Boating New Zealand - May 2018

48 Boating New Zealand

WORDS AND

PHOTOGRAPHY BY

BRUNO CIANCI

feature

Heritage

TURKISH

DELIGHTS

Often described as the cultural,

spiritual and physical ‘bridge’

between Europe and Asia, Turkey

is surrounded by four seas: the

Black Sea, the Mediterranean, the

Aegean and the Sea of Marmara.

Unsurprisingly, the country boasts

a fascinating maritime legacy.

rade was the obvious catalyst for the

development of Turkey’s seafaring

tradition but, perhaps inevitably, the clash

between Christianity and Islam added

further impetus. After their conquest of

Constantinople (previously Byzantium,

now Istanbul) in 1453, the Ottoman Turks were in the iring

line from the Holy Roman Empire.

During the 15th century – during the reign of the Sultan

Suleiman the Magniicent – every corner of the Mediterranean

witnessed sea battles between the Ottomans and the Holy

League’s leet. hese included ships sent from Venice, Genoa,

Tuscany, Malta, from the Pope himself – and the Habsburgs.

WW1 ushered in the sunset over the Ottoman Empire, but in

the museums in and around Istanbul there are plenty of examples

of the region’s maritime tradition – all well worth a visit.

T