Page 4 - World Of Nurol Magazine-24

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Meral SARI CEYLAN

The need and desire to build a connection for railway It is told that, in 1876, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid
transportation, which lies between east and west part of Istanbul II, another project proposal was presented by E. Henri Gavand who
and goes underneath the Bosphorus, have gradually increased in was the engineer of the tunnel between Galata and Pera. This tube
the 1980s and the first wide-ranging feasibility report was prepared tunnel project was planned to be constructed between Sarayburnu
in 1985. After being discussed for a long time, the outlined project and Üsküdar. However, by virtue of the Ottoman Empire - Russia
was completed in 1998 following the more detailed etude and War in 1876, this project was laid aside as well.
studies carried out in 1995. Financing agreement was signed in
1999 and the contract was awarded in 2002 and the construction
of the railway started in 2004 after the foundation had been laid.

MARMARAY, construction of which lasted for 9 years, was
put into service on October 29th, 2013 on the 90th anniversary
of the foundation of the republic.

The Bosphorus is the pearl of this magical city which embraces
the eastern and western civilizations for centuries. In Istanbul, the
idea of crossing over the Bosphorus and thus bringing the two
Another bridge project brought to the agenda during the reign
continents together have been discussed and dreamt during many of Sultan Abdul Hamid II was the project designed by French
historical periods. Some of them, which survived until today, are
construction engineer, F. Arnodi. According to the project, the bridge
really remarkable. was going to be settled on five abutments and 50 metres above
from the sea level. By means of these bridges, the continuous
Persian king crossed the Bosphorus transportation from Vienna to Madina would have been enabled
513 BCE, Darius, the Persian King, has built a floating bridge by railway.
by laying ships together between the Anatolian Fortress and
Rumelian Fortress and has enabled his 80.000 soldiers to cross On the Way to the Republic
to the opposite shore of the Bosphorus. Perhaps, he was proud of When it comes to the 1900s, new projects gained currency for
himself for building a bridge that brings continents together while the connection of the two shores of the Bosphorus with a bridge or
watching his soldiers crossing over from the hill , where the Rumelian a tube tunnel. Germans, who had undertaken the Baghdad Railway
Fortress is located today, sitting at his special throne made of rock. project, proposed to bring the shores together by constructing a
bridge across the Bosphorus.
Tunel-i Bahri, the Ancestor of Marmaray
The first tube tunnel project of Bosphorus was the ‘Tunel-i Bahri’ During the years when the projects for constructing a bridge
which was planned by French J. Preault in 1860 during the reign across the Bosphorus were at issue, new projects were continuing
of Sultan Abdülmecid. For security reasons, Sultan Abdülmecid to be developed as a tube tunnel. In 1920, the construction of a
temporarily suspended the project and when he died in 1861, the steel tunnel, which passes under the Bosphorus, was proposed by
project was not materialized. three American engineers.