It’s impossible to describe…Istanbul Akvaryum

My perfect, wonderful Istanbul continues to excite me with new attractions. This time it was not an ancient place, with historical relics, and where we could take exclusive pictures… But no, with last statement I was wrong.

So, in our cooperative with my turkish friend week-end, which we spent in Istanbul, we decided to visit Istanbul Akvaryum, which was opened in April 2011. If to believe the information, which I learnt in that place, this aquarium – one of the biggest in the world about its area (6,8 thousand square meters), and about 1,5 thousand representatives of seas fauna and flora.

This place was built close to Ataturk airport in Istanbul, and it’s very nice for those passengers, who just came to the city, or will leave it, and they have free time (about 3 hours). But also it’s a nice idea for good, interesting hanging with children, or with a couple. We met in Istanbul Akvaryum people all ages, all nationalities.

About prices. If you want to buy a ticket in this place, it will cost 35 turkish liras per 1 person. We also bought 2 audio guides: russian, and turkish. I don’t remember exactly how much we paid, but not more than 3 turkish liras per one. I can tell, that audio guide was good idea, because I learnt much information about Black, Mediterranean, Red seas, Pacific ocean. If I just walked and looked around, it would not be so cool.

About attractions. Our visits to Istanbul Akvaryum started from Black sea. I can tell, if you know English in the middle level, and if you will use audio guide, it will be not enough. About many kinds of fishes I have never heard. About some kinds I heard, but never seen. Explanations about these kinds just in the screens near every aquarium. But my English background was not enough to understand. I will describe that halls, which I remember:

Black sea. Here we found turbot, russian sturgeon, sea trout, and starry sturgeon. From this hall started our excursion and I can’t tell this hall was the most attractive. But I remembered it as a first step in the miracle.

Bosphorus. Here was very nice. In big aquariums we met black sea breams, horse mackerels, sea breams, and red banded sea breams. Maybe there in the corners were hiding other kinds of fish, but we didn’t see them.

Marmara sea. This hall has very big aquarium, and the most important attraction of it – very big, and very old turtle. As I know administration of Istanbul Akvaryum bought this reptile for big money. In the same place live small and big fish. Here we saw sharps, fish-ramps, and also we could touch to real, high-qualities marble.

Red sea. This sea is famous with its fauna, attractive flora. There are forbidden to use flash inside the Istanbul Akvaryum. That’s why impossible to take good pictures. But if you have money, you can order a professional photo from personal of this place. It will cost 10 turkish liras per 1 picture.

Underwater caves of Mediterranean sea. I can tell from all Aquarium I liked this hall most of all. Very attractive design, very good game of darkness and light.

Not so colorful fishes like in the red sea, but Mediterranean sea pleased us with it big crabs, sea stars, and some historical dishes, which were found in different times.

Pacific Ocean, and famous Nautilus. In that moment I started to force my memory work. After few tries, when I understood that I can’t to remember anything about Nautilus, I opened audio guide. So, Nautilus – fictional submarine, which was mentioned in few Jules Verne’s books. It was more than just a ship – it was big start of scientist progress.

If I didn’t have audio guide I would left Istanbul Akvaryum with a mind, that Nautilus was real). There we found copy of fictional submarine, even we tried to take some pictures. But I couldn’t concentrate, because everywhere people were with such attractive ice-creams, fruits, buns: before Nautilus was hall, where lots of small stories, cafes. Inside this building also was possible to find good restaurants, but we didn’t go there. We came in Istanbul Akvaryum not for eating.

Amazons flora and fauna. Inside this hall another temperature conditions: inside the building was hot and stuffily. It’s because of Akvaryums' administration: they tried to restore conditions, which is in tropical Amazon.

Frogs:)

There were dense vegetation with huge trees, many reptiles (snakes, frogs, boas), interesting kinds of freshwater fish (piranha, stingray, prehistorically, rarity arowana, which are very sweet from their appearance, but in general they are predators).

Arowana) I called it - fish-mops:) Such sweet:)

Also there must be crocodile, but we couldn’t find: maybe it was ill or just hid under the water from curious visitors.

So, In Istanbul Akvaryum almost every day possible to meet many visitors. Most of them come there with children, but at list adults became more wonder from this place. I didn’t like that we couldn’t use flash – we could have very colorful memories about Istanbul Akvaryum. I would like to get much more information about some kinds of fish, which I met there. Maybe in the next time I will back there with vocabulary).