Category Archives: Land Adventures

Touring an Orthodox Church and Islamic Mosque in Istanbul

ByLanderSea Abroad, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , ,

Scaffolding covers the exterior of the Chora Church, and the interior nave is closed, but the mosaics and frescoes whisper stories to those who visit. We took a taxi to reach the out of the way location, but the trip was worth the effort.

Dome surrounds visitors in the Chora Church
Dome surrounds visitors in the Chora Church.

Constantine I built the monastery church outside the city walls in the 4th century. It was damaged by a strong earthquake in 558 AD and afterward restored by Emperor Justinian. By the 10th century, the church was near ruin. Maria Dukania, a devout Christian, financed the present building, a dome on four pillars (which we couldn’t see). Later several other buildings were added. The church remained safely in the hands of Orthodox monks during the Crusades. Theodores Methochides devoted his entire fortune to a needed restoration in 1305-1320. The exquisite mosaics and frescoes, including those in the funeral chapel, date from that period.

Domed Ceiling
Domed Ceiling

Continue reading Touring an Orthodox Church and Islamic Mosque in Istanbul →

Exploring the Basilica Cistern in Underground Istanbul

ByLanderSea Abroad, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , ,

Updated January 2023

Roman Emperor Justinian was a busy man. He directed the building of Hagia Sofia, hiring two renowned architects, 1000 master craftsman and 10,000 workers to get the job done. He ordered the renovations to the Chora Church (see upcoming blog post), the hippodrome and had the underground cistern built in 532 AD. The Istanbul facility has the capacity of 100,000 tons of water storage.

The Million Stone
The Stone of Million, starting point for all roads leading to Constantinople.
Continue reading Exploring the Basilica Cistern in Underground Istanbul →

Uncovering Istanbul’s Treasures

ByLanderSea Abroad, Land Adventures, Travel Journal/Blog, , , , , , ,

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, was the hub of the civilized world for centuries, and the city’s treasures remain a powerful draw. On this day, we toured four of the major sites within the historic area with a private guide thanks to Turkey Tourism and Barefoot Plus Travel.  Mehmet arrived at 9 and presented an informative orientation. We soon realized he has an incredible wealth of knowledge and felt lucky to be in his presence.

Egyptian Obelisk
Egyptian Obelisk

Mehmet led the way as we climbed the hill to the Hippodrome of Constantine, the former chariot-racing grounds of the Romans and gathering place of the Ottomans. We stopped at the 400-ton Egyptian obelisk, originally carved with hieroglyphics around 1500 BC. We, and I suspect anyone without a guide, would miss reading the stone carvings below the monolith. They tell the story of how the massive column was raised into place using human power and ingenuity. Mehmet claimed it took 32 days.

The base of the obelisk tells the story of how it was raised.
The base of the obelisk tells the story of how it was raised.

Continue reading Uncovering Istanbul’s Treasures →