ISTANBUL (AP) — As the sun sets over Istanbul, commuters hurry aboard ferries crossing the Bosphorus while many others are just beginning their workday along the busy waterway that divides Europe and Asia.
For centuries, trade, travel and migration have flowed through the Bosphorus, a 19-mile (30-kilometer) strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. Today, the winding waterway is the backdrop to the daily routines of thousands of people whose lives are shaped by its waters.
Ferry crews, fishermen, divers, street photographers, restoration workers and musicians make their living on or beside its waters. Residents and visitors come to fish, swim or simply enjoy the shoreline.
Photographed through the window of a ferry, the Galata Tower stands in Istanbul, Turkey, on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Photographed through the window of a ferry, the Galata Tower stands in Istanbul, Turkey, on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Istanbul Metropolitan Lines ferry Captain Fatih Tirik steers a vessel across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Istanbul Metropolitan Lines ferry Captain Fatih Tirik steers a vessel across the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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A woman reads the Quran along the Bosphorus Strait at sunrsise in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A woman reads the Quran along the Bosphorus Strait at sunrsise in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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A vendor sells corn on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait at dusk in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A vendor sells corn on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait at dusk in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Erdem Sahin swims in the Bosphorus Strait, backdropped by the Maiden’s tower, during the early morning in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Erdem Sahin swims in the Bosphorus Strait, backdropped by the Maiden’s tower, during the early morning in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Istanbul Metropolitan Lines deckhand Alpaslan Ak throws a mooring line as a ferry approaches the dock on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Istanbul Metropolitan Lines deckhand Alpaslan Ak throws a mooring line as a ferry approaches the dock on the European side of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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The Ortakoy Mosque and July 15th Martyrs bridge are illuminated at sunrise along the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
The Ortakoy Mosque and July 15th Martyrs bridge are illuminated at sunrise along the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Hakan Bulak dives into the Bosphorus Strait to collect lead sinkers lost by fishermen in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Hakan Bulak dives into the Bosphorus Strait to collect lead sinkers lost by fishermen in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Fishermen use the traditional “dalyan” fishing method of stationary nets to catch migrating fish in the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Fishermen use the traditional “dalyan” fishing method of stationary nets to catch migrating fish in the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Fisherman Murat Sevilmis repairs a fishing net on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Fisherman Murat Sevilmis repairs a fishing net on the bank of the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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A man paddles in the Bosphorus Strait near the Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge after sunset in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A man paddles in the Bosphorus Strait near the Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge after sunset in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, June 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Yuksel Baloglu works on the restoration of the Rumeli Hisari fortress, a landmark along the Bosphorus Strait, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Yuksel Baloglu works on the restoration of the Rumeli Hisari fortress, a landmark along the Bosphorus Strait, in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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People cast their fishing lines into the Bosphorus Strait at sunrise in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
People cast their fishing lines into the Bosphorus Strait at sunrise in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, July 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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A musician plays the guitar and sings on a passenger ferry on the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
A musician plays the guitar and sings on a passenger ferry on the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday, June 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Reflected in a window, commuters cross the Bosphorus Strait in a ferry at the end of the work day in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, July 13, 2026.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Reflected in a window, commuters cross the Bosphorus Strait in a ferry at the end of the work day in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, July 13, 2026.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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“I can’t imagine myself living any other life without ships,” says ferry captain Fatih Tirik, who has spent years navigating the crowded strait. Restoration worker Yuksel Baloglu, who helps preserve the centuries-old Rumeli Fortress overlooking the water, says he enjoys working there “whether it’s hot in the summer or cold in the winter.”
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
