Istanbul by Drone

Explore the great city of Istanbul, Turkey from above in this compilation video, which was produced using highlights from the "Istanbul by Drone" collection.  The video features bird's eye views of Galata Tower and the Golden Horn, its great mosques, the Bosphorus bridges, Rumeli Fortress, and more. 

Interested in sponsoring the Istanbul collection?  As part of the sponsorship package, this compilation video will be re-branded with the sponsor's name, and will be available for use on the sponsor's website and social media pages.  

Award-winning contributor Timelab.pro does it again with this fantastic drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the Golden Horn inlet and  a ship on the Bosphorus Strait, then takes you to the magnificent Hagia Sophia; now a museum, it was once the world's largest building.  At the :48 mark, you'll see the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and at the :58 mark you'll see the giant, modern Çamlıca Mosque.  Other highlights include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (1:10), Galata Tower (2:10), and much more.  This video was a DVOY finalist in 2021. 

Take in these stunning aerial views of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of brand-new contributor Lokmansln.  The video opens with a shot looking through the Bosphorus Bridge (aka the First Bridge) towards the Çamlıca Tower on the city's eastern side.   At the :12 mark, you'll fly over the nearby Çamlıca Mosque (Turkey's largest), followed by a flyby of the Galata Tower.  At the :33 mark, there's a great shot of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the newest Bosphorus span.  Other locations include Maidens Tower, Rumeli Fortress, and more.  

In Istanbul, the Golden Horn is a natural peninsula which separates the area known as Old Istanbul from the rest of the greater city.  To best appreciate this historically and geographically significant area (as well as the stunning red roofs, mosque spires, and busy Bosphorus Strait), one simply can watch this beautiful Drone Video of the Week nominee by content creator aedincer.   With modern skyscrapers in the backdrop, these aerial views reflect of the city’s storied history and beautiful architecture.

You can see three of the great landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey in this awesome drone video by iskenderfilm. First up is Beyazıt Tower, an Ottoman era watchtower in the Fatih District, sitting atop the city's so-called Third Hill. Next stop is Galata Tower, a medieval stone tower which is located at one of the city's most scenic spots, where the Golden Horn inlet joins to the Bosphorus. The third spot featured is the 16th century Süleymaniye Mosque, which also sits on the Third Hill. This video won DVOW in August, 2019.

As a modern, sophisticated metropolis that literally connects East and West, the great Turkish city of Istanbul stands as a transcontinental melting pot that proudly reflects its range of influences from its dramatic history.  Top contributor Tieychen - Taha AKIN flew his drone and captured many of the many renowned sights, including Bosphorus and the Galata Tower from the best vantage point - above. A Drone Video of the Week nominee, this film provides a beautiful whirlwind tour of this popular destination.

Istanbul (and under its prior name, Constantinople) was the largest city in the world for centuries, and it continues to be one of the most important.  In this rather shocking drone video by Murat Turna, you will see Turkey's great metropolis in a state which would have been unimaginable at any other time in its long history: virtually empty.  Like the rest of Turkey, Istanbul was subject to strict social distancing measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020; the city of 15 million appeared to be a ghost town..  

Former Drone Video of the Week Finalist seanalami shows the power of the new DJI Mini Pro 3 drone with this fantastic aerial video from Istanbul, Turkey.   Starting at about the :26 mark, there's a magnificent shot of the Çamlıca Mosque,  which was completed in 2019 and is the largest mosque in Turkey.  Then you'll head to the Golden Horn inlet on the western side of the city for some views of the Galata Bridge, followed by a flyover of the nearby Galata Tower.   Other featured spots include the First Bosphorus Bridge.  

New AirVūz contributor and pilot yasinfedakar created this remarkable aerial film of Istanbul.  Istanbul is situated astride the Straits of Bosphorus, literally at the crossroads of the European and Asian continents. The city is situated on a peninsula that is surrounded by the Golden Horn, a natural harbor on the north, the Bosphorus on the east, and the Marmara Sea on the south. Notable locations in this film include Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia, and The Blue Mosque. This video earned a Drone Video of the Week nomination in March 2021. 

This drone video of Istanbul, Turkey by contributor and pilot cemsaner opens with an excellent shot of one of the city's mosques. Then you'll get a sweeping shot of the Golden Horn, the main inlet off the Bosphorus Strait, followed by shots of the Bosphorus itself including Leander's Tower.  Other highlights include shots of the magnificent Rumeli Fortress, the mosque of Hagia Sophia, the three bridges over the Bosphorus, and other sites around one of the world's largest cities.  The video was shot with a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone.  

Top AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet shows off the power of the new DJI Mini 3 Pro with this fantastic drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with a shot of the Hagia Sophia, which began its life as a church before becoming a mosque and now a museum; it was the largest building in the world for centuries.  Then it's on to Galata Tower, one of the city's most well-known architectural landmarks.  Othe highlights include the Rumeli Fortress, Süleymaniye Mosque, the bridges of the Golden Horn, and more.    

Top content creator and drone pilot IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this stunning aerial of the great city of Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with a great timelapse shot of the Old City and the Bosphorus ship traffic.  From there it goes on to Galata Tower, the magnificent medieval landmark which lies just to the north of the Golden Horn.  It wraps up with some amazing bird's eye views of the great Sophia Hagia Mosque, which was originally a church and built in the 6th century AD.

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Lokmansin put together this outstanding video of "golden hour" (sunrise and sunset) drone footage from Turkey.  The video was primarily filmed in Istanbul, with shots of other locations around the country sprinkled into the mix.  Starting at the :07 mark, you'll see the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest covered marketplaces in the world.  Further on in the video, you'll see a Roman era aqueduct, the Golden Horn inlet, ship traffic on the Strait of Bosphorus, and more.   

Top AirVuz contributor and drone pilot iskenderfilm put together this marvelous 2019 reel from the great city of Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with a shot of the medieval Galata Tower, one of the city's greatest landmarks.  Then it's on to the great Hagia Sophia; once the largest building in the world, it was a church and later a mosque before becoming a museum.  Other highlights include the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Rumeli Fortress, the Golden Horn, Maiden's Tower, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, and more.  

Get a rare look at a snow-covered Istanbul, Turkey in this amazing video by former Drone Video of the Week Winner iskenderfilm.  The video opens with shots of the Suleymaniye Mosque just south of the Golden Horn, with the Galata Bridge in the background.  At the :17 mark, you'll see the Hagia Sophia Museum, formerly a church and then a mosque; this was the largest building in the world for centuries.  At the :38 mark, you'll see the six-minaret Blue Mosque, which lies just to the southwest of Hagia Sophia.    

Set to beautiful Turkish music, this dronelapse video of Istanbul from contributor jesus_tr will have you dreaming of the Bosphorus for your next vacation.  The video mixes day and night footage of this stunning city at the crossroads of Europe and Asia.  It includes epic bird's eye views of Galata Tower, Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Haydarpaşa Train Station, Maidens' Tower, Ortaköy Mosque, the Bosphorus Bridge, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, Galata Bridge, and Haliç Bridge.

Top content creator and drone pilot Hamza Mujtaba treats us to a drone's eye view of Istanbul, Turkey.  While the Turkish city has long been one of the world's most well known, in recent decades its recognition has been boosted by appearing in numerous James Bond movies.  Its first appearance was as a primary shooting location for the 1963 hit From Russia with Love; the opening scene of the film (the second in the series) takes place around Hagia Sophia mosque, captured in the opening of this video.

Eminönü is the oldest part of Istanbul, Turkey, which had the distinction (under its various names) as being the world's largest city for much of the 1st and 2nd millennia AD.  Now part of the Fatih District on the southern side of the Golden Horn, where the inlet connects with the Strait of Bosphorus, Eminönü roughly corresponds to the site of the ancient city of Byzantium.  In this drone video by former Drone Video of the Week Finalist ucarakkesfet, you'll get an aerial tour of this historic area.  

AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet brings us this magnificent drone video of Hagia Sophia, one of the great landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey.  Built as a church in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire, it became a mosque following the fall of what was then Constantinople in the mid-15th century.  It was the largest building in the world until the construction of Spain's Seville Cathedral in the early 16th century.  In the 1930's, it was converted into a museum under the secular-minded Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  

AirVuz contributor and former DVOW Finalist uscarakkesfet brings us this magnificent drone video of the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, one of the city's most well-known sites.  Located in the Fatih District south of the Golden Horn, the Grand Bazaar is the world's largest covered market, with over 4,000 shops under its roof.  It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors per day, and by some measure it's the world's most popular tourist attraction.  Considered the world's first shopping mall, it was built in the mid-16th century.  

This dramatic single-shot pullback drone shot from Istanbul highlights two of the most well-known landmarks in the Turkish metropolis.  The first is Rumeli Fortress, which lies on the western (European) side of the Bosphorus Strait and which was one of the keys to the successful 1453 of what was then known as Constantinople by Ottoman forces.  As the drone pulls back to the north, the second landmark is the  Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, the middle (and second built) of the three bridges which span the Bosphorus Strait.  

New contributor cumhurbuyuktas brings us this excellent drone video from Istanbul, Turkey, which was picked as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist in March, 2021.  The video opens with a shot of the Ortaköy Mosque, which is situated on the Bosphorus Strait a bit north of the Golden Horn and which dates to the mid-19th century.  Then you'll "pivot" to the nearby Bosphorus Bridge (aka the 15th July Martyr's Bridge), the first (and southernmost) of the three bridges which span the strait and connect the European and Asian sides of the city.  

For over four centuries following its completion in 1557, Süleymaniye Mosque was the largest in Istanbul, Turkey, a city famous for its mosques.  Surpassed only in 2019 by the massive Çamlıca Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque is located on the city's Third Hill, just south of the Golden Horn.  Seen here in this drone video by AirVuz contributor and pilot ucarakkesfet, it's named after Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Ottoman sultanate, who ruled from 1520-1556 during the height of Ottoman world power.  

AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet used a combination of aerial videography, first person view (FPV), and ground cameras to create this marvelous video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the great Hagia Sophia Mosque (now a museum); for centuries, this was the largest structure in the world.  Then you'll head to the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn (an inlet of the Bosphorus Straits).  The video also features some great timelapse sequences and other advanced editing techniques.  

Istanbul is a major hub in Turkey, originally because of its location - straddling Europe and Asia across the Bosphorus Strait. The modern, massive skyscrapers belie the ancient history this city carries with it. From Egyptian obelisks, to the Roman-era Hippodrome, and iconic Byzantine structures like Hagia Sophia, its history is broad. One such historic site is the Yedikule Fortress, built right after the fall on Constantinople, that can be seen in this incredible, DVOW nominated video.

Top AirVūz contributor and drone pilot iskenderfilm used his DJI Inspire 2 drone mounted with a Zenmuse X7 camera to create this stunning masterpiece of the Istanbul's historic peninsula, the area between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara on the western (European) side of the Bosphorus.  We are treated to some of Istanbul's most iconic sights such as Hagia Sophia, Galata Tower, Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and the Bosphorus Strait.  This video was selected as a Drone Video of the Week Finalist in June of 2020. 

The Golden Horn is one of the most prominent geographical features of Istanbul, Turkey.  Named for its horn-like shape, it's an inlet of the Straits of Bosphorus on the western (European) side of the waterway.  In this drone video by contributor and pilot gokhanakman, you'll get an aerial tour of this famous inlet, including shots of the Atatürk Bridge and Galata Bridges which span it.   The latter is more well known; the current version was opened in 1994 on the site of four earlier versions.  

Check out this drone video by AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet of Istanbul's Maiden's Tower, one of the most well-known landmarks in the great Turkish city.  Built in the early 12th century, it was designed to protect the southern approach to the city through the Straits of Bosphorus.  James Bond fans may recognize the tower as the filming location for the climactic scene of the 1999 series installment (#21) the World is Not Enough, where 007 (Pierce Brosnan) tracks down the arch-villain Renard (Robert Carlyle) in his hideout.

Top contributor put together this excellent aerial tour of the great city of Istanbul just before the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year.  The video features footage from the following locations: Galata Tower, the mosque of Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, Haydarpaşa Train Station, Maidens Tower, Ortaköy Mosque, the First Bosphorus Bridge (aka the 15th July Martyrs Bridge), the Second Bosphorus Bridge (aka the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge), Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn, and the Haliç Bridge.

Content creator and drone pilot IlkerCagatayAsik shows us the power of the DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone in this amazing aerial video of the heart of Istanbul, Turkey's largest city.  The video was shot on the western (European) side of the city.  It opens with a shot of the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn inlet into the Bosphorus.  From there you'll get some amazing bird's eye views of the mosques on the southern side of the Golden Horn and Galata Tower and other landmarks on its northern side.  

This drone video highlights the Bosphorus Strait, an internationally significant waterway in Turkey that joins the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, from the sky.  Contributor Tntrmedia used a DJI drone to create this amazing aerial video of this important waterway.  The video features footage of the Bosphorus Bridge (officially the 15 July Martyrs Bridge), one of the three spans over the Strait.  Opened in 1973, it was followed by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in 1988 and the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge in 2016.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is the newest and northernmost of the three spans which cross the Straits of Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.  Sometimes called the Third Bridge, the bridge has a a total length of over 2k meters (7.1k ft.).  Opened in 2016, it carries both road and rail traffic between the western (European) and eastern (Asian) sides of the great city.  Contributor Pascha brings us this stunning aerial view of this span, which is the second highest in the world at 320 meters (over 1.0k ft.).  

Rumeli Fortress sits on the western (European) side of the Straits of Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey.  Rumeli played a critical role in the siege of the city then known as Constantinople by forces under Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, who overwhelmed the heavily-defended city after a 53-day siege in 1453.  The sack of what was then the world's largest city marked the end of the Byzantine Empire (the formal successor to the Roman Empire) and is considered one of the most important events of the Medieval period of history.

Contributor Nadirtasciphotography created this epic drone video from the heart of Istanbul, Turkey.  It features beautiful aerial footage of some of the top sights in the old parts of the city, including Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Galata Tower, and Maiden's Tower.  James Bond fans will no doubt recognize some of these landmarks; they appear in some of the more memorable scenes from the James Bond series, notably From Russia with Love (1963) The World is Not Enough (1999), and Skyfall (2012).

In this drone video by top AirVuz contributor iskenderfilm, you'll get a bird's eye view of Istanbul's two most famous mosques.  Both the Hagia Sophia and the Sultan Ahmed Mosques (aka the Blue Mosque) are located just north of the Golden Horn, the inlet on the western side of the Bosphorus.  Hagia Sophia actually began its life as a Church becoming a mosque after the Ottoman Conquest of 1453.  The Blue Mosque was built in the early 1700's, near the apogee of the Ottoman Empire.

Enjoy this fantastic aerial tour of Istanbul, Turkey by former Drone Video of the Year Finalist ucarakkesfet.  The video includes footage from the following spots: the Second Bosphorus Bridge (first seen at the :04 mark), Maiden's Tower (:09), Dolmabahçe Palace (:11), Galata Tower (:15), the Süleymaniye Mosque (:17), the Ortaköy Mosque (:19), the Fener Greek Orthodox College (:23), Rumeli Fortress (:26), Çamlıca Mosque (:43), the Aqueduct of Valens (1:29), and various sites along the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn. 

Take an aerial tour of the Kadıköy District of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Finalist ucarakkesfet.  Kadıköy is one of the main neighborhoods of the Asian side of Istanbul, the portion of the city which lies to the east of the Strait of Bosphorus.  It's situated essentially at the southern end of the strait, with coastline facing south on the Sea of Marmara as well as additional coastline facing west across the strait toward the Fatih District on the European side of the city. 

Turkey-based content creator and pilot cemsaner illuminates the architectural beauty of the Ortaköy Mosque on the Bosphorus in this night time drone flight. The famous Turkish mosque (and museum) sits on the waterside pier that has equally stunning views of the dazzling suspension bridge. Seeing the well-lit mosque from these aerial views really highlights its ornate Neo-Baroque design features. The original mosque was built in 1721, destroyed in an uprising, and rebuilt in the 1850's.

Check out this drone video of one of the great modern landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey: the Bosphorus Bridge.  As seen in this excellent drone video by AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet, it's the first (and southernmost) of the three great spans over the Bosphorus Strait, the body of water separating European from Asian Istanbul.  When it was completed in 1971, its 1.074k meters (3.52k ft.) main span was the world's longest outside of the USA.  The video also features footage of the Ortaköy neighborhood near the bridge's western terminus. 

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot Iskenderfilm used a drone to bring us this aerial view of an important 19th century mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.  The Grand Imperial Mosque of Sultan Abdülmecid (the  Büyük Mecidiye Camii) was built on the orders of the Ottoman ruler Abdulmejid I and completed in 1856, on the site of an earlier mosque which was destroyed in an uprising .  The mosque is situated in the Ortaköy neighborhood on the Bosphorus Strait, one of the most visited areas of the bustling city.  

Top AirVuz contributor Lokmansin brings us this stunning drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  At the :04 mark there's an overhead shot of a ship passing under the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn inlet on the city's western side.  At :23, you'll see the Mağlova Aqueduct, which dates to the 15th century.  At 1:03, there's a great shot of the Maiden's Tower in the Bosphorus, and at 1:22 you'll see the Süleymaniye Mosque, one of the world's largest.  Other highlights include Galata Tower (1:35) and the Aqueduct of Valens (2:44).  

This excellent drone video of Istanbul, Turkey by Rodoworld opens with a shot of Rumeli Fortress.  Located just south of the Fatih Sultan Bridge on the western (European) side of the Bosphorus, the fortress was built in the mid-15th century in preparation for the Ottoman conquest of the city in 1453.  Then you'll head over to the Ortaköy Mosque.  Located just south and west of the First Bosphorus Bridge, the Neo-Baroque landmark was completed in 1856 and is one of the city's most beautiful mosques.

The ancient neighborhood of Haydarpaşa in Istanbul, Turkey is home to several internationally-recognized public structures. Named after an Ottoman Vizier, the area is located along the banks of the Sea of Marmara (just west of the Bosphorus) and home to the Haydarpaşa Train Station. Drone pilot jesus_tr shows us what the station, as well as the surrounding area, looks like in this two-minute piece. To learn more about this historic station, check out Jesus' detailed description below. 

In 1453, the city of Constantinople (the prior name of Istanbul) fell to the Ottoman Turks, causing what was arguably still the world's most important city to fall under Muslim control.  Key to the successful siege was Rumeli Fortress, constructed on the western side of the Bosphorus, just north of the core city.  In this drone video by iskenderfilm, you'll be treated to aerial views of the famous fortification, as well as of the nearby Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge.  The latter is the middle of the three Bosphorus bridges.  

One of several megaprojects commissioned by the Turkish government as a show of strength, the Çamlıca Republic Mosque in Istanbul is a sight to behold.  It's generally accepted that the Turkish government accomplished its mission when the mosque was finished in 2016. Located in one of the most romantic cities in the world, Istanbul, the mosque was designed by two female architects and cost around $65.5 million USD.  It is the largest mosque in Turkey, home to one of the world's largest Muslim populations.   

Top contributor and pilot Omer Gokcen created this beautiful drone video of a very modern side to the great city of Istanbul, Turkey.  The ancient city, which was never known for its tall buildings, has been a full-fledged participant in the great 21st century skyscraper building boom.  As of early 2019, Istanbul was home to about 40 buildings over 150 meters (500 ft.) in height. The video features many of these modern structures, most of which have been built in the last decade and all but two since 2000.

This drone video of Istanbul by tntrmedia opens with a great shot of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the newest, northernmost, and longest of the three Bosphorus bridges here.  Then you'll head to the southern end of the Strait for a shot looking east towards the Asian side of the city. From there you'll fly over the Maiden's Tower, which sits atop a tiny islet just off the Üsküdar district on the Asian side.  Then it's on to the great Byzantine Galata Tower just off the Golden Horn, before hitting the Third Bridge again -  at night. 

Contributor kaplan murat kelo created this beautiful drone video of the Suadiye neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey.  It is situated in the Kadıköy District, which lies on the eastern (Asian) side of the city on the Sea of Marmara, just before the entrance to the Bosphorus Strait.  The area is considered the cultural hub of the Anatolian (Asian) side of Istanbul.  The video makes good use of the dronelapse technique to capture the bustle of activity in the neighborhood, one of the most fashionable in the city.    

The Galata Tower is a medieval stone tower in Istanbul, Turkey. Located in the Galata/Karaköy quarter of the city, Galata Tower was completed in 1348.  French painter Pierre Prévost drew his “Panorama de Constantinople” from the tower in 1818. Forty years later, in 1858, Crimea Memorial Church was built in memory of the British soldiers who participated in the war the church was named after. See both of these Istanbul treasures in this 4K drone video by iskenderfilm. 

Check out this excellent drone video of the Balat District of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Finalist ucarakkesfet.  Balat is situated on the western side of the Golden Horn, the inlet to the Bosphorus Strait  which effectively divides the northern and southern halves of European Istanbul (ie, the part of the city on the western side of the Bosphorus).  A UNESCO World Heritage site, Balat was at one point considered the Jewish Quarter of the city; it once was home to 18 synagogues.

While Istanbul, Turkey has always been a "bridge" between Europe and Asia, it wasn't until 1973 that there was an actual bridge over the Bosphorus Strait, the body of water which runs through the city and separates the two continents.  In this drone video by IlkerCagatayAsik, you'll get a marvelous bird's eye view of the Bosphorus Bridge, officially known as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge.  The span has a total length of 1.56k meters or just over 5.1k ft. It's since been complimented by two newer bridges, both of which lie to its north.

In this drone video by contributor ucarakkesfet, you'll get a great bird's eye view of the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.  With a main span length of just under 3.6k ft. (a bit over 1.5k m), it was the fifth-longest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1988.  It is situated to the north of the (shorter) 15 July Martyr's Bridge (opened in 1973) and to the south of the (longer) Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (2016).  Sometimes called the Second Bosphorus Bridge, the span carries eight lanes of traffic.  

Contributor and pilot Cemsaner created this beautiful drone video of modern Istanbul, the stunning city on the Straits of Bosphorus.  Once known as Constantinople, Istanbul has served as an inspiration to artists for many centuries.  In the present day, one of the leading lights of Turkey's creative class is Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk.  His 1990 novel Black Book memorably portrays the city, and his semi-autobiographical piece Istanbul: Memories and the City is a series of essays about modern Constantinople.

One of the most modern-looking parts of Istanbul is its Ataşehir District.  It's located on the eastern (Asian) side of the city, one district "in" from both the Bosphorus Strait (to the west) and the Sea of Marmara (to the south).  It's a sort of satellite city, and is in the midst of a construction phase where nearly 20k high-end residences will be built for its expected population of about 80k.  It's considered one of the most affluent areas of this vast metropolis, one of the largest cities in the world.  

Only in Istanbul, Turkey can you find two world-famous mosques standing right next to each other.  You can see them both in this excellent drone video by travel4kproductions.   Hagia Sophia isn't actually a mosque anymore; it was one of the most important Christian churches in the world for nearly a thousand years, was a mosque for over 500 years, and is now a museum.  The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque, is considered the city's most famous.   It was built in the early 17th century on the orders of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I.  

Top AirVuz contributor and pilot jesus_tr brings us this fantastic aerial view of one of the modern marvels of Istanbul, Turkey: the Küçük Çamlıca TV Radio Tower.  Located in the Üsküdar on the eastern (Asian) side of the Bosphorus, the tower is capable of holding up to 125 transmitters, and it boasts of an observation deck, two restaurants, and other tourist-related amenities.  With a height of 365 meters (1.2k ft.), it's the tallest structure in the great city.  The landmark structure was completed in late 2019.

Fly over one of the most famous streets of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Finalist ucarakkesfet.  It's called İstiklal Avenue, and it runs through the Beyoğlu District just north of the Golden Horn on the western (European) side of the city.  The street sometimes sees upwards of three million visitors on a single day, making it one of the world's most-visited streets.  With all manner of retail stores, restaurants, and cultural sites, the street is distinguished by its Late Ottoman era architecture.  

In this drone video by travel4kproductions you'll get a nice aerial tour of some of the sights of northern Istanbul, Turkey.  The video opens with shots of the Anatolian Castle (Anadoluhisarı), a 14th century fortress on the eastern (Asian) side of the Bosphorus Strait.  Then you'll cross over to the European side to see the 15th century Rumeli Fortress, built as part of the successful Ottoman siege of the city.  The video also features the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, which crosses the Strait just north of the two landmarks.  

See Istanbul's new, stunning Çamlıca Mosque in this 4K drone video by contributor and pilot travel4kproductions. Opened in 2019, Çamlıca Mosque is now the largest mosque in Turkey and can hold up to 63,000 people. Located in the Üsküdar District on the eastern (Asian) side of the city, the mosque complex includes a museum, art gallery, conference hall, and 3,500 spots in its underground parking lot. The dome, seen in this drone video, is 236 feet high and the architecture of the mosque is done in Neoclassical and Ottoman styles. 

Contributor and drone pilot IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJIMavic Pro 2 drone to aerially film an impressive new project in Istanbul.  It's called the IstMarina, and it's a residential and marina development in the city's Kartal District.  Kartal lies on the city's eastern (Asian) side.  Situated more or less due east of the southern end of the Bosphorus, it lies on the Sea of Marmara.  It's one of a number of marinas which have sprung up in western Turkey to cater to the region's growing yacht fleet.  

In this aerial video by former DVOW Winner Omer Gokcen, you'll get a tour of a new skyscraper district in Istanbul, Turkey.  It's called the Istanbul Financial Center, and it's located in the district of Ataşehir on the eastern (Anatolian or Asian) side of the Bosphorus.   Among the buildings nearing completion in early 2024 is the new headquarters of Turkey's central bank, seen in the video with two cranes extending from its rooftop.  When competed, it will stand 1.15k ft. tall (352 m), making it easily Istanbul's tallest building.  

Rumeli Feneri is an important lighthouse in Istanbul, Turkey.  It is situated at the northern entrance to the Bosphorus Strait from the Black Sea, on the strait's western side.  Some distance north of the famous fortress (which lies near the middle of the strait), the lighthouse was built by the British and French during the Crimean War of the 1850's to protect their warships heading in and out of the Black Sea.  In this drone video by ugurevin, you will get a bird's eye view of the lighthouse, now backdropped by the Yavuz Sultan Bridge.  

Istanbul, Turkey has long been known for its bridges, long before technology allowed the Bosphorus Strait to be spanned beginning in the 1970's.  Prior to the advent of modern suspension bridge technology, Istanbul's most notable bridges were those which crossed the Golden Horn, an inlet to the strait which effectively divides the western side of the city in half.  Today, the Golden Horn is spanned by three bridges, all of which you'll see in this drone video by ucarakkesfet: the Atatürk, Galata, and Golden Horn Metro Bridges.    

Contributor Murat Turna was able to film three Turkish warships steaming through the Bosphorus Strait near Istanbul as part of a naval exercise.  The first two ships shown are Kılıç-class fast attack craft.  These ships are over 60 meters (a bit over 200 ft.) long and displace about 550 tons.  The third ship in the video is an Barak-class corvette.  These ships are a bit longer (around 80 meters or about 265 ft.), displace a bit over 1.3k gross tons, and are designed for submarine protection.  

Check out this beautiful drone video of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of new contributor arcibiyo.  The video opens with a shot of Galata Tower, then takes you over the Galata Bridge (which spans the Golden Horn), followed by the single minaret Şemsi Pasha Mosque.  At the :27 mark, you'll see Maiden's Tower, which sits atop a tiny island at the southern entrance to the Bosphorus Strait, followed by the Aqueduct of Valens.  Other highlights include the modern Golden Horn Metro Bridge (1:30), timelapse shots of the Bosphorus, and more. 

Check out this amazing drone video of one of the most modern districts of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot ucarakkesfet.  It's called Levent, and it's located north of the Golden Horn in the western (European) half of the city, roughly between the roads leading to the Second (Fatih Sultan Mehmet) and Third (Yavuz Sultan Selim) Bridges.  Levent and the district of Maslak (which lies to its north) are considered the two main business districts of the city, and are home to most of its tallest skyscrapers.  

Of the dozens of mosques in Istanbul, Turkey that date to the Ottoman Period (1453-1918), there are two which are the best known: the Süleymaniye and Sultan Ahmed Mosques,, which date to the 16th and 17th centuries, respectively.  Both sit on the south side of the Golden Horn.  Seen here in this drone video by the Murat Tarna, the Süleymaniye Mosque was built on the orders of Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest serving Ottoman Sultan (emperor).  It's the city's second-largest mosque, after Hagia Sophia (now a museum).  

Former Drone Video of the Year Finalist ucarakkesfet brings us this outstanding drone video of Turkey's Princes Islands, a small archipelago in the Sea of Marmara, just a few mi./km from Istanbul.  The islands, which make up the city's Adalar District, consist of four larger islands and five much smaller ones.  At about the 1:10 mark, there's a nice shot looking over the Aya Triada Monastery on Heybeliada island toward Burgazada (left) and Kınalıada (right), with the smaller Kaşık Island in the middle.   

Top AirVuz contributor Omer Gokcen brings us this fantastic drone videos of one of the great landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey: Galata Tower.  Standing a bit over 200 ft. tall (around 63 m), the tower was originally built in the 14th century and underwent numerous subsequent modifications and restorations.  It sits in the Galata district in in the heart of old Istanbul, just to the north of the Golden Horn inlet to the Bosphorus.  The video was filmed on the occasion of the anniversary of the Turkish Coast Guard.  

New AirVuz contributor ali_kargi brings us this excellent drone video of a very modern side to the great city of Istanbul, Turkey.   The "star" of the video is the Metropol Istanbul Tower.  Completed in 2017, the 70 story structure stands 988 ft. tall (301 m), making it Turkey's tallest skyscraper as of 2022.  The tower is part of a giant mixed-use development called Istanbul Metropol, which is located in the Ataşehir district on the eastern (Asian or Anatolian) side of the Bosphorus Strait.  

See the Fatih Mosque of Istanbul, Turkey in this aerial video by AirVuz contributor and pilot eyüp ilter. The Ottoman Era mosque is located in the Fatih district of the city and was named after the Ottoman sultan who conquered Constantinople in 1453 and whose final resting place is nearby. The original mosque was built on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles in 1470, but was damaged in the great 1766 earthquake and rebuilt in 1771.  The footage in the video was captured with a DJI Spark drone. 

Former Drone Video of the Year Finalist ucarakkesfet brings us this outstanding drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video was filmed over the Kuzguncuk neighborhood of the Üsküdar District, the southernmost district on the eastern (Asian) side of the Bosphorus Strait.  The neighborhood is situated in a valley and is somewhat isolated from the rest of the city.  At about the :19 mark, there's a nice shot looking towards the Bosphorus Bridge (15 July Martyrs Bridge) , the southernmost of the three bridges which cross the strait.  

In this drone video by iskenderfilm, you'll get bird's eye views of two of the most famous mosques of Istanbul, Turkey.  Hagia Sophia actually predates the religion of Islam; it was built in the 6th century AD as a church.  When the then-city of Byzantium fell to the Ottomans in the 15th century it was converted to a mosque; now it's actually a museum.  The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque, was built in the early 17th century. Both landmarks lie on the western (European) side of the city, south of the Golden Horn.

Take a tour of one of the great landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey in this fantastic first person view (FPV) video by AirVuz contributor and FPV pilot ucarakkesfet.  It's called Sultanahmet Square, and in pre-Ottoman times it was called the Hippodrome of Constantinople.  The original square dates to Roman times, when the city was known as Byzantium.  It took on much of its present shape during the reign of Constantine, when it became the center of social life in the city as a circus.  At one point, its stands could hold up to 100k spectators.   

Floating in through the clouds, you’ll slowly make out what you’re looking at in the opening shots of this aerial film by AirVuz contributor and pilot iskenderfilm. He’s taking in the dense fog that has covered the skies above the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosphorus is a narrow, natural straight that holds international significance because of its location, dividing Europe and Asia. This video doesn’t offer views of the strait, but of the bridges that are nearly invisible in the foggy skies.

Take a first person view (FPV) drone fly-through of a well-known football stadium in Istanbul, Turkey in this excellent video by AirVuz contributor Ykaanyildirim.  Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is situated in the Kadıköy District, near the southern entrance to the Bosphorus on the city's Asian (eastern) side.  Opened in 1908 and renovated numerous times, it's the home field of the Fenerbahçe Sports Club.  At times the largest sports venue in Turkey, the stadium now seats just over 50k spectators.  

Explore one of the most modern sections of Istanbul, Turkey in this fantastic drone video by top AirVuz contributor Omer Gokcen.  The area over which he's flying is the Zincirlikuyu quarter of the Şişli District, on the European (western) side of the Bosphorus.  Part of the Istanbul Central Business District, a massive zone of development which extends northeast from the city core around the Golden Horn, Zincirlikuyu is home to a number of important transport junctions and is close to the northern entrance to the (First) Bosphorus Bridge.  

The Hagia Sophia of Istanbul, Turkey is one of the world's most important architectural landmarks.  Formerly a Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral, then an Ottoman imperial mosque, and now a museum, the massive, domed-structure was built in the Middle Ages and for centuries had the distinction of being the world's largest building.   AirVuz contributor and first person view (FPV) pilot ucarakkesfet hit up the landmark and set his cinematic FPV skills to the test over the incredible, ancient structure. 

Check out this marvelous sunrise drone video from Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of AirVuz contributor and pilot Murat Turna.  The video was shot as a hyperlapse sequence facing southwest toward the ultra-modern Maslak and Levent Districts, both of which lie on the western (European) side of the Bosphorus - Levent just north of the Golden Horn and Maslak to its north.  The bridge in the foreground is the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the newest and longest of the city's three Bosphorus bridges.

Top AirVuz contributor OGB - Omer Gokcen returns with this excellent drone video of a Turkish Navy flotilla sailing through the Straits of Bosphorus in Istanbul on the occasion of the 100th Republic Day, marking the centenary of the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923.  The ships on display included 100 destroyers and 30 submarines, a substantial portion of the overall fleet of the Turkish Navy.  The long-planned festivities were seen by millions of onlookers and televised throughout the country.    

Get an aerial tour of some of the most well-known landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey in this excellent piece by AirVuz contributor and pilot gokhanakman.  The video opens with shots of the newest and oldest of the three Bosphorus bridges: the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge and 15th July Martyrs Bridge, respectively.  Then it's on to Galata Tower, the near-adjacent Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosques (the former now being a museum), the Küçük Çamlıca TV tower, the modern hilltop Çamlıca Mosque, Maiden's Tower, and more.  

Check ut this stunning dronelapse of one of the less-seen cityscapes of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of contributor kaplan murat kelo.  The video captures the Bostanci neighborhood, which lies along the Sea of Marmara in the   Kadıköy District on the eastern (Asian) side of the Bosphorus Strait.  The video captures the bustling waterfront, which houses a busy ferry terminal.  At around the :35 mark, there's an epic shot where you can see the western (European) side of the city in the background.  

Check out this fabulous drone video of Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque, courtesy of AirVuz contributor and pilot gokhanakman.  The great city's second-largest mosque,  Süleymaniye is situated on the south side of the Golden Horn (an inlet of the Bosphorus Strait) in western (European) Istanbul, northwest of the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia mosque-cum-museum.  It's named after Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Ottoman sultanate, who ordered its construction in the mid-16th century.  

Check out these dramatic aerial views of Istanbul Turkey by former DVOW Finalist emrahkarakoc.  Most of the video was shot looking north towards the Golden Horn, an inlet on the western (European) side of the Bosphorus Strait which resembles a sheep's horn.  In the opening shot (and elsewhere) you'll see the Galata Bridge, the easternmost of the Golden Horn Bridges, which dates to the 1990's but is the fifth bridge in this spot.  At the :20 mark, you'll see the Golden Horn Metro and Ataturk Bridges, which lie west of the Galata.

IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this stunning drone video of Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge (Boğaziçi Köprüsü), officially known as the July 15th Martyrs Bridge.  Completed in 1973, it was the first bridge to cross the Boshphorus Straits which separate the city's western (European) and eastern (Asian) sides.   Since the construction of two more bridges north of here, it's come to be known as the First Bridge.  The suspension bridge has a length of 1.45k meters, or 5.1k ft. 

Iskenderfilms created this surreal-looking aerial look at Maiden's Tower, a well known Istanbul landmark.  Built in the early 12th century, it was designed to protect the southern approach into the city through the Straits of Bosphorus.  Famously, the tower was the filming location for the climactic scene of the 1999 James Bond movie The World is Not Enough, #21 in the series.  This was the spot where 007 (Pierce Brosnan) tracks down the arch-villain Renard (Robert Carlyle) in his hideout.

AirVuz contributor ugurevin brings us this rather haunting view of the great city of Istanbul, Turkey during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.  The video opens with a nighttime shot of the nearly vehicle-free Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, aka the Second Bosphorus Bridge.  In scene after scene, you will see familiar sights in the great metropolis with almost no sign of human activity; featured locations include Galata Tower, the Hagia Sophia Museum, the Blue Mosque, the bridges of the Golden Horn the Maslak skyscraper district, and more.

This drone video of Istanbul, Turkey by former DVOW Finalist tntrmedia opens with an excellent shot of Galata Tower, just north of the Golden Horn.  At the :33 mark, there's a nice shot of the Galata Bridge, which spans the Golden Horn near the spot where it joins the Bosphorus.  At around the :45 mark, there's a nice view of the Süleymaniye Mosque, the city's largest for over 450 years.  Other featured locations include Maiden's Tower (at the 1:04 mark), the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (1:11), the 15 July Martyrs Bridge (1:24), and more.  

Check out these lovely aerial views of Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Finalist SkyBee.  The video opens with shots of one of the city's famous mosques, followed by the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge (aka the Second Bosphorus Bridge), the Galata Bridge (over the Golden Horn inlet) and Rumeli Fortress.  Further on in the video, you'll see a cruise ship plying the waters of the Bosphorus Strait, Galata Tower, the Skyland İstanbul skyscraper complex in the district of Sarıyer, anre more.  

Omer Gokcen brings us this eerie video from Istanbul during the Covid-19 pandemic in the Spring of 2020.  The video features footage of some of the most well-known sights in Turkey's largest city, including the Galata Bridge, Galata Tower, Eminonu, Sirkeci, and the Golden Horn.  While Turkey didn't see its first confirmed infection until March 11, within a month the country was amongst the 6-7 hardest-hit countries, and had adopted strict social distancing measures to slow the spread of the deadly virus.

This aerial tour of Istanbul, Turkey by top AirVuz contributor SkyBee opens with a shot looking past Galata Tower toward the Strait of Bosphorus, followed by a shot of the Süleymaniye Mosque on the opposite (southern) side of the Golden Horn inlet.  At the :34 mark, you'll see Rumeli Fortress, with the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge in the background.  The video concludes with a shot of the Istanbul Finance Center, a new skyscraper development in the Ümraniye District, on the city's eastern (Asian/Anatolian) side.  

Check out this marvelous drone video from Istanbul, Turkey, compliments of former Drone Video of the Week Finalist ucarakkesfet.  The "star" of the show is Galata Tower, one of the city's most recognized landmarks.  Built in the 14th century in the Genoese colony of what was then called Constantinople, the tower stands about 200 ft. (just under 70 m) above the streets.  Located near the Golden Horn inlet to the Bosphorus in the heart of the old city, it's one of Istanbul's most popular destinations.  

Contributor and pilot IlkerCagatayAsik used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this mesmerizing aerial look at Galata Tower, one of the landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey.  The 67 meter (about 200 ft.) tower was built in the 14th century in the Genoese colony of the city that was then known as Constantinople.  It's been restored many times and has been used for a variety of purposes over the centuries.  It sits in the Galata district in in the heart of old Istanbul, near the Golden Horn inlet to the Bosphorus.  

This outstanding drone video of Istanbul, Turkey by top AirVuz contributor and pilot VadimUshKa opens with a great shot of the Galata Bridge at the mouth of the Golden Horn, an inlet of the Bosphorus on its western (European) side.  Then it's on to the magnificent Hagia Sophia, the church-cum-mosque-cum-museum which was once the world's largest building.  Some of the other spots covered in the video include the Golden Horn Metro Bridge, Rumeli Fortress, the ship traffic of the Bosphorus Strait, the Bosphorus bridges, and more.  

In this amazing one-shot drone sequence by former Drone Video of the Week Finalist tntrmedia, you'll see one of the great modern landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey: the Bosphorus Bridge.  Also known as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge, it's the first (and southernmost) of the three great spans over the Bosphorus Strait.  When it was completed in 1971, its 1.074k meters (3.52k ft.) main span was the world's longest outside of the USA.  The video also features footage of the Ortaköy Mosque, near the bridge's western (European) side.  

Former Drone Video of the Week Winner Omer Gokcen brings us this stunning nighttime drone video from Istanbul, Turkey.  The video was filmed with a DJI Mavic Pro 3 over Kadıköy, a district of Istanbul which lies on the Anatolian (Asian) side of the Strait of Bosphorus, near its southern end.  The video opens with a long shot facing south, with the Princes' Islands in the distance.  Further on in the video you'll see shots facing east towards Ataşehir, the main skyscraper district in Anatolian Istanbul.