The Golden Horn, Haliç in Turkish, is an inlet about 7.5 kilometres long that reaches from the Bosphorus deep into European Istanbul. It separates the historic peninsula – home to Hagia Sophia, the Süleymaniye Mosque and Topkapı Palace – from Beyoğlu with Galata and Karaköy. In Byzantine times this sheltered bay was the city’s most important harbour, and in times of war its entrance was closed off with a heavy iron chain. The conquest of 1453 made it famous: Sultan Mehmed II had his ships hauled overland across the hills of Galata into the Golden Horn, bypassing the chain. Today several bridges span the inlet, above all the Galata Bridge with its anglers and fish restaurants. Along the shores lie neighbourhoods such as Fener and Balat, the Rahmi M. Koç Museum and, at the far end, Eyüp with Pierre Loti Hill. The Golden Horn is at its most atmospheric in the evening, when the sun sets behind the Old City and the mosques stand out in silhouette.