Bosphorus dinner cruise with live performance
Docked on the pier, the boats bobble gently in the water. The sky is streaked by mellow rays of the setting Sun. I find my boat— the Orient Bosphorus. I have arrived a bit too early for the Bosphorus dinner cruise with live performance. The waiters greet me and find me a suitable table. I am about to cruise on one of the planet’s busiest water highways here in Istanbul, Turkey.
There can be no other city like Istanbul and no other waterway like the Bosphorus. Established in around 660 BCE by Greek settlers as Byzantium, the city later aligned with the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire was divided, the city became the capital of Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) and came to be known as Constantinople, named after the king.
Pagan ways of the Roman Empire were discarded and the state embraced Christianity. A few centuries later the Ottomans defeated the Byzantines, sieged the city and imposed their religion—Islam. Bosphorus acted as a natural moat and guarded the city through centuries. This waterway connecting the Black Sea in north to the Mediterranean in south has always been a trade highway.
First Impression
Beyond the glass walls, under the influence of the setting Sun, Bosphorus changes its hue, growing darker with time. Inside, on the tables graced with white tablecloths, a selection of Hors d’oeuvres has already been laid out. The cutlery, wine glasses, napkins and water bottles are neatly arranged.
One by one, the guests occupy the brown leather chairs. I dig into the appetizing mezze— various cheeses, tuna, mashed potato, lamb, and a bowlful of green salad. The waiters move around placing appropriate flags on the tables corresponding to the guests’ nationalities. Soon my table populated with my Indian colleagues and my Turkish guide is bedecked with an Indian flag and a Turkish one.
As the boat starts moving, the host captures the centre of the hall and commences the Bosphorus dinner cruise with live performance. Across the now colourless waters of the Bosphorus, on the coast, golden lights outline historical buildings. Inside the boat, a loudspeaker blares some information but the sound is smudged by the hullabaloo of people gathering by the glass wall to take photos.
On the bow of the boat, the cool Bosphorus breeze caresses my face. Made home first by the Greco-Roman Byzantines and then by the Ottomans, the Bosphorus Strait has seen centuries of civilizations. Fancy Ottoman era houses still stand strong along the shore. I stay on the bow for some more time as the boat passes beneath the 15th July Martyr’s Bridge, the first bridge across the strait.
Back inside, the host is busy introducing the guests. He moves around from table to table greeting the guests, playing a popular song from the guests’ respective countries and asking them to shake a leg for a couple of minutes on the dance floor. The whole night seems to have been conceptualized around the introductory sessions. Meanwhile, the main courses start arriving—salad, rice, chicken, pide and cheese (is what I remember on my plate).
The Whirling Dervish inside the Bosphorus dinner cruise with live performance
The introductions pause for a bit, lights dim, the loud vibe of the boat is replaced by a wave of soulful music. The host asks us to maintain silence and treat the upcoming performance with respect—a Sufi whirling Dervish appears. Sufism of the Mevlevi order has sustained centuries of struggle since its origin in the Turkish city of Konya in the 14th century by followers of the Persian poet Jalaluddin Rumi. The sect connects with God through fasting, meditation and their unique dance and music. When Turkey became a republic, this sect did not receive recognition. However, the government has recently acknowledged their dance known as sema, as a cultural asset of Turkey.
Donning a brown conical hat called sikke, traditionally made of camel wool, the dervish starts moving in circular motions with both his hands on his chest. He looks at everybody but notices none. His white robe skirt whirls in the air, drawing curves in a set pattern. Gradually, he releases his hands from his chest, hauls his right hand skyward, and keeps on spinning, entrancing the audience. Through this dance, the dervish is supposed to attain unity with God.
While I appreciate the effort of the organizer and the dervish/dancer, I think the environment of the boat is unsuitable to grasp the spirituality of something as meditative as the sema of the whirling dervish. It is a very touristy and tiny version of the actual experience. Do not visit this cruise pinning high hopes on catching the whirling dervish in action; if you are a culture seeker you will be better off watching them live in the Dervish lodges in Istanbul rather than this boat cruise.
The topmost deck
The dervish show is followed by folk dances from different regions in the Middle-east. The entertainers congregate near the middle-seats. Since my chair is at the back, I get a bit bored and leave the dining hall to get some fresh air on the top deck. There I smoke a hookah as the soft Bosphorus breeze brushes past my hair.
The bar beside the smoking zone is moderately busy. I sit there for some time reflecting on my life, my dreams, my achievements and pondering on the Bosphorus’ interesting past. My entire Turkey trip has been nothing short of a dream come true. I might have pinched myself to know if it is indeed happening!
The Ottoman era palaces and bungalows still glitter on the coast. Vehicles dot the road along the strait. Illuminated Byzantine forts and churches, which were later appropriated by the Ottomans into palaces and mosques, make the nighttime beauty of Istanbul ethereal. I like this open breezy area much better than the loud and boisterous downstairs.
Climax of the ride
Not interested in trying too much Hookah, both through active and passive channels, I leave the deck and go back downstairs. Desserts in the boat cost extra and are not included in the ticket price, so are alcohol and hookah. I skip desserts and enjoy the folk dances. Out of the four dances that I witness, I recognize a version of Spanish Flamenco and Middle-eastern belly dance. The other two dance forms seem to be from the Middle-east too. The four-five hours long cruise ends with almost every guest coming up on the floor to dance together.
Primarily, Orient Bosphorus is a party cruise with a handful of cultural elements thrown in here and there. It is not a cultural cruise trip. If you go with a mindset of partying and dancing, you would love it. If you were looking forward to a history-focused, educational tour, this would be a huge let-down. There are many dinner cruises along the Bosphorus, please research them individually to find the one that would suit your taste.
It is midnight. I board the tourist-car from the pier that would drop me off at my hotel. From the vehicle windows, I notice the empty streets, the glittering lights and thousands of years of history flash by my eyes. This is my last night in Istanbul, as well as in Turkey, and I feel that familiar pang of pain—the one that I felt when I had to part with my teenage love, the one that I felt when my best friend moved abroad permanently. The one that I feel every time I leave a place—the invincible bittersweet part of life.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
These cruises can be booked through your accommodation or through tour aggregators like ‘Get Your Guide’.
Name of this
cruise – Orient Bosphorus
Price – TL 426 through Get Your Guide website.
Time – 7.30PM-12 midnight daily.
When booking through accommodations please explicitly ask for what services are included and what are excluded at the price.
To watch my Istanbul video on Youtube, please click here .
Have you been to Istanbul in Turkey? What was your experience with the Bosphorus? Have you ever been on a Bosphorus dinner cruise with live performance? Comment below and let’s start the conversation!
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Disclaimer: Tania was hosted by Turkey Tourism Board. All thoughts and opinions expressed in the post are of her own.
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Tania Banerjee
Tania is a freelance writer based in India who tinkers with words here and there but mostly focused on travel, food, arts and crafts. She writes for several Indian dailies and magazines.
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