turkey

The Galata Tower, also called Christea Turris (Tower of Christ) by the Genoese and Megalos Pyrgos (The Great Tower) by the Byzantines, is located in Istanbul, Turkey, to the north of the Golden Horn. One of the city’s most striking landmarks, it is a huge, cone-capped cylinder that dominates the skyline on the Galata side of the Golden Horn.

The tower was built as Christea Turris in 1348 during an expansion of the Genoese colony in Constantinople. It was the apex of the fortifications surrounding the Genoese citadel of Galata. The current tower should not be confused with the old Tower of Galata, an original Byzantine tower, named Megalos Pyrgos, which controlled the northern end of the massive sea chain that closed the entrance of the Golden Horn. This tower was on a different site and was largely destroyed during the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

The 66.90 m tower (62.59 m without the ornament on top) was the city’s tallest structure when built.

The upper section of the tower with the conical cap was slightly modified in several restorations during the Ottoman period when it was used as an observation tower for spotting fires.

In 1638, Hezarfen Ahmet Çelebi flew as an early aviator using artificial wings from this tower over the Bosphorus to the slopes of Üsküdar on the Anatolian side.

In the 1960s the original wooden interior of the tower was replaced by a concrete structure and it was opened to the public. There is a restaurant and café on its upper floors which commands a magnificent view of Istanbul and the Bosphorus.

haydarpasha train station (railway station)...istanbul
since 1908

sultan’s of the city all over the world..

istanbul

marmara sea and Kızkulesi in istanbul…

I love istanbul and turkey..

Went here in 2005.

Cappadocia is generally regarded as the plains and the mountainous region of eastern central Anatolia around the upper and middle reaches of the river Kizilirmak (Red River). It was here that several ancient highways crossed and different cultures came into contact with each other. It was also the land of the Hittites. The sparsely inhabited landscape of Cappadocia is characterized by red sandstone and salt deposits of the Miocene (Tertiary) period. However, the relatively small areas of fertile soil on volcanic tuff is where the population tends to concentrate. This southern part of Cappadocia, the more densely populated, is often spoken of as the heart of the region and yet it lies in the extreme south-western corner. As well as cereals, Cappadocia is best known for potatoes, fruits and wine. Here you can taste some of the best examples of Turkish Cuisine.

The history of Cappadocia began in prehistoric times. Hatti culture (2500-2000 BC.) had its way during the Bronze Age and in about the 2nd Millennium BC. the Hittites settled in the region. Soon the Assyrians (2000-1800 BC.) had established their trading posts. Phrygians probably ruled Cappadocia from 1250 BC., but the Lydians were expelled by the middle of the 6th century BC by the Persians who ruled until 334 BC. In AD 17 the region became a Roman province, trade and military routes were built and urban centers and settlements were encourage. Once Asia Minor came under Christian influence, the first Christian communities appeared in Cappadocia and those persecuted for their religious beliefs elsewhere sought refuge in the region. Cappadocia thus became a melting pot of a variety of ethnic groups, all of which have influenced the culture and religious beliefs. Basilius the Great (329-379 AD), bishop of Caesarea (modern day Kayseri), inspired many religious colonies and for a thousand years an active monastic way of life endured throughout Cappadocia. Invasions first from Turkmenistan and Mongolia and then from Seljuks and Ottomans put an end to the movement.

Went here in 2005.

The House of the Virgin, located in a nature park between Ephesus and Seljuk, Turkey, is believed to be the last residence of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. The site is sacred to both Christians and Muslims, and is visited by many tourists and pilgrims.

A rectangular stone house, which John had built for Mary. It had a fireplace and an apse and a round back wall. The room next to the apse was Mary’s bedroom, which had a spring running into it.

The House of the Virgin is a sacred site for both Christians and Muslims (Muslims also believe in the virgin birth and honor Mary as the mother of the Prophet Jesus).

The spring that runs under the Virgin’s House is believed to have healing properties, and many miracles have been reported. Inside the house are crutches and canes said to be left behind by those who were healed by the sacred spring.

Went here in 2005.

Though a very ancient city nearby Antalya, in the Mediterranean coast of Anatolia, the early history of Olympus is shrouded in mystery. We know it was an important Lycian city by the 2nd century B.C., and that the Olympians worshiped Hephaestos (Vulcan), the god of fire.

The town declined in the 1st century B.C. until the arrival of the Romans in the 2nd century A.D. In the 3rd century pirate attacks brought impoverishment. In the Middle Ages, Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians built fortresses along the coast, but, by the 15th century Olympus had been abandoned.

Today the site is fascinating, not just for its ruins that are fragmentary and widely scattered amidst the thick greenery of wild grapevines, flowering oleander, bay trees, wild figs and pines, but for its site, just inland from a beautiful beach along the course of a stream which runs through a rocky gorge.

Went here in 2005.

Pamukkale is one of the most extraordinary natural wonders in Turkey.

The big attraction is a vast white cliff side with scallop-shaped basins of water and frozen waterfalls. It looks as if it’s made out of snow or cloud or balls of cotton.

Went here in 2005.

The city was founded in 190 B.C. by Eumenes II, king of Pergamon. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, it reached the height of its development as a Roman thermal bath center.

Hierapolis has such extensive ruins: the city walls, the octagonal Martyrium of St. Philip, the 2nd century theater, Temple of Apollo, basilica then the necropolis which covers 2 km. and contains some of the best examples of tomb styles ; it is one of the best-preserved cemeteries in all of Anatolia. The East Bath is in archaeology museum housing many of the remains from Hierapolis.