Bursa

we stopped over at Ramiz for meatball lunch

that's Ramiz showing off the many reviews his restaurant received

and that's what our meatball lunch looks like

Turkish delights in one of the shops in Bursa

persimmons

Ulu Cami

Ulu Cami (The Great Mosque) is the largest mosque in Bursa and a landmark of early Ottoman architecture, which carried many elements from the Seljuk architecture. Ordered by Sultan Bayezid I, the mosque was designed and built by architect Ali Neccar in 1396–1400. It is a large and rectangular building, with a total of twenty domes that are arranged in four rows of five, and are supported by twelve columns. Supposedly the twenty domes were built instead of the twenty separate mosques which Sultan Bayezid I had promised for winning the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. The mosque has two minarets.

Inside the mosque there are 192 monumental wall inscriptions written by the famous calligraphers of that period. There is also a fountain (şadırvan) where worshipers can perform ritual ablutions before prayer; the dome over the şadırvan is capped by a skylight which creates a soft, serene light below; thus playing an important role in the illumination of the large building.

The qiblah wall is set perpendicular to a line leading to Mecca, the location of the Kaaba. Congregants pray in rows parallel to the qiblah wall and thus arrange themselves so they face Mecca. In the qiblah wall, usually at its center, is the mihrab, a niche or depression indicating the direction of Mecca. Usually the mihrab is not occupied by furniture either. Sometimes, especially during Friday prayers, a raised minbar or pulpit is located to the side of the mihrab for a khatib or some other speaker to offer a sermon (khutbah). The mihrab serves as the location where the imam leads the five daily prayers on a regular basis.

Lunch in Sultan Murat's Kitchen for the Poor

The kitchen for the poor is within the complex which had been built by Sultan Murat II who is the father of Fatih Sultan Mehmet who reigned İstanbul.

Istanbul Old Town

Topkapi Palace

Apart from brief intervals, Topkapi Palace was home to all the Ottoman sultans until the reign of Abdulmecid I (1839-1860), a period of nearly four centuries. Over the years the palace complex underwent constant evolution. Some buildings disappeared, destroyed by fire, earthquakes or demolished to make way for new buildings. The palace was therefore not a single massive building in the western tradition, constructed at one go, but an organic structure which was never static, and reflected the styles and tastes of many periods in many independent units with individual functions. The last new building to be added to Topkapi was commissioned by Sultan Abdulmecid who abandoned Topkapi for a new palace on the Bosphorus.

Neglected thereafter,Topkapi Palace fell into disrepair. After the establishment of the Republic in 1923 it was extensively renovated and transformed into a museum. Tiled Pavilion is the earliest building of Topkapi Palace, built by Mehmet II (the Conqueror). The striking tiles which adorn the entire building still display strong traces of Seljuk Turkish art in both the designs and the predominance of blue and turquoise. It is for this reason that the building has been transformed into a ceramics museum, where the finest examples of Turkish ceramics from the 12th century to the present day are on display.

Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia, which is considered as one of the eight wonders of the world, also occupies a prominent place in the history of art and rchitecture. It is one of the rare works of this size and age that has survived to our day. The church (called Ayasofya in Turkish) is erroneously known as Saint Sophia in the west. The basilica was not dedicated to a saint named Sophia, but to Divine Wisdom.

During the bloody uprising of 532 that broke out at a chariot race in the Hippodrome, ten thousands of the inhabitants of the city were killed and numerous building destroyed. The Hagia Sophia church was among the structures burnt during this so-called "Nika" revolt which was directed against Emperor Justinian. When Justinian finally suppressed the revolt, he decided to build a house of worship "the like of which has not been seen since Adam, nor will it be seen in the future." Construction started in 532 over the remains of the previous basilica and it was completed in five years. In the year 537, elaborate ceremonies were organized for the dedication of this largest church of Christendom. The emperor spared no expense for his church and placed the state treasury at the disposal of the architects, Antheius of Tralles and mathematician Isidorus of Miletus. The design of the dome followed in the tradition of Roman architecture, and the plan of the basilica was even older. Round buildings had been successfully covered with domes before. But in Hagia Sophia, Justinian was attempting for the first time in the history of architecture to build a gigantic central dome over a rectangular plan.

Marbles and columns taken from the remains of earlier eras from almost all parts of the empire were used for building material. Although Hagia Sophia is a 6th century Byzantine work, it is an "experiment" in the Roman architectural tradition that has neither a predecessor nor a duplicate. The contrast between the interior and the exterior and the large dome are legacies of Rome. The outer appearance is not elegant; it was built as a shell, without much care for proportions. On the other hand, the interior is as splendid and captivating as a palace. As a whole, it is an "imperial" structure.

The basilica developed into a large religious center with tall buildings surrounding it. The scene was now set for the clashes between the Byzantine emperors and the Eastern Church that would last for centuries.

Vast sums were spent in all ages for the upkeep of Hagia Sophia. The immediate restorations undertaken after the Turkish conquest in 1453 to convert it into a mosque saved this beautiful building. Among the major restorations at later times were the buttresses built by Turkish architect Sinan in the 16th century, the restoration by the Fossafi brothers in mid-19th century, and the repairs including the fortification of the dome with iron bands after 1930. Existing modern portable metal scaffolding will make future restoration work easier.

After serving two different religions with the same god, 916 years as a church and 477 years as a mosque, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum on Ataturk's orders. Between 1930 and 1935 the whitewash on the walls was cleaned to reveal mosaics, which are among the most important examples of Byzantine art.

Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known as the Blue Mosque by many tourists because of its bluish interior decoration, is the most important mosque of Istanbul standing next to the Byzantine Hippodrome in the old city center. It was built by the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I between 1609 - 1616 facing Hagia Sophia, in order to compete with it. Its architect was Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, a poet and inlayer as well, and a student of the greatest architect Sinan. When Ahmed I died in 1617, he was buried near the mosque and a mausoleum was built over his tomb. This is the only mosque in Istanbul having 6 minarets; four of these have three balconies on each, and two have two balconies on each, which makes a total of 16 in all, reached by spiral stairs (closed to the public).

The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church development. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik (the ancient Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master potter Kaşıcı Hasan,and Mustafa Mersin Efendi from Avanos(Cappadocia). More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time.

The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But the many windows around it make it look less spectacular. To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days.

Obelisk of Theodosius at the Hippodrome

Obelisk of Theodosius (The Egyptian obelisk) erected by Tutmosis III 1504-1450 B.C. before the temple of Karnak at Heliopolis. The Obelisk brought to Istanbul by Emperor Theodosius I was made of pink granite and its height is 17 metres. Originally, the obelısk was 27 meters in height, 10 meters higher than it ıs today and weighed 800 tons. It is unknown when and how the lower part disappeared. The Obelisk was brought to Constantinople in 390 A.D. and stood over a rectangular stone base on four bronze feet. Its marble base in itself is six meters. There are inscriptions in Latin and Greek on it.

The hieroglyphic inscription on the Obelisk describes the victory of the pharaoh and a sacrifice to the god of the sun Amon-Ra in which the pharaoh kneels at the foot of the god.

Hippodrome was built by the Roman Emperor Septimius Severus in 203 A.D. The hippodrome was a stadium which served as a meeting place for the politicians, for chariot races, wrestling, boxing, and other athletic activities that took place. The arena was over 400 meters long and 120 meters wide. In the fourth century the spectator capacity was increased to 100,000.

Sultanhani Caravanserai

the door to 13th century Sultanhani Caravanserai

A caravanserai is an old hotel that served traders and travellers along the Silk Route. Caravanserais have been used since 10th century. Trade across Turkey in mediaeval Seljuk times was dependent on camel trains (kervan, anglicised as caravan), which stopped by night in inns known as kervansaray or caravanserai , literally 'caravan palaces'. These buildings provided accommodation and other amenities for the merchants and stabling for their animals. It provided protection against the elements and robbers, hence the external walls are quite high and thick, like a fortress. There are many of these along the silk route - about one every 17 miles because camels could only walk about that far in a day. Despite the ornate entrance, the interior of the caravanserai is essentially quite basic, but the simplicity of the building is in itself quite beautiful, with high ceilings and geometric lines.

In the caravanserais, foreign traders as well as native ones, would be put up for three days. They were building fortresses called "Ribat". These buildings, first constructed as small buildings for military uses, later were developed and changed into larger buildings and were used for both religious purposes and as inns for travelers. For defense purposes, their walls were constructed like castle walls. Some of the best examples of Seljuk stonemasonry can be seen at the entrances, called "Tac Kapi". Although dragon, lion motifs and floral designs were among the ones frequently used, in the Cappadocia region generally geometrical designs were preferred. The doors, as strong as the castle doors, were made of iron.

Especially during the times of Seljuk Sultans Kilicarslan II and Alaaddin Keykubat I, the construction of these buildings accelerated and the security of the trading roads was provided by the state. The loss of the trades would be met by the states, which can be accepted as the first insurance system. During that period, both home and foreign trades prospered. In this way, the Seljuks, whom were already strong in terms of economy, became politically strong, too.

Goremi Open Air Museum

Cappadocia's most famous attraction, for good reason, is the Göreme Open Air Museum, a complex of medieval painted cave churches carved out by Orthodox monks. In the 4th century,Cappadocia became known as the "Land of the Three Saints" because of three remarkable theologians who are still collectively known as The Cappadocians: St. Basil the Great, his brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus contributed a great deal to Christian doctrine in general and Eastern Orthodox thought in particular. St. Basil was instrumental in developing Christian monasticism, of which these cave churches in his homeland are a product. The monastic complex at Göremewas carved out and decorated between 900 and 1200.

The Christians who took shelter in the Goreme valley because of the Arab pressures gave it the name of Goreme which means "you cannot see here". Later on, this name was Korama and gradually it has come up un til today in the form of Goreme.

There are over 10 cave churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum. Along with rectories, dwellings, and a religious school, they form a large monastic complex carved out of a roughly ring-shaped rock formation in the otherworldy landscape of Cappadocia. Entrance to the site is on the north side.

Most of the churches are fully painted inside with beautiful and historically important Byzantine murals dating from 900-1200 AD. Most are in remarkably good condition, although nearly all the eyes of the painted figures have been gouged out by superstitious locals afraid of the Evil Eye. One notable exception is the Dark Church, whose walls were long protected by pigeon droppings! One of the recurring themes in these and other Cappadocian churches is St. George slaying the dragon. According to local tradition, the event occurred on the summit of MountErciyes.

Painting Techniques

Two types of painting technique were used in the churches. The first is without an undercoat of plaster. Painting was applied directly the bare rock using the roots of vegetables for color. This type of painting can be seen more in the early Byzantine churches and chapels. One can find decorations such as the Maltese Cross and geometrical and floral designs. In the later periods, the original paintings were covered with plaster and repainted with scenes from the bible. The best examples for this type of painting are the Buckle Church, Chapel of St. Basil, Apple Churchand the Chapel of St. Barbara located in the Goreme Open Air Museum.

The second technique was to paint onto an undercoat of plaster. Painting was either on the wet plaster, the fresco technique or dried plaster. There is only one example of this technique, which is the Tatlarin Church. In order to give the painting a brighter surface, after the painting was completed a kind of glue obtained from plants was applied. The themes on the walls are generally taken from the life of Jesus, the Bible and the Torah. It is also possible to see saints from the Christian world and the important people of Cappadocia. We usually see the immortal souls represented in the dome, mortals on the walls.

Just outside the museum exit on the right is the Buckle Church, the largest of the cave churches at Göreme. It can be entered with the same ticket as the main complex and should not be missed. The frescoes are also the finest in Göreme, with the richest colors and the most detail. It dates from the 10th and 11th centuries and was restored in the 1960s.

St. Barbara Chapel

This cruciform chapel with three apses is mostly decorated with simple figures and symbols in red paint on white plaster, making a sharp contrast with the colorful figures of most Göreme frescoes. They may have been painted shortly after the 8th-century iconoclastic controversy. A giant locust symbolizing evil on one wall opposes two crosses on the other, while a rooster representing the devil is battled with bricks representing the Church. Other strange creatures and shapes are more difficult to interpret. The figurative frescoes include Christ Pantocrator, St. George and the Dragon, St Theodore, and St Barbara.

Cotton Castle Pamukkale

Pamukkale is one of the most interesting places in the world, justly famous not only for the entrancing beauty of its unique geological formations but also for its historical remains. The calcium oxide-rich waters flowing down the southern slope of Caldag located north of the ruins have, over the millennia, built up deposits of white travertine on the plateau thus fully justifying both the site's ancient name of Hierapolis (Holy City) and its modern one of Pamukkale (Cotton Castle).

walking barefooted on one of the terraces of Cotton Castle

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