Follow
Archive for the Category »Uncategorized «
A thousand year old shipwreck, a Carian princess who lived in the 4th century B.C.-every tower of Bodrum Castle has a different story to tell. Bodrum was a forgotten Anatolian fishing village in the 1960s. Its castle, substantially destroyed during English and French bombardment of 26-28 May 1915 in the First World War, lay abandoned in ruins. But its fate changed when artifacts were unearthed and recovered from underwater sites for research and display in the castle. Now, following 40 odd years of efforts, the once notorious dungeon of the castle has been turned into a museum. As one of the Mediterranean’s greenest castle visitors are greeted by a thousand and one species of flowers and birds living in its courtyards. Each of the castle’s six towers tells the story of a different shipwreck. History comes alive here, gripping visitors and transporting them back hundreds of years. Gods and goddesses, queens, knights and sailors of past centuries are brought back to live. But before recounting these tales, let us touch briefly on the history of Bodrum, once one of the largest fortresses on the Mediterranean coast.
Bodrum sits atop Halicarnassus, second capital of the Carian region in the 4th century B.C. A site easy to defend and conducive to trade and navigation, Halicarnassus developed rapidly. The most renowned architects and sculptors of the ancient world rebuilt the city with tax money collected during the reign of the Satrap Mausolus. The first settlement at Halicarnassus was located where the castle stands today. An island by the name of Zephyra in antiquity, it mentioned by Pliny in the 1st century A.D. to have merged with the land mass to form a peninsula. Between 1406 and 1513 the Knights of St. John built their castle here over a previous Turkish fortress.
THE GLASS SHIPWRECK
One of the important shipwrecks on display at the Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Bodrum a ship carrying glass that sank in the harbor Serçe Limani at Marmaris in A.D. 1025.
Known in underwater archeology as ‘the Glass Shipwreck’, it was discovered in 1973 by a sponge-diver named Mehmet Askin from Bozburunlu and excavated by a team of Turkish and American archeologists in 1977-1979. After undergoing conservation in the Museum laboratory, the wooden artifacts that emerged from the excavation were assembled by the Ministry of Culture in a special hall in 1984. The three tons of broken glass found on the ship constitute the largest collection of Islamic glass up to the 11th century A.D.
In the Hall of Glass, formerly the castle’s chapel, the individually illuminated works are exhibited in a dimly lit environment. An aquarium situated in one of the hall’s niches shows how underwater archeological excavations are carried out. A miniature exhibit (scaled down to 1/20 of life-size) vividly depicts the underwater excavation of a 4th century A.D. Byzantine shipwreck.
THE CASTLE TOWERS
The Spanish Tower is also known as the Snake Tower after a relief carving on its side. The upper level of the tower, which was used by the knights as an infirmary, contains artifacts symbolizing plenty, fertility, sickness and health.
In the German Tower you may observe the way of life of the medieval knights. Going east from here, the mass graves of the galley slaves are exhibited in the small salon on the right. In an excavation carried out in front of the English Tower in 1993, a 16th century garbage tip of the Knights of St. John was found containing skeletons of 14 galley slaves with shackles on their feet. A portion of this mass grave is on display here. Following the path north, you will reach the moat that surrounded the thick walls of the citadel with its towers known as Gatineau and Caretto. The Gatineau Tower, its cannon embrasures and ventilation holes blocked, was used as a torture chamber between 1513 and 1522. A Latin inscription, “In de deus Abest” (Where God is not found), appears over the inner portal.
The Italian and French towers are in the castle’s loftiest section. The Axe Tower, situated at the end of a cross-vault in the lower level of these towers, is the Hall of the Carian Princess, a member of the dynasty of Hecatomnus of Mylasa, who ruled the region 2400 years ago. The princess, who was identified as a candidate to be queen after reconstruction of her skull in the Department of Art in Medicine at the University of Manchester, is displayed in a salon reminiscent of a great feast hall.
AN EXHIBITION ADDRESSING THE FIVE SENSES
The English Tower, located at the castle’s southeast corner, is known locally as the Lion Tower. Built by the English in 1415, it was restored in 1980. In an exhibition that appeals to all five senses, this tower, the most monumental structure ever built by the English outside of Britain, takes visitors on a journey back 500 years in time meeting lords and ladies and sip wine in a candle-lit hall permeated with the scent of burning incense.
You may see in this tower not only the arms and banners of the knights who commanded the fortress and the standard presented by the Seljuks to the Ottomans. There is also a green flag with three crescents flown by the Ottoman Turks on their fleet in the 16th century and the various flags used during the intervening 300-year period until the Turkish flag received its present form. A rectangular stone structure located in front of the English Tower is the Hall of Late Bronze Age Shipwrecks, where the 12th century B.C. Cape of Gelidonya shipwreck, the 16th century B.C. Seytan Deresi shipwreck, and the Uluburun shipwreck, the richest ship of the Bronze Age, are displayed, the latter representing a collection of extraordinary value for archeologists. The large variety of finds is evidence of a far-flung international trade during this period.
THE COMMANDER’S TOWER
The story of the restoration of the Commander’s Tower began with the donation to the Bodrum Museum Directorate in 1966 of the personal effects of Lieutenant Ibrahim Nezihi Bey, who had defended Bodrum against the bombardment, by his daughter Neriman Ata. The Commander’s Tower, which is situated at the southwest corner of the fortress’ was thus opened to visitors as the Chamber of the Tower Commander. Upon entering the room, you will find Lieutenant Ibrahim Nezihi seated at his desk working. You may read the letter he wrote to his wife Hatice Hanim as you sip a cup of Turkish coffee. And in the pre-World War I map hanging on the wall you may see the lands ruled by the Ottoman Empire, as well as weapons and medallions in glass cases, together with various personal belongings of Nezihi Bey, including a coffee cup decorated with a star and crescent presented to him as a gift by the Germans. The castle continues to grow as a place of culture and a Museum of Underwater Archaeology in a resort area through exciting and unique exhibitions that are mounted here almost every year.
Malatya is acclaimed for its apricots, which is hardly hasty back this arena of Turkey accounts for fifteen percent of the absolute apple broiled apricot production. Accepted actuality by the bounded name mismis, the apricot has two Latin names, Prunus armeniaca or Armeniaca vulgaris. By the name you ability accept that it is a built-in of Armenia, but in actuality the citizenry of this bake-apple is China, area it has been accepted back 3000 BC. The apricot was agitated westwards into Anatolia via Iran and Caucasia at the time of Alexander the Great‘s Asian campaigns (330-323 BC), and afterwards the Roman acquisition of Anatolia in the aboriginal aeon BC was alien into Italy and Greece by Armenian merchants. From there the apricot fabricated its way to France and Britain. Perhaps it is to those Anatolian Armenian merchants that the apricot owes its accurate name.Fifty percent of all Turkey‘s apricots are developed in Malatya, and ninety-five percent of the coutry‘s broiled apricots are produced here.
In Hittite inscriptions Malatya is alleged Maldia, while the Assyrians knew the city-limits as Meliddu, Melide, Melid or Melidia, and the Urartians as Melitea. Strabo refers to the city-limits as Melitene and says that it was founded by the Assyrian queen Semiramis. The Hittite chat melid acceptation honey is anticipation to be the agent of all these names. The city-limits has been inhabited aback Chalcolithic times (4th and 3rd millennia BC), and was disqualified in about-face by the Hittites, Medes, Persians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans.
The acreage of Anatolia has consistently served as a arch amid east and west, and Malatya lies on an important crossroads. For bags of years the Euphrates has apparent this abuttals in Anatolia, and the arena lies appropriate on this line.
arpinar Waterfall. On the bluff at the aperture of the basin at Subasi is an Ottoman medrese or college. On the way aback from Darende you can see the Backward Hittite reliefs carved in caves in the Levent Valley.
From Malatya one alley headed northeastwards into Caucasia afterward the advance of the Karasu and Aras rivers, addition led due eastwards into Iran via the Murat and Basin Van, and a third southwards via Adiyaman and Urfa into Syria. These age-old anchorage were in use from the time of the Akkadian baron Sargon I in the 3rd millennium BC.
The bank of Arslantepe marks the age-old adjustment at Malatya. Anchored four kilometres from the city-limits at Orduzu, excavations aboriginal began actuality in 1932, absolute seven cultural levels amid Chalcolithic and Roman times. The a lot of important age-old adjustment actuality was that of the backward Hittites. The blasting website has been roofed over to assure the murals, some dating aback 3000 years, apparent actuality from accident by sunlight.
Battalgazi is the breadth bounded humans apperceive as Old Malatya, which was founded if the Roman legionaries accustomed and absitively to body a new city-limits to the arctic of Arslantepe.
Part of the city-limits walls congenital during the administration of Trajan (98-111 AD) are still standing. Actuality you can aswell see Malatya Ulu Mosque, congenital in 1224 by the Seljuk absolutist Alaeddin Keykubad, and Silahtar Mustafa Pasa Kervansaray congenital in 1632 by Mustafa Pasa of Bosnia, arch armourer to Murad IV. If the Ottoman army was billeted actuality in 1838, the citizenry confused to their summer houses at the Aspuzu vineyards and this breadth developed into the new city, overextension as far as the bottom of Mount Beydag.
One of the added contempo architect of Malatya is the basin of Karakaya Dam, area you can barbecue on the shores, watch the fishermen, or yield a baiter cruise on the Malatya I to adore the admirable backdrop and beginning air.
The baby boondocks of Yesilyurt is acclaimed for its cherries accepted as dalbasti, that are acclaimed with a anniversary every June, and abreast actuality you can aswell see the Kapkaj spring, which provides Malatya with adorable bubbler baptize and is a amazing sight, its amnion blubbering from the bounce aperture top aloft and bottomward down over the rocks.Sultansuyu Stud 25 kilometres from the city-limits amid Yesilyurt and Darende is one of three accompaniment endemic studs accustomed in the Ottoman era. The authentic blooded Arab antagonism horses bred actuality acquire astronomic sums for their owners. At Darende you can see the 17th aeon Somuncu Baba Mosque and the Ottoman bedesten, area merchants stored and awash their admired goods, and the G
The a lot of acclaimed afterimage of all in the arena is Mount Nemrut on Malatya southern abuttals with Adiyaman. On the mountaited acme is a aristocratic Commagene altar and burying arena whose gigantic carved statues are so accustomed from posters and photographs. This amazing abode is like a accustomed anchor or an amphitheater temple, and watching the sun acceleration and set over the abundance ranges addition into the ambit are acclaimed experiences. The best time of year to appear actuality is amid May and November.
I angled off my appointment to Malatya with a appointment to the Sirre Market to aftertaste the adorable apricots, and assuredly absolved forth the approach on which the Kertek Weir is anchored aback into Malatya, city-limits of bake-apple and honey.
Whether you travel to Beykoz by boat down the Bosphorus or by road, the distinctive atmosphere of this outlying district of Istanbul strikes you immediately. You leave the crowded concrete city behind, and find yourself enveloped by forest. Then you know you have arrived. It has been claimed that Beykoz was settled 2700 years ago, although by whom is uncertain. What is known is that during Roman times there was a votive altar at Anadolu Kavasi at the mouth of the Bosphorus. Here sailors heading into the Black Sea made sacrifices to Zeus and Poseidon for fair winds and stormless seas. The temperamental Black Sea was so feared that no seaman would think of entering its waters without calling upon divine assistance to ensure his safe return.
The Turks have felt a deep affection for Beykoz ever since they captured the region around seven centuries ago. Ottoman sultans and statesmen built many hunting lodges and country houses in this beautiful area facing the Bosphorus strait to the west and surrounded by woods.
The 17th century Turkish writer Evliya Celebi describes at length the beauty of Tokat Garden, established here by Sultan Mehmed II in the 15th century in commemoration of the conquest of Tokat Castle. ‘This garden set in extensive forest was surrounded by a fence, and here were kept game animals. There was a pavilion, a large pool, a fountain whose water spouted up to a gold bowl suspended from the dome, and a hamam [Turkish bath].’
One hundred gardeners were employed in Tokat Garden, which the 17th century Sultan Murad IV also loved to visit. On its lawns he played cirit, an equestrian team game involving the tossing of javelins. The historian Inciciyan wrote in his book, Pages from Byzantium, that the area along the Bosphorus shore between Hunkâr Iskelesi and Tokat Garden was as beautiful as paradise. He ascribed its beauty to Sultan Suleyman, who had built a cascade of four terraced pools which had later been neglected and fallen into ruin. These pleasure gardens were restored in 1746 by Sultan Mahmud I.
The many springs in Beykoz were a principal source of drinking water for Istanbul, the water being carried in boats down the Bosphorus. With so much water, Beykoz naturally possessed scores of fountains, most notably Ishak Asa Fountain, Anadolu Kavasi Iskele Fountain, and the Mahmud II Fountain from which still pours the water of Karakulak spring. The picturesque villages around Beykoz nestle in a sea of green. There is Mahmutsevket Pasa, formerly inhabited by Greeks, Cumhuriyet (the former Cavuslu Ciftlisi), Cavusbasi which grew up around a hunting lodge built by Yusuf Izzettin Pasa, Kilicli established during the time of Tamerlane’s invasion of Anatolia and Bozhane. The village of Polonezkoy was established by the Polish Adam Cartoriski in 1842, and is still home to a Polish community. Today Polonezkoy is famous for its cherries and pork products, and the inhabitants also make a living from running guest houses for the many city folk who come to enjoy the beautiful countryside.
The district of Beykoz is almost entirely forest, looking from a distance like a sea of trees. In 1994 a study was made of the monumental ancient trees of Beykoz, and several 200 year-old trees were identified, including a chestnut with a girth of 6.3 metres, a diameter of 1.97 metres and a height of 19.5 metres at Kaymakdonduran, a popular picnic area; an oriental plane on Beykoz Meadow with a girth of 6.4 metres, a diameter of over 2 metres, and a height of 25 metres; and another oriental plane towering 33.5 metres in height in the grounds of the Children’s Hospital. A stone pine 170 years of age can be seen in Pasabahce, and an ash tree of 150 years of age in the old cemetery. Tallest of all these ancient trees is an oriental pine at Anadolu Kavasi with a height of 34 metres and a girth of 6.8 metres.
The woods and forests around Beykoz are beautiful in every season. In spring and summer the foliage is so thick that the sky is barely visible from the forest floor.
The village of Akbaba is a beautiful spot set deep in unspoilt woodland. The district is fortunate in having the Beykoz Trust, an organisation devoted to protecting the district’s woodland and beauty spots for future generations to enjoy.
As well as its natural beauty, Beykoz has been home to many famous figures, such as Ahmed Midhat Efendi, who planted cherry and sour cherry orchards here and introduced new farming techniques such as incubators and modern beehives. It was he who first took water from the Sirmakes spring which rose on his estate to Istanbul by boat. Journalist and writer Ali Suavi, Field-Marshal Fevzi Cakmak, the poetess Fitnat Hanim, and the poet Orhan Veli Kanik - whose house can still be seen - all lived in Beykoz.
One day someone asked Ahmed Midhat Efendi to name the loveliest city in the world, to which he replied ‘Istanbul of course’.