Authentic Semi-Precious and Precious Gemstones of Turkey
Special Emphasis on the Ones Preferred for Prayer Beads
Turkey is renowned for its rich geological diversity, which has led to the discovery of various...
The Fall of the Communist Regime in Bulgaria
The Beginning of the End On 10 November 1989, Todor Zhivkov, who ruled Bulgaria for over 30 years as the Secretary General of the...
The Long Journey to the Han
We kept asking, "How much further to the han?" but the answers were never clear. After ten more minutes, we continued walking. Half an...
Rough Experiences in the Mountains
A Hard Journey Begins
Although it was a relief to escape the sickness of Berat, the road ahead offered no excitement. The path was narrow,...
The Deceptive Guide
A soldier who worked at the Governor’s residence was sure there was a han (a resting place) about four or five hours away. However,...
Historic Mosques in Karaman
Hocamahmut Mosque A Testament to History
Located in the district of Hocamahmut, the mosque was originally constructed in the second half of the 14th century...
Constantinople grew and flourished in consequence
Constantinople’s rulers still saw the riches of worlds flow into their hands, and Constantinople grew and flourished in consequence. The supreme urban achievement in...
Theodosius II surrounded
Emperors kept Constantinople at the center of imperial ambition for I,6OO years. In the fifth century, Theodosius II surrounded it with walls worthy of...
Justinian similarly veils
Everything we know about Justinian similarly veils him in his robes of state and hides him in his palace. The scandalous stories that circulated...
The rest of the Empire
Reading the reports of his spies in the rest of the Empire, Constantine sometimes felt like an observer perched high above some giant circus,...
