Turkish Culture: April 2005

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Hagia Sophia Pictures Images of Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Pictures

Hagia Sophia Interior Pictures

Hagia Sophia Interior. Four arches swing across the piers, linked by four pendentives. The apices of the arches and the pendentives support the circular base of the huge central dome.

Hagia Sophia interior. View towards the north colonnade and gallery.

Christ Mosaic - Hagia Sophia Interior Picture

Detail of a mosaic icon of Christ from Hagia Sophia

Justinian - Hagia Sophia Interior Picture

Hagia Sophia. Detail of the mosaic in the lunette over the south doorway showing Justinian who presents a model of the church of Hagia Sophia to the Virgin and Child.

Hagia Sophia Exterior Pictures

Hagia Sophia — The church of Hagia Sophia had been identified with the Ecumenical Patriarchate for more than one thousand years. When speaking of the Great Church of Christ, historians refer to both Hagia Sophia and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The magnificent monument, a landmark of human creation, has also been identified with one of the greatest epochs in the history of the human race.

Panoramic view of Hagia Sophia and its surroundings, including the Hippodrome.

Hagia Sophia — View from the East. The most remarkable feature of the church, which belongs to the transitional type of domed basilica, is the huge dome supported by four massive piers.

Hagia Sophia lithograph from the album by the Fossati brothers, Aya Sofia Constantinople, London 1852, pl. 25 (Athens Gennadeios Library).

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More About Hagia Sophia

History of The Hagia Sophia

History of The Hagia Sophia

The most important Byzantine architecture found in Istanbul consists of churches. The most magnificent of all of the Byzantine churches is the Hagia Sophia. This church was designed by the architects Anthemios of Tralles and Izidorus of Miletus. This construction of the second Hagia Sophia was started in 532 by the order of the Emperor Justinian and was built over the ruins of an earlier structure. Materials were brought from Ephesus, Athens, Rome, and Delphi and were used in the construction of this magnificent building. The church was opened for worship five years later, in 537. The Hagia Sophia has a diameter of 31-33 meters and a height of 54 meters and is covered with a large dome. The church was considerably damaged by the earthquake of 557 and the nephew of the Architect Izidorus supervised the repair of the structure.

Because Byzantium was strongly under the intluence of Rome at the time of the construction of the church, Hagia Sophia Architecture is an amalgam of the magnificence of Roman architecture with the standard church architecture of the Byzantines. The original mosaics of the church were severely damaged by the Iconoclasts, but new mosaics replaced the former in the 9th century after the period of Iconoclasm had disappeared. View Hagia Sophia Pictures at Turkish Culture.

Besides the religious subjects of the mosaics used to decorate the interior surfaces, the emperor was also used as a subject. One mosaic depicts the Virgin Mary with the emperors Justinian and Constantine sitting at her sides. Another mosaic shows Jesus sitting on a throne with the Emperor Leon 7 kneeling before him. Another mosaic is of Mary and John the Baptist imploring Jesus for mercy in the name of the people. All these mosaics bear traces of Hellenistic influences. There are also several mosaic "portraits" of other members of the imperial family. Portrait art was very advanced during the Byzantine period. After Fatih captured the city this structure was used for worship by the Moslems. In 1934 Ataturk had a big respect to the history of the Hagia Sophia and ordered that the structure be used as a museum.

More About Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia Architecture

Hagia Sophia Architecture

Hagia Sophia is the supreme masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its spacious nave is covered by a lofty central dome carried on pendentives , a device not previously employed in monumental construction. Pendentives make possible support of the dome on a square framework of four huge equal arches resting on huge piers. The arches at the east and west are extended and buttressed by great half domes, while the half domes in turn are carried on smaller semidomed exedrae. A vast oblong interior, 102 ft (31 m) by 265 ft (81 m), is thus created from a succession of domical elements that build up to the main dome, 102 ft (31 m) in diameter and 184 ft (56 m) high, in which a corona of 40 arched windows sheds a flood of light on the interior.

At the east end of the nave is the vaulted sanctuary apse and at the west end a great narthex or vestibule, beyond which an exonarthex opens to the forecourt, or atrium. Flanking the nave to the north and south are side aisles with galleries over them. Their massive vaults, carried at both levels by monolithic columns of green and white marble and purple porphyry, serve as buttresses to receive the thrust of the great dome and its supporting arches. The vast interior of Hagia Sophia is thus wholly free of suggestion of ponderous load, and its effect is that of a weightless golden shell that seems to possess a miraculous inherent stability.

In this one structural organism the Roman methods of construction are epitomized, modified and enriched by new aesthetic theories and realized in strikingly colorful materials and ornamental techniques. These materials and techniques are often considered Eastern, but they are in fact the logical outgrowth of trends already apparent in Roman imperial buildings of the first three centuries AD. Hagia Sophia interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marbles and gold mosaic, encrusted upon the brick core of the structure; most of the magnificent figure mosaics have been cleaned and restored to view. Externally, the broad, smooth surfaces of stuccoed walls and the great unconcealed masses of vaults and domes pile up impressively. Hagia Sophia served as model for several of the great Turkish mosques of Constantinople (Istanbul).

More About Hagia Sophia

Sunday, April 17, 2005

Condoleezza Rice Shows Turkey As a Model

The US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has shown Turkey as a model for "how Islam, the Muslim world and democracy" do not contradict with each other.

Rice made a speech to the members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors and said: "I think Islam, the Muslim world, is indeed going through an evolution, and as with any evolution there are both potential negative outcomes and potential positive outcomes. The negative outcome would be the continued rise of extremism and those who would hijack the great world religion to a cause that clearly has nothing to do with Islam. Islam is a peaceful religion..."

Turkey has a secular government system, and has been known as one of the best secular models in Middle East and Europe.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

Turkish National Police Holiday

April 10th is Turkish National Police Holiday. It's 160th anniversary of Turkish Police Academy's start.

It is a one week celebration and many citizens participate in the activities.

Turkish Police Academy History

Police Academy was established on 06 November 1937 as one-year in-service High School under the name of Police Institute in order to train middle and upper ranking administrators in accordance with the 18th Article of the 3201 numbered Security Organization Law.

By the decision of the Training Board of the Ministry of National Education the training duration of the Police Institute was extended to two-year training in 1940, to three-year training in 1962 and to four-year training in 1980.

In accordance with the 132nd Article of the Constitution and the 2nd Article of Higher Education Law it was given a separate legal entity, and with the 06 December 1984 dated and 3087 numbered Police Higher Education Law, it was given the name of Police Academy that is giving four-year graduate degree training and education.

In order to meet personnel needs of the Police Organization in other fields, necessary amendments were made within the framework of 3201 numbered Police Organization Law in 1989 and beginning from 1991, students were started to be accepted under the name of the Faculties and High Schools Unit (FYO) Students and the Police Academy has been assigned for performing of the related services of the Unit.

The Police Academy was reconstructed with the understanding of the Police University by 25 April 2001 dated and 4652 numbered Law.

The Academy was granted the status of University including in its body with its Security Sciences Faculty, Security Sciences Institute, 20 Police Professional High Schools besides Faculty and High Schools Unit.

At the Security Sciences Institute of which establishment was completed in 2002 for giving post-graduate education in four main science branches (Crime Investigations, Security Strategies and Management, International Policing Studies, Traffic Security and Management) was approved by the Higher Education Board on 18.03.2002 and so, these main branches were established.

How to Bargain in Turkey

Bargaining has been an important part of daily Turish Life. Even though new malls, shopping centers, and franchasie stores are being launched every day, there are still many places where you can bargain before deciding to purchase the item.

In Europe or USA, it is common to bargain when you are buying a house, car, or a valuable investment which you will be paying for most of your lifetime. But if you are in Turkey, situation is usually different. You can bargain while shopping at Grand Bazaar, or you can bargain with a taxi driver, or even at a restaurant sometimes.

Bazaars have been a part of Turkish Culture where sellers usually from near villages come to the Bazaar to sell fresh vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, and people (usually ladies) visit the bazaars to buy directly from the farmers (manufacturers).

Bazaars are a great place to bargain while shopping. Also if you are a tourist visiting Turkey, no need to mention, you should bargain hard before buying a valuable item such as an antique rug, or an authentic dress, etc.

Some regular places where you cannot bargain such as: Franchising stores, malls, shopping centers, bus tickets, theaters, restaurants which have menus, public transportation, but remember you always have the right to see a price menu whatever the service you are getting.

So especially be careful and try to bargain with touristic shopping, travel related expenses (tourist guide, private bus rental, sometimes hotels, rental cars etc.)

Have fun at shopping, and good luck with bargaining in Turkey.