For nearly two centuries, the white ferries gliding over the Bosphorus Strait have provided an iconic link for countless passengers travelling between Istanbul's European shores and its Asian side.

Despite the increasingly congested waters and competition from the Turkish megacity's bridges and undersea metro line, the ferries remain very popular.

The main operator Sehir Hatlari carries at least 40 million passengers a year.

"Any view of Istanbul must in

"It is one of the few cities in the world that can be crossed by sea, so the ferries are indispensable here."

Their arrival in 1843 transformed the simple fishing villages lining the shores of the Bosphorus into popular holiday destinations where wooden palaces were later built overlooking the water, boosting trade.

Until the first B

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