Protecting what is precious is the most important and meaningful task of a gate. The gates behind the walls protected cities of the past, just like gates protect our homes today. Thus, the gates of Istanbul, which witnessed important events in history, are now valued as historical monuments. The gates in the cities are evidence of how valuable the cities …
İstanbul is a strategic city that has for generations been the center of states and empires. After it has been conquered by the Ottomans, the city attracted attention not only with its political position but also with its works in historical and modern areas, such that over time, poems have been about on the city, songs have been composed about …
Istanbul has a history of about 3,000 years. Throughout history, this city has been known by different names: Byzantium, Constantinople, and Istanbul. In 638 BC, the King Byzas came to the Sarayburnu region. The migrating Greek colony had settled here. The founder of the city, Byzas, gave it the name Byzantium. During the time of the Roman Empire (324 AD), …
The food culture of a city actually includes both food and beverage. That’s why the more varied and complex settlement pockets there are in a city, the more ethnic varieties in food and beverages that one can find there. Istanbul has many different street foods a visitor can try and feel the culture.
Christianity carries with it traces from several other religions and belief systems. It earned its first traces from 3 Pagan gods: Mitra, Dionysos, and Attis. Interaction among these three mysterious cultures exercised a direct influence over this.
Barbaros Hayrettin Pasha, aka Hızır Reis, was born on Midilli Island at the beginning of the 1470s. The name Hayrettin was given him by Suleyman the Magnificent (Kanuni Sultan Süleyman) for services he had done. It means “good for religion.” After leaving business and commerce professions, Barbaros started sailing; in the 1520s, he organized raids to the Mediterranean shores and …
Hagia Sophia has experienced many construction processes from past to present. The first construction was started by Emperor Constantius in the Byzantine period. After this was finished, Hagia Sophia was opened for worshiping. The building was built on the Temple of Artemis with the name Hagia Sophia; it was designed with a wooden roof and had traditional Latin architecture. When …
The historical bond between Turkey and Korea started on 11 August 1949. The reason why these two countries have a well-founded, positive bond is that Turkey sent soldiers to Korea during the Korean War and many of them were martyred. There is no conflict between the two countries in terms of politics because they see each other as a companion …
Countries gain distinction with people who can make contributions that can lead the history of civilization. In Turkish history, there are many commanders, padishahs and sultans who redrew the world map, started a new era with unique ideas, etc.. However, the number of people who universally broke new grounds in science, art and culture is not high. Although there are …
The history of bird houses goes way back. The construction of bird palaces and houses, which has been developing since the 15th century in accordance with classical Ottoman architecture, reached different aesthetic dimensions through the 19th century. In fact, the purpose of making bird palaces is to provide shelter to freely flying birds, to protect them from burning sun and …