impressions
Karakoy tram stop, Istanbul
The Golden Horn, Istanbul
Outside the New Mosque (Yeni Cami), Istanbul
Inside the Blue Mosque, Istanbul
View of the Blue Mosque from Aya Sofya, Istanbul
Inside the Kariye Museum (Chora Museum), Istanbul
Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
On the streets of Kars
At the ruins of Ani, Kars
Urgup, Cappadocia
Rose Valley, Cappadocia
On a hot-air balloon, Cappadocia
Aya Sofya, Istanbul
Sumela Monastery, Trabzon
Church of St Gregory (Abughamrentz), Ani, Kars
Inside the Church of St Gregory (Tigran Honentz), Ani, Kars
Galata bridge, Istanbul
I am finding it difficult to describe my trip to Turkey. From the touristic point of view, its charms are obvious - spectacular geography, stunning Byzantine monuments, a rich and varied cuisine, Armenian ruins in the east, Greek and Roman ruins in the west, and Ottoman and Seljuk architecture scattered throughout the country. And then there's modern Istanbul - chic cafes and art galleries hidden in its elegant, winding streets, a city perched by the sea, laidback and dynamic at the same time.
Piecing together everything I saw together is another story - the history buff in me wants to understand everything in chronological order, actions and consequences, the clash of invading cultures and their influence on each other. Turkey is such a complex confluence of cultures and even its recent history (to say nothing of its modern politics) is difficult to grasp. I was glad I didn't cram too much in two weeks - I needed lots of room to digest what I saw.
More posts to come, on some of the places I visited, I promise.
Comments
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Your pictures made me think of the book "the Sheen on the Silk" by Anne Perry. The novel depicts a young woman coming up to Constantinople to try and save her brother's honor, some 800 years ago. If you like Turkey's cross cultural background you should check this book out :)
I would love to go back and go some exploring.
I am hoping to visit Singapore next month - will you be in town?
hannah-rose: thanks! definitely keep turkey in mind the next time you feel a touch of wanderlust - istanbul alone is a great destination and the rest of turkey is so underrated. i don't think i've been anywhere else where you can really feel the mix of these great civilisations.
jocy: you took the words out of my mouth! and how awesome does that trip on the silk road sound. i've always wanted to do a trip of the route in central asia and i hope i get round to doing it some day!
pret a porter p: byzantium really captures the imagination and i love a book i bought while i was in turkey that's giving me such a great introduction into the empire. personally, i like the chanel couture collection karl lagerfeld did inspired by byzantine motifs.
kali vine: thanks! it really was interesting being in a place where civilisations literally clashed, and so much of what you read about the history sounds very familiar to the modern world! so much to take in.
thanks for the book recommendation, i definitely will check it out.
frances: thanks! the coast was one place i wished i spent more time at - we made it to the black sea coast but just briefly. i definitely want to go back as well.
ammu: thanks! yes i will be around, my number hasn't changed so drop me line when you're here!