After my whistle-stop tour of Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the Museum of Archaeology in the morning, the hotel restaurant was able to provide a wonderful soup with a selection of fresh bread and a Coca-Cola, after which I felt much better and started to plan more exploration for the afternoon. This time, I determined to make more use of my Instanbulkart in sampling public transport. The previous day, I'd travelled to 'Asian Turkey' by rail through the Marmaray Tunnel (landing on the Asian side a second time, during my Bosphorus Cruise, at Bakoz).
This time, I intended to reach 'Asian Turkey' by a public ferry from the waterfront so I walked downhill to Sirkeci (a 'quarter' in the Eminonu 'neighbourhood' of Fatih 'district') and studied the area more closely.
Istanbul, Turkey: Approaching the waterfront at Sirkeci on Ankara Avenue with a Sultanahmet line tram heading towards Katabas.
To my right was the car ferry terminal operated by IDO (privatised in 2011) with the car/passenger ferry 'Sahilbent' moored, but no activity (it was Sunday). Afterwards, I quickly identified what IDO call a 'conventional ferry' (single-hull, not high speed), with loading ramps at both ends, on the IDO fleet list here.
Istanbul, Turkey with 'Sahilbent' passenger/car ferry moored at Sirkeci ferry landing. This is the terminal for the short crossing to Harem.
I turned left and walked along the waterfront towards the Golden Horn, passing three large ferry waiting rooms each displaying electronic signage showing the time of the next departure and destination. Many of the larger passenger ferries bustling to-and-fro were modern and 'double-ended' with passenger ramps each end, like the 'SH-DURASU' I watched arriving at Eminonu (it was built 2015 in Turkey - brief information here)
Istanbul's Ferries: 'SH-DURASU', built 2015, arriving at Eminonu.
This seemed altogether too modern, compared with what I remembered from various films featuring Istanbul (including the 1963 James Bond Film 'From Russia with Love'). I had set my heart on one of the 'traditional' ferries with a bow, stern, funnel and side loading. The Wikipedia article here suggests most were made (or at least designed) by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Glasgow). When I had almost reached the Galata Bridge, I found a suitable ferry loading for Kadikoy and, within moments, my Instanbulkart had allowed me to board. Actually, the ferry was one of the more modern vessels, built in Turkey in 2008 ('M/S ŞH-FATİH', I think - brief information here).
Istanbul's Ferries: View along waterfront as the Kadikoy Ferry prepares to leave Eminonu with Topkapi Palace in the background.
As we crossed the Sea of Marmara, we left the Maiden's Tower to port and Topkapi Palace to starboard
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy, looking towards Bosphorus showing Maiden's Tower, First Bridge and (just visible) Second Bridge. A large cargo vessel is emerging from the Bosphorus
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy: View of Topkapi Palace
By the time we approached the container port of Haydarpasa, we had crossed the Sea of Marmara, passing SeaLine 'Ro-Ro' Passenger/Cargo vessel 'Sea Partner' and container ship 'Warnow Beluga'.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy showing SeaLine 'Ro-Ro' Passenger/Cargo vessel 'Sea Partner' at Port of Haydarpasa.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy: Container ship 'Warnow Beluga' and container crane at Port of Haydarpasa.
I managed a decent picture of the Selimiye Barracks on the hill behind the port. Better known as Scutari, this was the location where Florence Nightingale started her remarkable work during the Crimean War.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy: Port of Haydarpasa (Asian side) with two blue-painted container cranes and orange Straddle Cranes. In the background, the massive Selimiye Barracks.
As we approached Kadikoy, I watched 'M/S Caddebostan' (built 1987 - brief information here) setting off back to the Istanbul.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy with ferry 'M/S Caddebostan' sailing behind the breakwater. Note on-shore grain silos.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy: Approaching Kadikoy with the fire-damaged Haydarpasa Railway Station visible extreme left.
Shortly before we docked at Kadikoy, we passed what was, until a serious fire in 2010, the busiest station in Turkey - Hydarpasa. The Ottoman-era neo-classical station building built in 1909 is now closed to trains, sheathed in scaffolding and being restored, its long-term future still unclear. There are plans for the new high-speed line from Ankara to join-up with the Marmaray Tunnel and provide a service to the European side but time scales appear fluid.
Istanbul's Ferries: Fire-damaged Haydarpasa Railway Station under restoration.
Ferry 'M/S ŞEHİT İLKER KARTER' left the berth as we approached Kadikoy. This ferry was built in 1980, also in a Turkish yard (brief information here). 'Sehit' means martyr - Ilker Carter (1943-1974) was a jet pilot in the Turkish Air Force, dying in Cyprus during operations following the Cypriot coup d'état.
Istanbul's Ferries, Eminonu - Kadikoy: Kadikoy ferry terminal with ferry 'S. Ilker Carter' departing as we arrive.
Related posts on other websites
The Marmaray Tunnel and railways
Marmaray Railway Engineering Project
Haydarpaşa railway station
Istanbul Ferries
Ferries in Istanbul (Wikipedia).
IDO fleet list.
Sehir Hatlari History.
Sehir Hatlari Modern ferry.
Related posts on this website
This is one of a number of posts describing my weekend in Istanbul, starting with Arriving in Istanbul.
Clicking on the 'Next report' link displays the post describing the next events. In this way, you may read about the weekend in sequence. Next report
Alternately, clicking on the 'All my Istanbul reports' link displays all the posts on this weekend in reverse date-of-posting order.
All my Istanbul reports.
My pictures
Istanbul, Turkey.
Istanbul's Ferries: Eminonu - Kadikoy.
All my pictures in Turkey.
