It should be said that in the world there are several geographical points called the Golden Horn. And even there are two bays with that name. One of them is located in our country. It is located in the Primorsky Territory and divides the city of Vladivostok into two halves. And there is Zlatni Rat - a beach on the Croatian island of Brac. A huge, almost six hundred meters long, sand spit near the town of Bole is located exactly opposite the Makarska Riviera. This Golden Horn is one of the "visiting cards" of tourist Croatia. The Belarusian counterpart is little known even to the inhabitants of this country. After all, Zalaty Rog is a small village of the Halchansky Village Council of the Vetka District of the Gomel Region. But here we will talk about the bay, which everyone is hearing. This is Chrysokeras, which means “Golden Horn” in Greek. And also about his Far Eastern namesake.
The wealth of Istanbul
This curved bay in the form of a deer antler with numerous branches draws the European part of the Turkish city and divides it into southern and northern halves. Take a ride on a pleasure boat on the Golden Horn is item number 1 on the list of "What to do for a tourist in Istanbul." Since the shores of the bay cut deep into the historical part of the city, very picturesque photos can be taken from the ship. The Golden Horn Bay on the Turkish maps is modestly named Halich, which means simply “bay”. But do not underestimate the romantic Turkish soul. Haliç is for short. And the full name of the bay is Halich-i-Dersaadet, “Bay of Bliss Gates”. No more and no less. After all, on the high bank is the Topkapi Sultan's Palace. God knows what bliss promised him to the ruler of the huria who lived in the harem there.
Gulf formation
Golden Horn Bay was created by a sudden shift of plates of the lithosphere relatively recently - only eight thousand years ago. The shores of the Sea of Marmara were already inhabited by people. As a result of plate displacement, the Bosphorus also formed. The salty waves of the Mediterranean poured into the Black Sea. This not only increased the level of the last reservoir, but almost all the fish died out. After all, the Black Sea for a long time had no connection with the World Ocean and was fresh. There is an opinion that the poisonous hydrocarbon layer accumulated at the bottom is nothing but the remains of the cadaverous decomposition of the former fauna of this water area. But the crack that formed the Bosphorus Strait deepened into the European part of present-day Istanbul. So there was a bay called by the Greeks Chrysokeras.
What gold is horn?
Even the ancient geographer and historian Strabo noted that due to the currents a lot of fish enter the Golden Horn. He writes that in certain seasons it could be caught even with bare hands. However, he designates the bay itself as "Byzantium Horn." In addition to the fame of a fishing place, the bay has earned a reputation as a convenient harbor for the fleet. Even severe storms have little effect on the calm surface of the bay. Therefore, even Emperor Constantine, in whose honor the city was named, ordered the construction of shipyards here. It is also difficult to overestimate the transport significance of the bay. The shores of the Greek Chrysokeras were settled by merchants. So that large merchant ships could enter the bay, in the 16th century, Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, Sultan, better known to the world as Roxolana, ordered to deepen the bottom of the Golden Horn. Modern Turks also recognize the importance of this aquatic artery. Therefore, along with the name "Gates of Bliss" one can often hear Altin Boynuz - the Golden Horn.
What does the natural harbor look like now?
Earlier, settlements of Jewish and Armenian merchants stretched along the banks of the Golden Horn Bay. For some time there was even a colony of the Genoese Republic. But at the time of Constantinople, at the ends of the Golden Horn, in the Greek region of Vlacherna, the palaces of the emperor and the entire Byzantine nobility were located. In late antiquity, the coastal region was called Galata. It was to the local Christians that one of the Epistles of the Apostle Paul was addressed . Now the ship is sailing past ancient mosques, the Galata Tower, museums and landscaped parks. The length of the bay is more than twelve kilometers, and the width is small - only one hundred meters. This allows you to see all the attractions along the banks. They are connected by four bridges: Old and New Galata, Halich and Ataturk.
Golden Horn Bay, Vladivostok: a glimpse of glory
The world famous Turkish harbor gave its name to the bay located many thousands of kilometers east of it. Even during the Crimean War, in the Primorsky Territory there was a small Chinese village, the inhabitants of which were engaged in the extraction of seafood, fish and the cultivation of vegetables. They themselves called their Hayshenway Bay, "Golden Trepang Bay." The British who arrived here renamed the water area to Port May, by the name of the ship's captain. In 1852, when the territory became part of the Russian Empire, the bay was named in honor of Peter the Great. But this name did not take root. Seven years later, Governor General N. Muravyov-Amursky saw in the winding shores of the bay a resemblance to the Istanbul harbor. Therefore, he renamed the former Hayshenway to the Golden Horn. And on the shores of the bay, he laid the military fort of Vladivostok, which later turned into a city.