Tourism in Istanbul

As Istanbul's historical sites are flooded with visitors, historical structures affiliated with the National Palaces in the country welcomed more than 7 million visitors in 2023.

The number of visitors to the palaces, mansions, pavilions and museums increased by 9 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, reaching 7,261,241.

The ongoing restoration endeavors over five years at Istanbul's Yıldız Palace, one of the significant structures from the Ottoman Empire era, have unveiled 19th-century wall paintings and decorations concealed within its walls.

"Due to bad weather conditions, the Bosphorus strait near Istanbul is temporarily closed to the passage of ships in both directions," according to a statement carried by RIA.
The Dardanelles Strait was also closed to traffic earlier.
A yellow weather alert is in effect in the Istanbul area due to hurricane-force winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.

Some 100 warships have sailed and carried out an unprecedented procession on Istanbul's Bosphorus in the Turkish Navy's largest parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of modern Türkiye on Oct. 29.

Scores of Istanbulities flocked to the coastlines or the hills of the city, where they were able to witness the historic navy procession.

Ship traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was suspended on Wednesday morning after a ship suffered an engine failure, the Tribeca shipping agency said.

According to a report shared by the agency, Liberia-flagged crude oil tanker Guanyin had an engine failure at the strait's northern entrance and two tugs were dispatched for assistance. [Reuters]

Turkey is seeking to pack as much as it can into the agenda of the crucial NATO Summit in Vilnius in July. It is not just the trade-offs Ankara hopes to get for agreeing to Sweden's induction into the Alliance or its claims concerning the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus.