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Byzantine era, though the present building was erected only in 1913.
Elsewhere in Ortaköy there is an Armenian church dedicated to St.
Gregory the Illuminator, dated 1837-8.
THE BOSPHORUS BRIDGE
Just outside Ortaköy we pass under the first Bosphorus bridge, opened
on 27 October 1973, the 50th anniversary of the founding of the
Turkish Republic. At the time it was the fourth longest suspension
bridge in the world, 1,074 metres in length between the great piers
(just seven metres longer than the George Washington bridge over the
Hudson), with its roadway 64 metres above the water. Surprisingly
enough the new bridge, with the graceful curve of its cables and the
thin line of carriageway, actually enhances the beauty of the lower
Bosphorus.
KURUÇEŞME
Kuruçeşme, the next village on the European shore, was up until
recent years disfigured by coal, sand and gravel depots, but these have
now been removed and replaced by an attractive park and promenade,
part of a programme to restore the shores of the Bosphorus to their
former beauty. There are three old churches in the village, two of them
Greek and the other Armenian. The Greek churches are St. Demetrios
and St. John the Baptist, both of which were first mentioned in 1684.
The present church of St. Demetrios dates from 1798, while St. John
was rebuilt in 1834. Both of them have sacred springs, that of St.
Demetrios dating back to Byzantine times. The Armenian church,
Surp Haç (Holy Cross), may date from the Byzantine era, though the
present structure is due to a rebuilding in 1834 by Karabet Balyan.
The wooden mosque on the shore road in the village was built in
the eighteenth century by Tezkireci Osman Efendi, with a handsome
çeşme in front.
ARNAVUTKÖY
Arnavutköy, the Albanian Village, has one of the most picturesque
harbours anywhere along the Bosphorus; its sea-front is lined with
picturesque old wooden houses. The oldest house along the shore is
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