While on our way to Ethiopia and Somalia, we had a layover of several hours in Istanbul. So, my Italian and I journeyed into Istanbul and had lunch with our Turkish friends, Zeynep and Yusuf. We met in Taksim Square which I felt was appropriate given its bloody history (the Taksim Square Massacre) and the … Continue reading
Arsemia was the summer capital of the Commagene Kingdom built by King Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philoromaios Philhellen of Commagene in honor of his father King Mithridates I Callinicus. Its mountain location soon became a military stronghold and the site of a mausoleum and religious center. In the valley below is a tributary of … Continue reading
The mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is located in Ankara and was designed by architects Professor Emin Onat and Assistant Professor Orhan Arda, whose proposal beat 48 other entries from several countries in a competition held by the Turkish Government in 1941 for a “monumental mausoleum” for Atatürk. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was the leader of … Continue reading
The Monumental Tomb pictured below was built by Commagene’s King Mithradates II and was dedicated to his mother Isas. Because of the symbol of the eagle on the top of the columns, it was named Karakuş (black bird) Tumulus. There were four columns in each east, west and south direction, however today only two at … Continue reading
I had wanted to visit Cappadocia since reading an article about the region in high school. I saved the article and would be reminded of my desire to go every time I was going through my things. So, while it might have taken me some time to make it there, I did finally make it … Continue reading
The Cendere Bridge (also known as Severan Bridge, Chabinas Bridge or in Turkish: Cendere Köprüsü) is situated within the national park that contains Mount Nemrut. You wouldn’t go widely out of your way to see it, but if you are already visiting Mount Nemrut, it is worth checking out. The bridge is constructed of 92 … Continue reading
The Velvet Rocket 