President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister and a host of other Turkish leaders, took part on Friday in an opening ceremony of a new bridge which connects the Asian and European sides of Istanbul.
The project, in the North of the city, is one of several infrastructure development projects which Erdogan had embarked upon and showcase in his political campaigns.
Various television channels across the country broadcast the ceremonies live, with speeches of politicians carried in full.
Thousands of supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Erdogan were shown on stage wearing matching white hats with the bridge’s logo waving the red national flags.
The bridge is being touted by the government as the widest suspension bridge in the world. It has eight lines and train tracks in the middle.
The bridge was constructed to alleviate the city’s traffic problems, develop the northern areas and provide connection to the new airport, which is currently under construction.
Construction of the bridge began more than three years ago and was completed at a cost of about $3 billion.
The bridge project was announced on May 29, 2012, the anniversary of the date the Ottomans conquered Istanbul in 1453.
It is named after Sultan Selim, who expanded the Ottoman empire and died in 1520.
