Showing posts with the label Turkey

The Nişan Taşı of Istanbul

Jun 11, 2024

Scattered throughout the old neighborhoods of Istanbul, particularly in an area known as Okmeydanı , are several stone steles erected in the...

The Battle of The Eclipse

Mar 25, 2022

Picture this: two raging kings have been at war for five years now. Lives have been lost, battles have been fought, and in the current momen...

Treaty of Kadesh: The World’s First Peace Treaty

Mar 10, 2022

On the walls of the Temple of Karnak near Luxor, Egypt, and on the temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II in Thebes, are engravings that describe a g...

The Hayirsizada Dog Massacre

Nov 24, 2021

Istanbul has many fascinating sights, from grand mosques to bustling bazaars, but one thing that has most consistently captured the imaginat...

Istanbul’s Cast Iron Church

Apr 23, 2021

Although it looks like stone, the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church with its richly ornamented façade on the shores of the Golden Horn in Istanbu...

The Vespasianus Titus Tunnel

Oct 19, 2020

Around 300 BC Seleucus I founded, on the current southeast coast of Turkey, the city of Seleucia Pieria. Located north of the mouth of the O...

The Turkish Hotel Built Above an Ancient Ruin

Apr 25, 2020

In 2009, a construction crew digging the foundation for a new hotel in Antakya, Turkey, made an astonishing discovery. They uncovered a va...

Bridges With Buildings—Part 2

Nov 5, 2019

During the Middle Ages, it was common to have buildings built on top of bridges. These spaces were rented out to shopkeepers and merchants, ...

The Ottoman Sultans Who Were Raised in Cages

Sep 25, 2019

Topkapi Palace from across the Bosporus, Istanbul. Photo credit: Faraways/Shutterstock.com Situated in the heart of Istanbul and visible f...

Letters Q, W, And X Were Once Illegal in Turkey

Aug 28, 2019

An alternative spelling for taxi in Istanbul, Turkey. Photo credit: Jürgen Luger/Flickr In 1928, the Turkish government decided to change ...

Prinkipo Orphanage: Europe’s Largest Wooden Building

Apr 18, 2019

This rickety wooden building, practically on the verge of collapse, is the largest wooden building in Europe and the second largest in the ...

The Arsonist Who Set Fire to an Ancient Wonder of The World So That People Would Remember Him

Mar 9, 2019

On the night of July 21, 356 BCE, two important events took place in the Mediterranean Basin. One created history, the other erased it. On ...

The Decorative Birdhouses of Turkey

Aug 1, 2017

Turkish societies value animals greatly, especially birds which they believe bring good luck. The Turk's great love for the feathered sp...

Hattusa: The Ancient Capital of The Hittites

Jun 29, 2017

One of Turkey’s lesser visited but historically significant attraction is the ruin of an ancient city known as Hattusa, located near modern ...

Nasreddin Hodja of Turkey

May 4, 2017

You may have not heard of Nasreddin Hodja, but in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Europe, Nasreddin Hodja is a famous folk chara...

The Sunken City on Kekova Island

Nov 19, 2016

The ancient Lycian city of Simena, often referred to as Kekova-Simena, once straddled the long and narrow island of Kekova in the Mediterran...

The Mysterious Cart Tracks of Phrygia Valley

Oct 28, 2016

In the Phrygian Valley of Turkey, in the west central part of Anatolia, are numerous so called “cart tracks” that crisscross across the land...

Istanbul’s Famous ‘Meme Cat’ Honored With Statue

Oct 7, 2016

On the occasion of World Animal Day on October 4, Istanbul unveiled a sculpture in the likeness of Tombili, a cat that shot into fame early ...

Kayakoy: A Greek Ghost Town in Turkey

Sep 16, 2016

Eight km to the south of Fethiye city in southwestern Turkey lies the ruins of around five hundred houses belonging to the once thriving com...

The Ruined Churches of Ani

May 20, 2016

Up on a plateau in the remote highlands of northeast Turkey, 45 km away from the Turkish border city of Kars, lies the crumbling ruins of so...