As the early morning sunlight poked its head tentatively over the rooftops of Istanbul, the hauntingly beautiful Islamic call to prayer pierced the relative silence of a historic city—once home to power hungry Byzantine Emperors and Ottoman Sultans alike.
Just as I have traveled to many countries around the world, I have always been deeply fascinated with the nation of Turkey. It was love for history, people and the culture of Turkey, which drove me to board a plane this past May and return to ages long forgotten.
Imagine for a second a nation boasting the Troy of Homer’s Illiad, images of the Ionian people fleeing the Dorian invasion and settling the Turquoise Coast and Hittite forces besieging Egyptian strongholds.
Picture the sun setting low over the chariot-racing track, the Hippodrome of Constantinople. Not only did the Romans build Ephesus—once capital of Asia Minor—but Asia also became the seat of New Rome in the form of Constantinople, thus changing the direction of western history forever.
Landing in Istanbul—once Emperor Constantine’s seat of Byzantine power—I was immersed in the hustle and bustle of a thriving metropolis. Straddled on two continents—Asia and Europe—ancient meshed well with the markets and modern streets of New Town.
For those who know me, it is no secret that I have a deep fascination with history. Long before traveling to Turkey, I already knew what one of the highlights of my trip was going to be–the ancient city of Ephesus. Now having returned from my travels, the city was more than I could ever imagine.
Known around the world as what could be the most incredible Roman ruins outside Italy, I knew the ancient city would never dissappoint. Five minutes after leaving its hallowed stone streets behind, I would still be thinking about the history of the place I just left.
I had heard stories about the mysticism of Ephesus and the beauty of its marble temples and paved boulevards stretching down the hill, past the Celsus Library and towards the ancient harbour. Indeed, it is hard not to sit up straight when hearing of the acoustics of the Great Theatre of Ephesus.
It’s almost easy to picture noble Queen Cleopatra and Anthony as they disembarked their vessel and looked up towards the city. Could you picture St. Paul giving his address at Ephesus? What about the men who marched against Sardis, those men of Ephesus who would be some of the few to start the Persian-Greco Wars?
** Don’t forget to check out the first episode of my Turkey travel show at the bottom of this post where I am in the thriving hub of Istanbul. It’s not to be missed. **
Having studied medieval history in university and even high school, the Aya Sophia of Istanbul or the Hagia Sophia cathedral has always been on the top end of my travel list.
Dedicated by Byzantine Emperor Constantius II in the year 360 A.D, the first of three cathedrals was built on the orders of the rather famous fellow known as Constantine the Great, the founder of Constantinople itself.
After the wooden cathedral was burned, the second cathedral (built by Emperor Theosidius) was subsequently destroyed during the Nika Riots of the 6th century A.D. Seemingly doomed, Emperor Justinian I built the Aya Sophia only weeks after the deadly riots saw the cathedral razed.
Famed architects Anthemius of Tralles and the Elder Isidore of Miletus were commissioned by the Emperor to oversee construction of the cathedral designed to rival all others in the known world.
Known as masters of mechanics, their task was to build a world wonder. Constructed in only five years, and with rare stones from across the empire, the cathedral rivals those built across Europe nearly seven centuries later.
Ten thousand workers were put to task carrying material from Egypt, Syria and other places around the Mediterranean. Columns were even carried from the famed Ancient World Wonder, the Artemis Temple for use in the construction of the Aya Sophia.
Well versed in statistics, kinetics and mathematics, Anthemius and Isidore were excellent builders, but the cost of the cathedral was incredible. It is reported when Justinian saw the completed Hagia Sophia, otherwise known as the Church of the Divine Wisdom, he cried out these words.
“My God, I am grateful to you for choosing me to complete this monument. I am now greater than Solomon.”
In the fourth century A.D, the Roman Empire moved its seat of power away from Rome and centered it on Constantinople. The third cathedral, the one seen today, has withstood the test of time–nearly 1,500 years of time to be exact.
In 1453, Constantinople fell to the invading Ottoman Empire and the Aya Sophia was converted into a mosque. Mosaics were painted over and icons of the past Byzantine age were forgotten.
Though converted to an Islamic mosque in the 15th century, the relative tranquility of the resulting centuries–no massive sieges to note–may in fact have led to the preservation of one of the world’s most incredible buildings.
Today, restoration work has brought out many of the Byzantine mosaics and frescoes, illuminating an age many deemed forgotten. As I walked into the cathedral, my breath was taken away by the sheer scope and brilliance of the building.
Light still pours into the cathedral, much as it would have 1,500 years ago and one walks through the giant iron doors into the splendid building commissioned by an Emperor remembered for his coding of law as well as his building projects.
Some of the best memories I’ll ever have of the Aya Sophia were shooting timed-exposure night photographs of Justinian I’s pride and joy. Taken at midnight, some of these photographs are my favourites.
Welcome everyone to the first episode of Traveling with Krushworth where I visit the sights of Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. There’s many more videos in the series, found under the video tab but here’s the Istanbul episode. I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed creating it. Happy travels.
Visit Scotland with me and use me as your Inverness Scotland travel guide. After touring Inverness, visit Loch Ness and try to find the monster. Walk amongst the moors of Culloden Battlefield, the site of the 1746 siege between Jacobite forces and the English redcoats.
Having left the city of Edinburgh–sadly without my hat–I got on board the train to Stonehaven, Scotland. I am on my way to one of the most beautiful castles in Scotland, which lies on a precarious cliff outside the tiny village.
Not long after getting off the Edinburgh train, I learned that the castle was a fair ways outside Stonehaven. The ticket agent at the train station ordered me a taxi cab who then proceeded to rip me off with his fare.
Eight pounds both ways to get to a castle less than 10 minutes away. However, he gave me a tour of the town on the way back. He assured me the detour was just to show off his home town and not to increase the fare. He was correct and the village was beautiful.
Dunnottar Castle lies on the cliffside high above the tumultous ocean. Before the fortress was destroyed by Jacobite forces, it witnessed the likes of William Wallace and Oliver Cromwell’s eight month siege as he tried to regain the Honours of Scotland. What a storied history, indeed.
In order to get to the castle, travellers descend a long steep set of stairs and then you climb up another staircase as the main keep lies on the crag. Today the castle is beautifully situated, but in the 16th century, it must have been easy to defend, but also simple to siege as well.
It was hard to climb the stairs to the castle with my backpacks on, but it was definitely well worth the long haul. I paid my entrance fee and spent as long as I could at the castle. In fact I peered out of every tower and ascended every winding staircase that I could.
In Edinburgh Scotland, tour the underground Edinburgh vaults or shiver at the haunted graveyard tours of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is one of the most haunted cities of Europe and even for scaredy cats, the Edinburgh graveyard tours Greyfriars graveyard tours/vault tours are a must see.
My trip to Edinburgh Scotland started with a longer walk than I would have hoped. No taxi would take me to the train station across the bridge. It was 7:00 in the morning and I had to take the long walk back down into Conwy, North Wales. Before arriving at Llandudno station, I had to walk through town, across the long bridge and up through the seaside village of Llandudno.
I was utterly exhausted on the train. My feet weren’t healed from walking the previous days and I enjoyed the chance to sit on the train and watch Scotland come closer. For those who are worried or nervous about taking trains throughout Great Britain, it is incredibly easy and I highly recommend it for people wanting to see as much of England, Scotland and Wales as possible.
This will be my second time being in Edinburgh and I was doubly excited to explore the city on my own. With my two bags on, I walked towards the Grass Market to find my hostel. Interestingly, it was in this district where the population used to watch public hangings for sport. My hostel is in an old art gallery and is beautiful. The Grass Market is a perfect district for tourists wanting to see as much of the Royal Mile as possible. It’s only 10 minutes away from the castle and you can see it from the hostel windows.
One can only spend so long in the hostel when there’s an entire city to explore and I made my way up the Royal Mile towards Edinburgh Castle. Built on the volcanic outcropping, Edinburgh Castle is naturally fortified and was only captured once when Scottish soldiers climbed the rocks in the dead of night to retake their keep.
I had seen Edinburgh Castle on a previous trip, thus some of the castle’s original magic had gone. Instead of paying the admission price again, I enjoyed taking pictures of the castle from the Princess Street cemeteries.
After taking photos, I called it quits for the day, but not before going out for some beer with an Australian friend I made. We made it an early night because I had to be up early the next day for my trip to Rosslyn Chapel.
We made it an early night. Right when the sun rose, I was up and excited for what the day would bring. I walked three blocks to my bus stop in a confusing district called Toll Cross. Little did I know that there were at least four bus stops on each side of the road.
Some of you might very well remember Rosslyn Chapel as the name of the church where Mary Magdalene rested in the Da Vinci Code. Although the entrance to the chapel was expensive, I have never been to a more incredible stone carved church.
I sat in the pews for hours wondering about the secret St. Clair tomb unopened for 250 years under the floor and marvelled at the carvings of maize and other templar symbols.
Before leaving for the United Kingdom, I was terrified. Questions rattled through my mind like the lumbering trains I’d be travelling on through Britain. Would I catch my plane? Would I get on the right train? Would I end up on the wrong plane, heading for Saskatchewan?
Luckily, none of those things happened. I have traveled with my family before but my trip to the United Kingdom would be my first outside Canada on my own. For both avid travellers and those newly bitten by the travel bug, it is no secret. Travelling alone can cause some jitters.
My adventure began earlier than expected when our plane landed for a stopover in Glasgow Scotland. Sitting around a Scottish airport listening to a funny security guard was a great way to start my trip across Great Britain.
When I arrived in England, I was so worried. I stood in the wrong line at customs. Then the arrivals area caused me untold difficulty. It wasn’t boding well for my trip. Finally, I had to face my first nemesis. The train boards.
After standing around and gawking at the train boards, I found my first platform. A special thank you must go out to a helpful English lady who assisted me by telling me the correct train and carriage as well.
In addition, thank you to the conductor who told me that the station I was going to get off at was not the safest. This would probably be my only blog entry if I went there.
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