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Istanbul |
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Richard and I agree that Turkey is one of the countries we intend to visit again. Enshalla (God willing.) Turkey has the loveliest landscaping in the world. Waters of the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea lap the magnificent coastline and the best gifts of |
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Istanbul |
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Istanbul is a city on two continents. Asia and Europe separated by the Bosphorus Straight. The Swiss Hotel and other top line hotels are located on the Asian side of the straight. Most of the tourist sites are located on
the European side with hotels in walking distance. |
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The Haram |
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One of the most interesting areas of the Sultans Topkapi Palace was the Harem. The entrance into the harem is through the Carriage Gate, where the castrated eunuchs guarded the harem. Since castration was not tolerated in
Islam, eunuchs were castrated before they were brought to Istanbul. Some eunuchs had |
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The Treasury |
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The treasury of Topkapi Palace is known as one of the largest and richest of its kind in the world. It can be compared only with the surviving collections of the Hapsburgs in the Schatzkammer Museum in Vienna, and that
of the Czars in Moscow, housed in the Kremlin; even so, |
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Treasury Realics |
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Although the Crusaders carried away many of the relics they found in Anatolia and Constantinople, it was observed afterwards that the various religious institutions of Constantinople, still possessed plenty when the
city fell to the Turks in 1453.
Holy Relics that can be seen in Topkapi Palace are: the stone on which Christ |
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Aya Sophia |
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Upon entering Aya Sophia it was every bit as stunning and overwhelming as I had expected: size, the lights, the mosaics (Zoe and her husband(s), Christ Pantokrator, and the Deisis. The interior is just huge! Justinian said
after completion ?I have outdone thee, O Solomon.? Since Solomon?s temple crumbled |
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Blue Mosque |
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I was stunned by the enormous size of the low interior and round light fittings. Actually it is not a low interior at all; as it is open up into domes, but the huge metal bands that hang down, supporting lamps, create an illusion that the ceiling is not as |
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Ephesus |
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Winter is not a big tourist season in Turkey so while we were never amongst crowds sleeping accommodations were at times difficult to secure. We were lucky to find a quaint bed and breakfast in Ephesus close to everything we
wished to see. One of the Ancient Wonders of the |
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