-Hisar, folded in the shape of the letters of the name of the prophet Mohammed, sternly hang over the seething streams of the Bosphorus. Here, the Turks once stretched an iron chain across the entire strait, blocking the path of enemy ships.
Then we sailed past the charming villages of Kandili, Bebek and Besiktas, where the tomb of the famous sea knight and pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa, revered by the Turks, is located, the Sultan’s palaces of Ciragan and Dolmabahce, the marble facades of which are reflected in the clear water of the strait.
Another turn - and Constantinople opened before our amazed eyes in all its unearthly splendor! The spectacle is indescribable, amazing! From the azure waters of the sea rises the gigantic amphitheater of the capital of three empires: the whitening bulk of the Sultan's Topkapi Palace on Cape Saray-Burnu, surrounded by the cypress groves of the Seraglio; the majestic dome of Hagia Sophia, raised to the heights of heaven; slender arrows of the minarets of the Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet and Suleymaniye; and opposite - the European suburbs of Galata with the ancient Genoese tower and the hills of Pera!
The entrance to the legendary Golden Horn (Halich) opened before us - the best natural harbor in the world, where a whole forest of masts, flags of all nations and thousands of light Turkish caiques were crowded, cutting through the water with the speed of an arrow. On the Asian shore lies the populous Scutari (ancient Chrysopolis, the “Golden City”) with its vast cypress cemetery, and in the middle of the strait on a lonely rock stood the Maiden Tower (Leander’s Tower).
As a military man, I could not help but appreciate the topographical and strategic importance of the Bosphorus. This strait is the key to the Black Sea and to Russia's possessions in the south. The strong northerly current, which carries water out of the Black Sea at speeds of up to four miles per hour, the prevailing northerly winds and the tortuosity of the coast make navigation through the strait extremely difficult for sailing ships. As for the Turkish coastal batteries, despite their large number, they have significant disadvantages: most of them are open from the rear and can be easily suppressed or bypassed by a decisive landing. The owner of the Bosphorus controls not only the fate of Levantine trade, but also holds in his hands the balance of all of Europe.
Concluding the description of this blessed path, I will say one thing: even if the entire journey through Russia, Crimea and Odessa did not give the traveler anything except this one passage along the Bosphorus - this sight alone would be worth setting off on the journey from the most distant countries, looking at it and admiring the greatness of the deeds of the Creator and man!