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Topkapi Palace, situated in Istanbul, Turkey, stands as a monumental testament to the opulence and grandeur of the Ottoman Empire at its zenith. Constructed in the 15th century under the order of Sultan Mehmed II, following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the palace served as the administrative center and royal residence of the Ottoman Sultans for nearly four centuries, until the mid-19th century when the court was moved to Dolmabahçe Palace.
Covering approximately 700,000 square meters at the tip of the historic peninsula overlooking both the Bosphorus Strait and the Golden Horn, the palace complex is a stunning showcase of Islamic art, with its elaborate courtyards, exquisite tile work, and intricate architecture. The layout of the palace is a series of courtyards, each serving different purposes and increasing in privacy: the First Courtyard served as a service area; the Second Courtyard was the administrative heart of the empire; the Third Courtyard housed the Sultan’s private residence and the treasury, including the Imperial Council (Divan); and the Fourth Courtyard was a series of gardens and pavilions used for private relaxation.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Topkapi Palace is its Imperial Harem, a secluded section that housed the Sultan’s wives, concubines, and children, along with a large staff of eunuchs who managed the day-to-day affairs. The Harem is particularly noted for its architectural significance and intricate interior decorations.
The palace also holds an extensive collection of artifacts that reflect the splendor of the Ottoman era, including imperial treasures, religious relics, and a significant collection of manuscripts and decorative arts. Among its most prized possessions are the Prophet Muhammad’s cloak and sword, which draw pilgrims and visitors from around the Islamic world.
Today, Topkapi Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and operates as a museum, attracting millions of visitors each year eager to explore its rich history and cultural heritage. Its strategic location offers panoramic views of Istanbul and the waters that define it, making it not only a historical treasure but also a symbol of the city’s enduring legacy as a bridge between continents and cultures.
Yerebatan underground cistern in Istanbul,Turkey.The cistern, located in the historical peninsula of Istanbul next to the Hagia Sophia, was built during the reign of emperor Justinian I in the 6th century, the age of glory of Eastern Rome, also called the Byzantine Empire.
Highest position: 12 on Friday, December 26, 2008
The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I and remains a functioning mosque today. It also attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.
The mosque has a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the prayer hall. It is fronted by a large courtyard and flanked by six minarets. On the inside, it is decorated with thousands of Iznik tiles and painted floral motifs in predominantly blue colours, which give the mosque its popular name. The mosque's külliye (religious complex) includes Ahmed's tomb, a madrasa, and several other buildings in various states of preservation.
The mosque was built next to the former Hippodrome and stands across from the Hagia Sophia, another popular tourist site. The Blue Mosque was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985 under the name of "Historic Areas of Istanbul".
After the Peace of Zsitvatorok, seen as a blow to Ottoman prestige, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build a large mosque in Istanbul in the hope of soliciting God's favour. He was the first sultan to build an imperial mosque since Selim II (d. 1574), as both Murad III and Mehmed III before him had neglected to construct their own.
The mosque was built on the southeast side of the old Byzantine Hippodrome, near the Hagia Sophia (the most important mosque of the Ottoman Empire), a site of significant symbolic significance that allows it to dominate the city's skyline. The mosque's location was originally occupied by the Hippodrome's bleachers and its imperial box (where the emperor sat when attending events here). During excavations in the early 20th century, some of the ancient seats were discovered in the mosque's courtyard. Given the mosque's location, size, and number of minarets, it is probable that Sultan Ahmed intended to create a monument that rivalled or surpassed the Hagia Sophia.
Prior to construction, this site was occupied by the palaces of several Ottoman viziers, including Sokollu Mehmet Pasha and Güzel Ahmet Pasha, which required a costly expropriation process. This, along with the fact that the empire was under economic stress, aroused the protests of the ulema (Islamic legal scholars), who argued that sultans should only fund the construction of an imperial mosque with spoils of conquest. Ahmed I had won no major victories and thus had to divert funds from the treasury for this expensive project. The ulema went so far as to forbid Muslims from praying at the mosque.
Despite the opposition, the sultan went ahead with the project. Construction started in 1609 and completed in 1617, when the opening ceremony was held, though the year 1616 is mentioned on some of the mosque's inscriptions. Ahmed I died around the same time or very soon afterwards in 1617. Scholar Godfrey Goodwin notes that the last accounting reports on the mosque's construction were signed by Mustafa I, Ahmed I's successor, which suggests that Ahmed I had died before the final completion of the project.
In the end, the mosque's grandeur, its luxurious decoration, and the elaborate public ceremonies that Ahmed I organized to celebrate the project appear to have swayed public opinion and overcome the initial controversy over its construction. It became one of the most popular mosques in the city. The mosque has left a major mark on the city and has given its name to the surrounding neighbourhood, now known as Sultanahmet.
In 1883, much of the mosque interior's painted decoration was replaced by new stenciled paintwork, some of which changed the original colour scheme. A major fire in 1912 damaged or destroyed several of the outlying structures of the mosque complex, which were subsequently restored.
A major restoration of the mosque took place in the 21st century. During preparatory work in 2013, it was discovered that the mosque's northwest minaret had shifted 5 centimetres (2.0 in) over time, constituting a potential threat to its structural stability. Work to reconstruct and repair the minaret was underway in 2015. Comprehensive restoration work on the rest of the mosque began in 2018 and was finished in April 2023.
İçmeler is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Marmaris, Muğla Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,735 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde). It is a popular holiday resort situated 8 kilometres southwest of Marmaris. İçmeler Bay is located on the Datça Peninsula. The town is surrounded on three sides by pine forests. Hiking on the mountains is very popular and provides fantastic views of the region.
Agri/Turkey (The Ishak Pasha palace is an Ottoman-period palace whose construction was started in 1685 by Colak Abdi Pasha, the bey of Beyazit province and the Harem Section of the palace was completed by his grandson Ishak Pasha in 1784.
It is more of a complex than a palace; the second administrative campus after the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul and the most famous of the palaces built in recent decades.
It was the last large monumental structure in the Ottoman Empire from the "Lale Devri" period. It is one of the most distinguished and magnificent examples of the 18th century Ottoman architecture and is very valuable in terms of art history...)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
Turkey (The Blue Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. 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. The architect has ably synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour...)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
The Nuruosmaniye Mosque (Turkish: Nuruosmaniye Camii) is an 18th-century Ottoman mosque located in the Çemberlitaş neighbourhood of Fatih district in Istanbul, Turkey, which was inscribed in the Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey in 2016.Designed by a Greek non-Muslim architect named Simeon Kalfa, the Nuruosmaniye mosque was the first monumental Ottoman building to exemplify the new Ottoman baroque style, which introduced baroque and neoclassical elements from Europe. The mosque's ornamentation and its curved courtyard display its baroque influences. The dome of the mosque is one of the largest in Istanbul. The mosque is part of a larger religious complex, or külliye, acting as a centre of culture, religion, and education for the neighborhood.
In Constantinople, the area of the Nurosmaniye Mosque was close to the Forum of Constantine, where the Column of Constantine (Turkish: Çemberlitaş Sütunu) still stands. Surrounding the mosque is Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı). After the construction of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Nurosmaniye mosque was the first imperial mosque to be built in 100 years.
The construction of the mosque complex was commissioned on the order of Sultan Mahmud I in 1748 and completed under his brother and successor, Sultan Osman III, in 1755. It was named Nuruosmaniye, meaning "The light of Osman", after Osman III.
The construction of the Nuruosmaniye marked the first time since the construction of the Sultan Ahmed I Mosque (in the early 17th century) that an Ottoman sultan built his own imperial mosque in Istanbul, something which had previously been a tradition with every sultan. Mahmud I's foundation marked the return of this tradition. The mosque was also the first monumental Ottoman building to exemplify the new Ottoman Baroque style, influenced by contemporary Baroque architecture in Europe. It helped reshape the city of Istanbul by announcing this new imperial style and marking a definitive shift away from Classical Ottoman architecture.
The complex was built on Istanbul's second hill. According to Ahmed Efendi, an Ottoman secretary involved in the mosque's construction, the site was formerly occupied by a smaller mosque founded by a certain Fatma Hatun. By the 18th century, this mosque had fallen into disrepair and the local residents had already petitioned Sultan Ahmed III to renovate it, but to no avail. When a new petition was sent to Mahmud I, the sultan appointed an official to investigate and it was ascertained that the mosque's waqf (endowment) was no longer generating income. Instead of funding its renovation, the sultan decided to appropriate the waqf and use the site for the construction of a new mosque. This much larger construction, however, required the purchase of multiple properties in the surrounding area, which initially met with reluctance from the property owners.
Mahmud I was known for his personal interest in architecture and Ahmed Efendi's writings seem to emphasize the sultan's personal commitment and piety in relation to the project. In his account, Efendi adds a story in which Mahmud I, while visiting the construction site, came across a "blessed sage" or spiritual old man. The sage praised him for building the mosque and bringing joy to the neighbourhood, and prayed for God to reward the sultan, thus encouraging Mahmud I to continue the project. Although Efendi's account has a panegyric style, it suggests that the sultan and his entourage viewed the mosque's construction as the fulfilment of divine providence and that a certain religious aura was promoted around the project. A number of other 18th-century Ottoman writers also praised the mosque after completion, signaling its perceived importance at the time. Although several of them, including Efendi, praised the size of the dome, they do not make any clear comments about the building's novel architectural style.
The mosque was designed by a non-Muslim Greek architect named Simeon Kalfa or Simon Kalfa. This was the first non-Muslim architect to be placed in charge of a major imperial Ottoman construction. Simeon's chief assistant was a Christian man named Kozma and the majority of the stonemasons under him were Christians as well. Both Simeon and Kozma were given robes of honour by the grand vizier at the mosque's opening ceremony. Scholar Ünver Rüstem notes this may have been the first time Christian architects were officially honoured at the inauguration of a mosque and that it reflected the growing status of Christian craftsmen in Ottoman architecture during this era.
İçmeler is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Marmaris, Muğla Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,735 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde). It is a popular holiday resort situated 8 kilometres southwest of Marmaris. İçmeler Bay is located on the Datça Peninsula. The town is surrounded on three sides by pine forests. Hiking on the mountains is very popular and provides fantastic views of the region.
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
VIDEO;
The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii, "Conqueror's Mosque" in English) is an Ottoman mosque off Fevzi Paşa Caddesi in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. The original mosque was constructed between 1463 and 1470 on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Seriously damaged in the 1766 earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1771 to a different design. It is named after the Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, known in Turkish as Fatih Sultan Mehmed, who conquered Constantinople in 1453.
The Sahn-ı Seman Medrese, once an important center for the study of theology, law, medicine, astronomy, physics and mathematics, formed part of the Fatih Mosque. It was founded by the Turkic astronomer Ali Qushji who had been invited by Mehmed to his court in Istanbul.
The mosque complex was completely restored in 2009 and again ten years later. It reopened to worshippers in 2021.
The Fatih Mosque complex was a religious and social building of unprecedented size and complexity built in Istanbul between 1463 and 1470 by order of Mehmed II. The 4th-century Church of the Holy Apostles was demolished to make way for the mosque. The Byzantine church had fallen into disrepair since the Fourth Crusade. Even though it was the cathedral church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch was not permitted to carry out essential repairs to the structure. The church was the burial place of numerous Roman emperors, including Constantine the Great. Before the construction of the mosque, his sarcophagus had been placed in the middle of twelve other sarchophagi representing the Twelve Apostles, in the symbolic place of Christ.
The Fatih Mosque was the first monumental project in the Ottoman imperial architectural tradition. It was built by the Greek architect Atik Sinan.
The original complex included eight medreses, a library, a hospital (darüşşifa), a dervish inn (taphane), a caravanserai, a market, a hamam, a primary school (mektep) a public kitchen (imaret) for poor and a collection of 280 shops. Various tombs (türbes) were added at a later date. The original complex covered an almost square area of 325 metres (1,066 feet) extending along the Golden Horn side of Fevzi Paşa Caddesi.
The first mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake. After that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on 22 May 1766 when the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged.
Commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III, the current mosque (designed on a completely different plan) was built between 1767 and 1771 by the architect Mehmet Tahir Ağa.
Mount Ararat/Turkey (The Bible says that Noah's ark landed on the mountains of Ararat. This does not refer to any specific mountain or peak, but rather a mountain range within the region of Ararat, which was the name of an ancient kingdom of Urartu. Nonetheless, one particular tradition identifies the mountain as Mount Masis, the highest peak in the Armenian Highland, which is therefore called Mount Ararat. (As opposed to the Armenian and European tradition, Semitic tradition identifies the mountain as Judi Dagh located in Turkey near Cizre.) According to the medieval Armenian historian Moses of Khoren in his History of Armenia, the plain of Ayrarat (directly north of the mountain) got its name after King Ara the Handsome. Here the Assyrian Queen Semiramis is said to have lingered for a few days after the death of Ara.According to Thomson, the mountain is called Ararat, corresponding to Ayrarat, the name of the province...)
*(taken from the bus with a low quality camera)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
Love Valley/Cappadocia/Turkey (The Turkish name is "Bağıldere" which has more to do with the stream that runs through the valley (at least during some seasons).
This natural wonder sits on a high plateau over a thousand meters in altitude. Rainfall is sparse in this area and the place has hot dry summers and bitterly cold snowy winters. There is little rainfall and so the region is generally arid. In this environment these huge phallic natural structures seems like some sort of ancient homage to male fertility. However, they are far from man-made despite the possible resemblance to man hood...)
*2 photomerged
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
İçmeler is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Marmaris, Muğla Province, Turkey. Its population is 6,735 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde). It is a popular holiday resort situated 8 kilometres southwest of Marmaris. İçmeler Bay is located on the Datça Peninsula. The town is surrounded on three sides by pine forests. Hiking on the mountains is very popular and provides fantastic views of the region.
Pronounced in English approximately as /eech-mell-er/, the town has developed rapidly over the last 15 years, with accommodation and other tourist facilities mushrooming across the formerly sleepy fishermen's and sponge divers' village.[6] As a side to the increasing tourism, this resort in the Turkish Riviera is seeing an increasing amount of water sports facilities, such as scuba diving, windsurfing, and waterskiing.
The town developed on the backs of tourists seeking a quieter alternative to the overdeveloped city of Marmaris.
Nightlife is rather scarce in İçmeler. Restaurants and pubs usually feature live music, shows and acts until around midnight. After this time, the only entertainment available is generally the nightclubs.
Directly across the bay from İçmeler is the busy port of Marmaris, which also gives its name to the region. Marmara (historically Merme) is the name for marble, which Turkey has in abundance.
Whilst loved by tourists for the shopping and relaxed nature, prices in İçmeler have increased in recent years. However, the town continues to compare favourably with the neighbouring resort of Marmaris and is especially favourable when compared to the Eurozone.
Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
Rock-Cut Tombs
These are the most numerous of all types of Lycian tombs and some are perhaps the most visually striking - elaborate funeral chambers carved directly into the rock face, usually into a cliff. Most often, the tombs are carved like the facade of timber Lycian houses with protruding beams (house-type tombs), usually with one or two stories, sometimes three. The imitation of wood is sometimes even carried to the copying of pegs to join the different beams and the tombs resemble the frontage of houses built solidly of timber with ceilings of unhewn trunks of trees. There is normally a row of round or square beam ends above the door. Later these developed into a dentil frieze. Sometimes there is a pediment above, in a few cases in the shape of a Gothic (pointed) arch. It is believed that the first house-type rock-cut tombs were carved in the 5th century BC.
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
VIDEO;
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
VIDEO;
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
Myra in Lycia is known as the ancient dynasty of Perikles. Here you will find a theater, ancient fortifications and an extensive necropolis.
Myra in Lykien ist als alter Dynastensitz von Perikles bekannt. Hier findet man ein Theater, alte Befestigungen und eine ausgedehnte Nekropole.
Lymra Video : Limyra in Lykien
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is considered the country's economic, cultural and historic capital. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey, and is the most populous city in Europe[c] and the world's sixteenth-largest city.
The city was founded as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Megara. In 330 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it first as New Rome (Ancient Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma) and then finally as Constantinople (Constantinopolis) after himself. In 1930, the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul, the Turkish rendering of εἰς τὴν Πόλιν eis tḕn Pólin 'to the City', the appellation Greek speakers used since the 11th century to colloquially refer to the city.
The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Byzantine (330–1204), Latin (1204–1261), late Byzantine (1261–1453), and Ottoman (1453–1922) empires. The city grew in size and influence, eventually becoming a beacon of the Silk Road and one of the most important cities in history. The city played a key role in the advancement of Christianity during Roman/Byzantine times, hosting four of the first seven ecumenical councils before its transformation to an Islamic stronghold following the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE—especially after becoming the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1517.[ In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced the city as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
Istanbul was the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The city has surpassed London and Dubai to become the most visited city in the world, with more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2023. The historic centre of Istanbul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city hosts the headquarters of numerous Turkish companies, accounting for more than thirty percent of the country's economy.
Neolithic artifacts, uncovered by archeologists at the beginning of the 21st century, indicate that Istanbul's historic peninsula was settled as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. That early settlement, important in the spread of the Neolithic Revolution from the Near East to Europe, lasted for almost a millennium before being inundated by rising water levels. The first human settlement on the Asian side, the Fikirtepe mound, is from the Copper Age period, with artifacts dating from 5500 to 3500 BCE. In the European side, near the point of the peninsula (Sarayburnu) there was a settlement during the early 1st millennium BCE. Modern authors have linked it to the possible Thracian toponym Lygos, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as an earlier name for the site of Byzantium.
There is evidence suggesting there were settlements around the region dating as far back as 6700 BC, and it is hard to define if there was any settlement on exact spot at city proper established, but earliest records about city proper begins around 660 BC when Greek settlers from the Attic town of Megara colonized the area and established Byzantium on the European side of the Bosphorus. It fell to the Roman Republic in 196 BC, and was known as Byzantium in Latin until 330, when the city, soon renamed as Constantinople, became the new capital of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Justinian I, the city rose to be the largest in the western world, with a population peaking at close to half a million people. Constantinople functioned as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which effectively ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Turks.
The population had declined during the medieval period, but as the Ottoman Empire approached its historical peak, the city grew to a population of close to 700,000 in the 16th century, once again ranking among the world's most popular cities. With the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, that country's capital moved from Constantinople to Ankara (previously Angora).
The Fatih Mosque (Turkish: Fatih Camii, "Conqueror's Mosque" in English) is an Ottoman mosque off Fevzi Paşa Caddesi in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. The original mosque was constructed between 1463 and 1470 on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles. Seriously damaged in the 1766 earthquake, it was rebuilt in 1771 to a different design. It is named after the Ottoman sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, known in Turkish as Fatih Sultan Mehmed, who conquered Constantinople in 1453.
The Sahn-ı Seman Medrese, once an important center for the study of theology, law, medicine, astronomy, physics and mathematics, formed part of the Fatih Mosque. It was founded by the Turkic astronomer Ali Qushji who had been invited by Mehmed to his court in Istanbul.
The mosque complex was completely restored in 2009 and again ten years later. It reopened to worshippers in 2021.
The Fatih Mosque complex was a religious and social building of unprecedented size and complexity built in Istanbul between 1463 and 1470 by order of Mehmed II. The 4th-century Church of the Holy Apostles was demolished to make way for the mosque. The Byzantine church had fallen into disrepair since the Fourth Crusade. Even though it was the cathedral church of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Ecumenical Patriarch was not permitted to carry out essential repairs to the structure. The church was the burial place of numerous Roman emperors, including Constantine the Great. Before the construction of the mosque, his sarcophagus had been placed in the middle of twelve other sarchophagi representing the Twelve Apostles, in the symbolic place of Christ.
The Fatih Mosque was the first monumental project in the Ottoman imperial architectural tradition. It was built by the Greek architect Atik Sinan.
The original complex included eight medreses, a library, a hospital (darüşşifa), a dervish inn (taphane), a caravanserai, a market, a hamam, a primary school (mektep) a public kitchen (imaret) for poor and a collection of 280 shops. Various tombs (türbes) were added at a later date. The original complex covered an almost square area of 325 metres (1,066 feet) extending along the Golden Horn side of Fevzi Paşa Caddesi.
The first mosque was badly damaged in the 1509 earthquake. After that it was repaired, but was then damaged again by earthquakes in 1557 and 1754 and repaired yet again. It was then completely destroyed by an earthquake on 22 May 1766 when the main dome collapsed and the walls were irreparably damaged.
Commissioned by Sultan Mustafa III, the current mosque (designed on a completely different plan) was built between 1767 and 1771 by the architect Mehmet Tahir Ağa.
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Turkey which is straddled by the city of Istanbul. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia Minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.
Most of the shores of the Bosporus Strait, except for the area to the north, are heavily settled, with the city of Istanbul's metropolitan population of 17 million inhabitants extending inland from both banks.
The Bosporus Strait and the Dardanelles Strait at the opposite end of the Sea of Marmara are together known as the Turkish Straits.
Sections of the shore of the Bosporus in Istanbul have been reinforced with concrete or rubble and those sections of the strait prone to deposition are periodically dredged.
The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an Ottoman-era historical imperial mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was constructed between 1609 and 1617 during the rule of Ahmed I and remains a functioning mosque today. It also attracts a large number of tourists and is one of the most iconic and popular monuments of Ottoman architecture.
The mosque has a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the prayer hall. It is fronted by a large courtyard and flanked by six minarets. On the inside, it is decorated with thousands of Iznik tiles and painted floral motifs in predominantly blue colours, which give the mosque its popular name. The mosque's külliye (religious complex) includes Ahmed's tomb, a madrasa, and several other buildings in various states of preservation.
The mosque was built next to the former Hippodrome and stands across from the Hagia Sophia, another popular tourist site. The Blue Mosque was included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985 under the name of "Historic Areas of Istanbul".
After the Peace of Zsitvatorok, seen as a blow to Ottoman prestige, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build a large mosque in Istanbul in the hope of soliciting God's favour. He was the first sultan to build an imperial mosque since Selim II (d. 1574), as both Murad III and Mehmed III before him had neglected to construct their own.
The mosque was built on the southeast side of the old Byzantine Hippodrome, near the Hagia Sophia (the most important mosque of the Ottoman Empire), a site of significant symbolic significance that allows it to dominate the city's skyline. The mosque's location was originally occupied by the Hippodrome's bleachers and its imperial box (where the emperor sat when attending events here). During excavations in the early 20th century, some of the ancient seats were discovered in the mosque's courtyard. Given the mosque's location, size, and number of minarets, it is probable that Sultan Ahmed intended to create a monument that rivalled or surpassed the Hagia Sophia.
Prior to construction, this site was occupied by the palaces of several Ottoman viziers, including Sokollu Mehmet Pasha and Güzel Ahmet Pasha, which required a costly expropriation process. This, along with the fact that the empire was under economic stress, aroused the protests of the ulema (Islamic legal scholars), who argued that sultans should only fund the construction of an imperial mosque with spoils of conquest. Ahmed I had won no major victories and thus had to divert funds from the treasury for this expensive project. The ulema went so far as to forbid Muslims from praying at the mosque.
Despite the opposition, the sultan went ahead with the project. Construction started in 1609 and completed in 1617, when the opening ceremony was held, though the year 1616 is mentioned on some of the mosque's inscriptions. Ahmed I died around the same time or very soon afterwards in 1617. Scholar Godfrey Goodwin notes that the last accounting reports on the mosque's construction were signed by Mustafa I, Ahmed I's successor, which suggests that Ahmed I had died before the final completion of the project.
In the end, the mosque's grandeur, its luxurious decoration, and the elaborate public ceremonies that Ahmed I organized to celebrate the project appear to have swayed public opinion and overcome the initial controversy over its construction. It became one of the most popular mosques in the city. The mosque has left a major mark on the city and has given its name to the surrounding neighbourhood, now known as Sultanahmet.
In 1883, much of the mosque interior's painted decoration was replaced by new stenciled paintwork, some of which changed the original colour scheme. A major fire in 1912 damaged or destroyed several of the outlying structures of the mosque complex, which were subsequently restored.
A major restoration of the mosque took place in the 21st century. During preparatory work in 2013, it was discovered that the mosque's northwest minaret had shifted 5 centimetres (2.0 in) over time, constituting a potential threat to its structural stability. Work to reconstruct and repair the minaret was underway in 2015. Comprehensive restoration work on the rest of the mosque began in 2018 and was finished in April 2023.
Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
The Galata Tower is a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata, the tower is now an exhibition space and museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.
During the Byzantine period the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in what was to become Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.
In 1267 a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls and the Galata Tower was first built at their highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in Romanesque style in 1348 during an expansion of the colony. At the time the Galata Tower, at 219.5 ft (66.9 m), was the tallest building in the city.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished and most of the walls of the citadel were later pulled down in the 19th century, during the northward expansion of the city in the districts of Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş; though small parts of the Genoese walls in Galata have survived. The tower was allowed to survive and was turned into a prison. It was from its roof that, in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi supposedly strapped on wings and made the first intercontinental flight, landing in the Doğancılar Meydanı in Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, a story of doubtful authenticity recounted by the Ottoman travel writer, Evliya Çelebi.
From 1717, the Ottomans used the tower to look out for fires (on the Old Istanbul side of the city the Beyazıt Tower served the same function). In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof was reinforced in lead and wood, but the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, after which further restoration work took place.
In 1875, the tower's conical roof was destroyed during a storm. It remained without this roof for the rest of the Ottoman period but, many years later, during restoration work between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed. At the same time the tower's wooden interior was replaced with a concrete structure and it was opened to the public.
In 2020, the Tower was restored then reopened as a museum now open for the public and tourists.
In 2023, restoration work began on the conical roof, with a focus on extending the lifecycle of the copper finial it once had as well. Other structural reinforcements were achieved on reinforced concrete elements and around the masonry walls, enabling improvements to the building's earthquake resiliency. A 3-meter-high protection tunnel was built around the tower to ensure the safety of visitors and the surrounding area. Galata Tower reopened to the visiting public on May 25, 2024, with a new visitor policy that capped visitor entry at 100 per hour.
The tower is mainly popular for the 360-degree view of Istanbul visible from its observation deck.
Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
The Galata Tower is a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata, the tower is now an exhibition space and museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.
During the Byzantine period the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in what was to become Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.
In 1267 a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls and the Galata Tower was first built at their highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in Romanesque style in 1348 during an expansion of the colony. At the time the Galata Tower, at 219.5 ft (66.9 m), was the tallest building in the city.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished and most of the walls of the citadel were later pulled down in the 19th century, during the northward expansion of the city in the districts of Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş; though small parts of the Genoese walls in Galata have survived. The tower was allowed to survive and was turned into a prison. It was from its roof that, in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi supposedly strapped on wings and made the first intercontinental flight, landing in the Doğancılar Meydanı in Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, a story of doubtful authenticity recounted by the Ottoman travel writer, Evliya Çelebi.
From 1717, the Ottomans used the tower to look out for fires (on the Old Istanbul side of the city the Beyazıt Tower served the same function). In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof was reinforced in lead and wood, but the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, after which further restoration work took place.
In 1875, the tower's conical roof was destroyed during a storm. It remained without this roof for the rest of the Ottoman period but, many years later, during restoration work between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed. At the same time the tower's wooden interior was replaced with a concrete structure and it was opened to the public.
In 2020, the Tower was restored then reopened as a museum now open for the public and tourists.
In 2023, restoration work began on the conical roof, with a focus on extending the lifecycle of the copper finial it once had as well. Other structural reinforcements were achieved on reinforced concrete elements and around the masonry walls, enabling improvements to the building's earthquake resiliency. A 3-meter-high protection tunnel was built around the tower to ensure the safety of visitors and the surrounding area. Galata Tower reopened to the visiting public on May 25, 2024, with a new visitor policy that capped visitor entry at 100 per hour.
The tower is mainly popular for the 360-degree view of Istanbul visible from its observation deck.
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
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Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
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Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of over 5,200,000 in its urban center and 5,864,049 in Ankara Province (total of 25 districts). Ankara is Turkey's second-largest city by population after Istanbul.
Ankara was historically known as Ancyra[d] and Angora. Serving as the capital of the ancient Celtic state of Galatia (280–64 BC), and later of the Roman province with the same name (25 BC–7th century), Ankara has various Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian, Galatian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archeological sites. The Ottomans made the city the capital first of the Anatolia Eyalet (1393 – late 15th century) and then the Angora Eyalet (1827–1864) and the Angora Vilayet (1867–1922). On 23 April 1920, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established in Ankara, which became the headquarters of the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence. Ankara became the new Turkish capital upon the establishment of the Republic on 29 October 1923, succeeding in this role as the former Ottoman capital Istanbul following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The historical center of Ankara is a rocky hill rising 150 m (500 ft) over the left bank of the Ankara River, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The hill remains crowned by the ruins of Ankara Castle. Few of its outworks have survived, but there are well-preserved examples of Roman and Ottoman architecture throughout the city.
The government is a prominent employer, but Ankara is also an important commercial and industrial city located at the center of Turkey's road and railway networks. The city gave its name to the Angora wool shorn from Angora rabbits, the long-haired Angora goat (the source of mohair), and the Angora cat. The area is also known for its pears, honey and Muscat grapes. Although situated in one of the driest regions of Turkey and surrounded mostly by steppe vegetation (except for the forested areas on the southern periphery), Ankara can be considered a green city in terms of green areas per inhabitant, at 72 square meters (775 square feet) per head. Home to numerous universities, Ankara is among the top 100 science and technology clusters in the world.
The Galata Tower is a medieval Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the mostly demolished Walls of Galata, the tower is now an exhibition space and museum, and a symbol of Beyoğlu and Istanbul.
During the Byzantine period the Emperor Justinian had a tower erected in what was to become Galata. This tower was destroyed by the Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.
In 1267 a Genoese colony was established in the Galata part of Constantinople. It was surrounded by walls and the Galata Tower was first built at their highest point as the Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) in Romanesque style in 1348 during an expansion of the colony. At the time the Galata Tower, at 219.5 ft (66.9 m), was the tallest building in the city.
After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Genoese colony was abolished and most of the walls of the citadel were later pulled down in the 19th century, during the northward expansion of the city in the districts of Beyoğlu and Beşiktaş; though small parts of the Genoese walls in Galata have survived. The tower was allowed to survive and was turned into a prison. It was from its roof that, in 1638, Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi supposedly strapped on wings and made the first intercontinental flight, landing in the Doğancılar Meydanı in Üsküdar on the Asian side of the city, a story of doubtful authenticity recounted by the Ottoman travel writer, Evliya Çelebi.
From 1717, the Ottomans used the tower to look out for fires (on the Old Istanbul side of the city the Beyazıt Tower served the same function). In 1794, during the reign of Sultan Selim III, the roof was reinforced in lead and wood, but the stairs were severely damaged by a fire. Another fire damaged the building in 1831, after which further restoration work took place.
In 1875, the tower's conical roof was destroyed during a storm. It remained without this roof for the rest of the Ottoman period but, many years later, during restoration work between 1965 and 1967, the conical roof was reconstructed. At the same time the tower's wooden interior was replaced with a concrete structure and it was opened to the public.
In 2020, the Tower was restored then reopened as a museum now open for the public and tourists.
In 2023, restoration work began on the conical roof, with a focus on extending the lifecycle of the copper finial it once had as well. Other structural reinforcements were achieved on reinforced concrete elements and around the masonry walls, enabling improvements to the building's earthquake resiliency. A 3-meter-high protection tunnel was built around the tower to ensure the safety of visitors and the surrounding area. Galata Tower reopened to the visiting public on May 25, 2024, with a new visitor policy that capped visitor entry at 100 per hour.
The tower is mainly popular for the 360-degree view of Istanbul visible from its observation deck.
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of over 5,200,000 in its urban center and 5,864,049 in Ankara Province (total of 25 districts). Ankara is Turkey's second-largest city by population after Istanbul.
Ankara was historically known as Ancyra[d] and Angora. Serving as the capital of the ancient Celtic state of Galatia (280–64 BC), and later of the Roman province with the same name (25 BC–7th century), Ankara has various Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian, Galatian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archeological sites. The Ottomans made the city the capital first of the Anatolia Eyalet (1393 – late 15th century) and then the Angora Eyalet (1827–1864) and the Angora Vilayet (1867–1922). On 23 April 1920, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established in Ankara, which became the headquarters of the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence. Ankara became the new Turkish capital upon the establishment of the Republic on 29 October 1923, succeeding in this role as the former Ottoman capital Istanbul following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The historical center of Ankara is a rocky hill rising 150 m (500 ft) over the left bank of the Ankara River, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The hill remains crowned by the ruins of Ankara Castle. Few of its outworks have survived, but there are well-preserved examples of Roman and Ottoman architecture throughout the city.
The government is a prominent employer, but Ankara is also an important commercial and industrial city located at the center of Turkey's road and railway networks. The city gave its name to the Angora wool shorn from Angora rabbits, the long-haired Angora goat (the source of mohair), and the Angora cat. The area is also known for its pears, honey and Muscat grapes. Although situated in one of the driest regions of Turkey and surrounded mostly by steppe vegetation (except for the forested areas on the southern periphery), Ankara can be considered a green city in terms of green areas per inhabitant, at 72 square meters (775 square feet) per head. Home to numerous universities, Ankara is among the top 100 science and technology clusters in the world.
Mount Nemrut/Turkiye (In 62 BC, King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues 8–9 m high of himself, two lions, two eagles and various Greek, Armenian, and Iranian gods, such as Vahagn-Hercules, Aramazd-Zeus or Oromasdes, Bakht-Tyche, and Mihr-Apollo-Mithras. These statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them.
The heads of the statues have at some stage been removed from their bodies, and they were deliberately damaged as a result of iconoclasm. The statues have not been restored to their original positions. These slabs display the ancestors of Antiochus, who included Armenian, Greek and Persians...)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
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Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
AJet (formerly branded as AnadoluJet until 31 March 2024) is a Turkish low-cost airline operating domestic flights as well as international flights to Northern Cyprus, Europe and Western Asia from its base at Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. It is a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines which previously operated it as a trademark before becoming an independent airline.
The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Turkey which is straddled by the city of Istanbul. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Asia Minor from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.
Most of the shores of the Bosporus Strait, except for the area to the north, are heavily settled, with the city of Istanbul's metropolitan population of 17 million inhabitants extending inland from both banks.
The Bosporus Strait and the Dardanelles Strait at the opposite end of the Sea of Marmara are together known as the Turkish Straits.
Sections of the shore of the Bosporus in Istanbul have been reinforced with concrete or rubble and those sections of the strait prone to deposition are periodically dredged.
Bosphorus River/Old Town/Turkiye (the Galata Tower/Kulesi, is a medieval stone tower built by the Genoese in 1348.
The nine-story tower is 66.90 meters tall, and was the city's tallest structure when it was built. The elevation at ground level is 35 meters above sea-level. The tower has an external diameter of 16.45 meters at the base, an 8.95 meters diameter inside, and walls that are 3.75 meters thick...)
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The Aqueduct of Valens (Turkish: Valens Su Kemeri, Ancient Greek: Ἀγωγὸς τοῦ ὕδατος, romanized: Agōgós tou hýdatos, lit. 'aqueduct') was a Roman aqueduct system built in the late 4th century AD, to supply Constantinople – the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Construction of the aqueduct began during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantius II (r. 337–361) and was completed in 373 by the Emperor Valens (r. 364–378). The aqueduct remained in use for many centuries. It was extended and maintained by the Byzantines and the Ottomans.
Initially, the Aqueduct of Valens carried water from springs at Danımandere and Pınarca; the channels from each spring met at Dağyenice. This 4th-century first phase of the system was 268 kilometres (167 miles) long. A second, 5th-century phase added a further 451 kilometres (280 miles) of conduits that took water from Vize, 120 kilometres (75 miles) away from Constantinople.
The final and most visible aqueduct bridge in the system survives in the Fatih district of Istanbul, Turkey. Named in Turkish: Bozdoğan Kemeri, lit. 'Aqueduct of the Grey Falcon', it is an important landmark in the city, with its arches passing over Atatürk Boulevard (Atatürk Bulvarı). The Bozdoğan Kemeri spans the valley between the hills that are today occupied by the Istanbul University and the Fatih Mosque, formerly the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles. The surviving section is 921 metres long, about 50 metres less than the original length.
The construction of a water supply system for the city of Byzantium began under the Emperor Hadrian. Constantine the Great re-founded the city and greatly expanded it which meant that demand for fresh water greatly increased.
The Valens aqueduct, which originally sourced its water from the slopes of the hills between Kağıthane and the Sea of Marmara, was merely one of the terminal points of this new wide system of aqueducts and canals—which eventually reached over 250 kilometres (160 mi) in total length, the longest such system of antiquity—that stretched throughout the hill-country of Thrace and provided the capital with water. Once in the city, the water was stored in three open reservoirs and over a hundred underground cisterns, such as the Basilica Cistern, with a combined capacity of over one million cubic metres.
The water comes from two lines from the north-east and one coming from the north-west, which join together outside the walls, near the Adrianople Gate (Edirne Kapı). Near the east end of the aqueduct there is a distribution plant, and another lies near Hagia Sophia. The water feeds the zone of the imperial palace. The daily discharge in the 1950s amounted to 6,120 cubic metres (216,000 cu ft). During Byzantine times, two roads important for the topography of medieval Constantinople crossed under the eastern section of the aqueduct.
The exact date that construction on the aqueduct began is uncertain, but it was completed in 368 AD during the reign of Valens, whose name it bears. The spectacular Bozdoğan Kemeri section lay along the valley between the third and fourth hills of Constantinople, occupied respectively at that time by the Capitolium and the Church of the Holy Apostles. According to tradition, the aqueduct bridge was built using the stones of the walls of Chalcedon, pulled down as punishment in 366 after the revolt of Procopius. The structure was inaugurated in 373 by the urban prefect Clearchus, who commissioned a Nymphaeum Maius in the Forum of Theodosius, that was supplied with water from the aqueduct. After a severe drought in 382, the Emperor Theodosius I built a new line (the Aquaeductus Theodosiacus), which took water from the north-eastern region known today as the Belgrade Forest.
In the 4th century, Gregory of Nazianzus described the Aqueduct of Valens as an "underground and aerial river" (Patristic Greek: ὁ ὑποχθόνιος καὶ τὸ ἀέριος ποταμός, romanized: ho hypokhthónios kai tò aérios potamós). According to Themistius, the first phase of the aqueduct's construction was 1,000 stadia in length – 185 kilometres (115 miles). This was thought to be an exaggeration until archaeological survey revealed the 227-kilometre (141-mile) course of the channel from Danımandere to Constantinople, with another 41-kilometre (25-mile) line to Pınarca making the total system inaugurated by Valens 268 kilometres (167 miles) long. Likewise, the claim of Hesychius of Miletus in the Patria of Constantinople that the aqueduct extended to Vize (Medieval Greek: Βιζύη, romanized: Bizyē) was correct. The second, 5th-century phase of the Aqueduct of Valens – 451 kilometres (280 mi) long – carried water from springs at Pazarlı, at Ergene, and near Binkılıç. Although the routes of the two phases were partly parallel, eventually merging at the Kumarlidere bridge, the water of the two systems was kept separate.
Dalaman is a municipality and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 608 km2, and its population is 47,482 (2022). It is situated on the southwestern coast of Turkey.
Limyra Ancient City Photo Album;
www.flickr.com/photos/feridun_f_alkaya/albums/72157657419...
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
VIDEO - LIMYRA
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of over 5,200,000 in its urban center and 5,864,049 in Ankara Province (total of 25 districts). Ankara is Turkey's second-largest city by population after Istanbul.
Ankara was historically known as Ancyra[d] and Angora. Serving as the capital of the ancient Celtic state of Galatia (280–64 BC), and later of the Roman province with the same name (25 BC–7th century), Ankara has various Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian, Galatian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman archeological sites. The Ottomans made the city the capital first of the Anatolia Eyalet (1393 – late 15th century) and then the Angora Eyalet (1827–1864) and the Angora Vilayet (1867–1922). On 23 April 1920, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey was established in Ankara, which became the headquarters of the Turkish National Movement during the Turkish War of Independence. Ankara became the new Turkish capital upon the establishment of the Republic on 29 October 1923, succeeding in this role as the former Ottoman capital Istanbul following the fall of the Ottoman Empire.
The historical center of Ankara is a rocky hill rising 150 m (500 ft) over the left bank of the Ankara River, a tributary of the Sakarya River. The hill remains crowned by the ruins of Ankara Castle. Few of its outworks have survived, but there are well-preserved examples of Roman and Ottoman architecture throughout the city.
The government is a prominent employer, but Ankara is also an important commercial and industrial city located at the center of Turkey's road and railway networks. The city gave its name to the Angora wool shorn from Angora rabbits, the long-haired Angora goat (the source of mohair), and the Angora cat. The area is also known for its pears, honey and Muscat grapes. Although situated in one of the driest regions of Turkey and surrounded mostly by steppe vegetation (except for the forested areas on the southern periphery), Ankara can be considered a green city in terms of green areas per inhabitant, at 72 square meters (775 square feet) per head. Home to numerous universities, Ankara is among the top 100 science and technology clusters in the world.
Mount Nemrut/Turkiye (In 62 BC, King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues of himself, two lions, two eagles and various Greek, Armenian, and Iranian gods, such as Hercules-Vahagn, Zeus-Aramazd or Oromasdes, Tyche, and Apollo-Mithras. These statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them. The heads of the statues have at some stage been removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site.
The statues appear to have Greek-style facial features, but Persian clothing and hairstyling. Possible uses for this site is thought to have included religious ceremonies, due to the astronomical and religious nature of the monument....)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
Liymra Photo Album;
www.flickr.com/photos/feridun_f_alkaya/albums/72157657419...
Mediterranean Sea Ancient Cities Maps;
www.flickr.com/photos/feridun_f_alkaya/20745381679/in/dat...
Limyra (in Greek Λιμύρα) was a small city in Lycia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, on the Limyrus River, and twenty stadia from the mouth of that river.It was a prosperous city, and one of the oldest cities in lycia. The city had rich and abundant soil, and gradually became one of the finest trade settlements in Greece. Pericles adopted it as the capital of the lycian league.
It is mentioned by Strabo (XIV, 666), Ptolemy (V, 3, 6) and several Latin authors. Gaius Caesar, adopted son of Augustus, died there (Velleius Paterculus, II, 102).
The ruins of Limyra are about 5 km northeast of the town of Finike (ancient Phoenicus) in Antalya Province, Turkey. They consist of a theatre, tombs, sarcophagi, bas-reliefs, Greek and Lycian inscriptions etc. About 3 km east of the site is the Roman Bridge at Limyra, one of the oldest segmental arch bridges of the world. mes,
Ecclesiastical history
Limyra is mentioned as a bishopric in Notitiæ Episcopatuum down to the 12th and 13th centuries as a suffragan of the metropolitan of Myra.
Six bishops are known: Diotimus, mentioned by St. Basil (ep. ccxviii); Lupicinus, present at the First Council of Constantinople, 381; Stephen, at the Council of Chalcedon (451); Theodore, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; Leo, at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787; Nicephorus, at the so-called Photian Council of Constantinople (879).
In the Annuario Pontificio it is listed as a titular see of the Roman province of Lycia
www.exploreturkey.com/exptur.phtml?id=218
Antalya Museum;
www.antalyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/limyra-ruins
LMYRA VIDEO;
Yeni Cami Mosque/Turkiye (The construction of the mosque began in 1597. It was ordered by Sultana Safiye, who was the wife of Sultan Murad III and later Valide Sultan (Queen Mother) of Sultan Mehmed III. She ordered the mosque in her capacity as Valide Sultan, two years after Mehmed III's ascension to the Ottoman throne in 1595, hence the original formal name "Valide Sultan Mosque".
The original architect was Davut Ağa, an apprentice to the great Mimar Sinan. However, Davut Ağa died in 1599 and was replaced by Dalgıç Ahmed Çavuş. The construction took more than half a century and was completed by another Valide Sultan, Sultana Turhan Hatice, mother of Sultan Mehmed IV.
After 1603, the partially constructed structure gradually fell into ruins; and was severely damaged during the Great Fire of Istanbul (1660) which started on 24 July 1660 and, lasting for slightly more than two days, destroyed many neighbourhoods in the city. Later that year, the imperial architect Mustafa Ağa suggested that Sultana Turhan Hatice, mother of Sultan Mehmed IV, should complete the project as a work of piety. Sultana Turhan Hatice also ordered the construction of the nearby Spice Bazaar, which forms a part of the külliye of the New Mosque.Thus, in the last months of 1660, the construction of the mosque was resumed, while the construction of the adjacent bazaar began.
The mosque was finally completed in 1663, and inaugurated in 1665. It was renamed the "New Valide Sultan Mosque" (Yeni Valide Sultan Camii). In time, this name was informally shortened as the "New Mosque" (Yeni Cami) among the public...)
Copyright © 2010 by inigolai/Photography.
No part of this picture may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means , on websites, blogs, without prior permission.
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is considered the country's economic, cultural and historic capital. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey, and is the most populous city in Europe[c] and the world's sixteenth-largest city.
The city was founded as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Megara. In 330 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it first as New Rome (Ancient Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma) and then finally as Constantinople (Constantinopolis) after himself. In 1930, the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul, the Turkish rendering of εἰς τὴν Πόλιν eis tḕn Pólin 'to the City', the appellation Greek speakers used since the 11th century to colloquially refer to the city.
The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Byzantine (330–1204), Latin (1204–1261), late Byzantine (1261–1453), and Ottoman (1453–1922) empires. The city grew in size and influence, eventually becoming a beacon of the Silk Road and one of the most important cities in history. The city played a key role in the advancement of Christianity during Roman/Byzantine times, hosting four of the first seven ecumenical councils before its transformation to an Islamic stronghold following the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE—especially after becoming the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1517.[ In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced the city as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
Istanbul was the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The city has surpassed London and Dubai to become the most visited city in the world, with more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2023. The historic centre of Istanbul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city hosts the headquarters of numerous Turkish companies, accounting for more than thirty percent of the country's economy.
Neolithic artifacts, uncovered by archeologists at the beginning of the 21st century, indicate that Istanbul's historic peninsula was settled as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. That early settlement, important in the spread of the Neolithic Revolution from the Near East to Europe, lasted for almost a millennium before being inundated by rising water levels. The first human settlement on the Asian side, the Fikirtepe mound, is from the Copper Age period, with artifacts dating from 5500 to 3500 BCE. In the European side, near the point of the peninsula (Sarayburnu) there was a settlement during the early 1st millennium BCE. Modern authors have linked it to the possible Thracian toponym Lygos, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as an earlier name for the site of Byzantium.
There is evidence suggesting there were settlements around the region dating as far back as 6700 BC, and it is hard to define if there was any settlement on exact spot at city proper established, but earliest records about city proper begins around 660 BC when Greek settlers from the Attic town of Megara colonized the area and established Byzantium on the European side of the Bosphorus. It fell to the Roman Republic in 196 BC, and was known as Byzantium in Latin until 330, when the city, soon renamed as Constantinople, became the new capital of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Justinian I, the city rose to be the largest in the western world, with a population peaking at close to half a million people. Constantinople functioned as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which effectively ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Turks.
The population had declined during the medieval period, but as the Ottoman Empire approached its historical peak, the city grew to a population of close to 700,000 in the 16th century, once again ranking among the world's most popular cities. With the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, that country's capital moved from Constantinople to Ankara (previously Angora).
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is considered the country's economic, cultural and historic capital. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey, and is the most populous city in Europe[c] and the world's sixteenth-largest city.
The city was founded as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Megara. In 330 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it first as New Rome (Ancient Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma) and then finally as Constantinople (Constantinopolis) after himself. In 1930, the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul, the Turkish rendering of εἰς τὴν Πόλιν eis tḕn Pólin 'to the City', the appellation Greek speakers used since the 11th century to colloquially refer to the city.
The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Byzantine (330–1204), Latin (1204–1261), late Byzantine (1261–1453), and Ottoman (1453–1922) empires. The city grew in size and influence, eventually becoming a beacon of the Silk Road and one of the most important cities in history. The city played a key role in the advancement of Christianity during Roman/Byzantine times, hosting four of the first seven ecumenical councils before its transformation to an Islamic stronghold following the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE—especially after becoming the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1517.[ In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced the city as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
Istanbul was the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The city has surpassed London and Dubai to become the most visited city in the world, with more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2023. The historic centre of Istanbul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city hosts the headquarters of numerous Turkish companies, accounting for more than thirty percent of the country's economy.
Neolithic artifacts, uncovered by archeologists at the beginning of the 21st century, indicate that Istanbul's historic peninsula was settled as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. That early settlement, important in the spread of the Neolithic Revolution from the Near East to Europe, lasted for almost a millennium before being inundated by rising water levels. The first human settlement on the Asian side, the Fikirtepe mound, is from the Copper Age period, with artifacts dating from 5500 to 3500 BCE. In the European side, near the point of the peninsula (Sarayburnu) there was a settlement during the early 1st millennium BCE. Modern authors have linked it to the possible Thracian toponym Lygos, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as an earlier name for the site of Byzantium.
There is evidence suggesting there were settlements around the region dating as far back as 6700 BC, and it is hard to define if there was any settlement on exact spot at city proper established, but earliest records about city proper begins around 660 BC when Greek settlers from the Attic town of Megara colonized the area and established Byzantium on the European side of the Bosphorus. It fell to the Roman Republic in 196 BC, and was known as Byzantium in Latin until 330, when the city, soon renamed as Constantinople, became the new capital of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Justinian I, the city rose to be the largest in the western world, with a population peaking at close to half a million people. Constantinople functioned as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which effectively ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Turks.
The population had declined during the medieval period, but as the Ottoman Empire approached its historical peak, the city grew to a population of close to 700,000 in the 16th century, once again ranking among the world's most popular cities. With the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, that country's capital moved from Constantinople to Ankara (previously Angora).
Anıtkabir is a mausoleum complex located in the Çankaya district of Ankara, Turkey. It serves as the resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first President of the Turkish Republic. Designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, the construction of Anıtkabir began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. In addition to the mausoleum, the complex consists of various structures and monuments, as well as a wooded area known as the Peace Park.
Following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, it was announced that his remains would be kept at the Ethnography Museum of Ankara until a mausoleum could be constructed in Ankara. To determine the location for the mausoleum, a commission was established by the government. Based on a report prepared by the commission, it was decided during a meeting of the Republican People's Party parliamentary group on January 17, 1939, that the structure would be built on Rasattepe. Following this decision, expropriation work began on the relevant land, and an international design competition was launched on March 1, 1941, to determine the structure's design. After the competition ended on March 2, 1942, the evaluations resulted in the decision to implement the project of Emin Onat and Orhan Arda with some modifications, and construction began with a groundbreaking ceremony on October 9, 1944. The construction was carried out in four stages, and due to some problems and delays, it was completed in October 1953, later than originally planned. During the construction, changes were made to the project. On November 10, 1953, Atatürk's remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in a ceremony. Cemal Gürsel, who was buried in 1966, and the remains of eleven people who were buried between 1960 and 1963, were exhumed from Anıtkabir in 1988. İsmet İnönü's grave has been located at Anıtkabir since 1973.
The main building in the complex is the mausoleum, which includes Atatürk's symbolic sarcophagus in the section known as the Hall of Honor, while his actual tomb is located in the lower level of the building. The entrance to the complex is through a tree-lined avenue called the Lions' Road, which leads to the ceremony square. The mausoleum is situated on one side of this square, surrounded by colonnades, while the exit from the complex is located on the opposite side of the square along the path of the Lions' Road. The complex features ten towers at the four corners of the Lions' Road, at the exit of the ceremony square, and at the corners of the square, as well as two sculpture groups and the Atatürk and Independence War Museum. All of these structures, collectively known as the Monument Block, are surrounded by a wooded area called Peace Park. The structures in the complex are made of reinforced concrete and feature surfaces and floors made of various types of marble and travertine, as well as decorative elements created using relief, mosaic, fresco, and carving techniques. The Neoclassical style of the Second National Architecture Movement features elements inspired by the Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk, and Ottoman architectural styles that have exerted influence over the region now known as Turkey throughout history.
The responsibility for all services and tasks at Anıtkabir belongs to the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, and events to be held here are regulated by law. Official commemoration ceremonies are held at Anıtkabir on national holidays in Turkey and on the anniversary of Atatürk's death on November 10, organized by the government. In addition to these, ceremonies are also organized by individuals and representatives of legal entities who are included in the state protocol. Anıtkabir is a place that is occasionally visited and official ceremonies are held at the site by foreign government officials during their official visits to Turkey.
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Ephesus was an ancient Greek city on the coast of Ionia, in present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.
The city was famous in its day for the nearby Temple of Artemis (completed around 550 BC), which has been designated one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Its many monumental buildings included the Library of Celsus and a theatre capable of holding 24,000 spectators.
Ephesus was a recipient city of one of the Pauline epistles and one of the seven churches of Asia addressed in the Book of Revelation. The Gospel of John may have been written there, and it was the site of several 5th-century Christian Councils (Council of Ephesus). The city was destroyed by the Goths in 263. Although it was afterwards rebuilt, its importance as a port and commercial centre declined as the harbour was slowly silted up by the Küçükmenderes River. In 614, it was partially destroyed by an earthquake.
Today, the ruins of Ephesus are a favourite international and local tourist attraction, being accessible from Adnan Menderes Airport and from the resort town Kuşadası. In 2015, the ruins were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.