THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Ancient marvels
The pyramids
Hanging gardens of Babylon
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Temple of Diana at Ephesus
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Colossus of Rhodes
Pharos at Alexandria

THE SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

Ancient marvels

Antipater, a Greek author living in the Phoenician port of Sidon, lists in one of his poems the most remarkable creations of mankind. They are seven in number: the pyramids of Egypt; the hanging gardens of Babylon; the walls of Babylon; the statue of Zeus at Olympia; the temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the mausoleum of Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes.

His list is the basis of the Seven Wonders of the World, much repeated ever since. Posterity makes one change. It seems a waste for Babylon to have two of the wonders. By about the 8th century AD the walls of Babylon have dropped out, to be replaced by the lighthouse of Alexandria.

The pyramids: c.2500 BC

The three pyramids at Giza, a few miles southwest of Cairo, are by far the earliest of Antipater's seven wonders. The largest of the pyramids, built as the tomb of the pharaoh Khufu (known to the Greeks as Cheops), dates from about 2500 BC. No building in the subsequent 4500 years of history has matched this pyramid for sheer bulk. Nearby, and only slightly smaller, are the pyramids created for Khufu's son and grandson, Khafre and Menkure.

The next in date, among the Seven Wonders, follows a very long gap of two millennia. It is the hanging gardens of Babylon.

The hanging gardens of Babylon: c.580 BC

No archaeological trace has been found of the hanging gardens, but tradition assigns them to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar in the last years of Babylon's greatness. One story says that he built them to console a wife, homesick in this flat region for the landscape of her childhood, the mountainous country of the Medes. They are 'hanging' gardens in the sense that the plants appear to float in the air, growing on different levels of artificial terraces irrigated from the Euphrates.

The other five wonders are all connected with Greek civilization. They include the most sacred statue of the entire Greek cult, the image of Zeus at Olympia.

The statue of Zeus at Olympia: c.430 BC

The statue of Zeus is the centerpiece of the god's temple at Olympia. About seven times life-size, it shows him seated on a throne. In one hand, he holds the winged figure which to the Greeks symbolizes victory; in the other is a scepter surmounted by an eagle. The surface of the statue is gold and ivory. In the eyes of the ancient world, this is the masterpiece of the great sculptor Phidias, surpassing even his earlier statue of Athena (also of gold and ivory) for the Parthenon in Athens.

The discovery of the workshop of Phidias at Olympia has enabled archaeologists to date the statue of Zeus to the years around 430 BC. Both the temple and the statue are destroyed in the 5th century AD.

The temple of Diana at Ephesus: c.550 BC

The fourth and fifth wonders of the world are in western Turkey. The temple of Artemis (or Diana) at Ephesus is built in about 550 BC by a man whose name has become a byword for wealth - Croesus, king of Lydia. In keeping with his image, the temple is outstandingly large. But it also contains a famous and unusual statue of Artemis.

This Artemis is not the virgin huntress of Greek myth. She is a local fertility goddess, festooned with swathes of pendulous objects variously interpreted as breasts, eggs or even, it has been argued, testicles (the chief priest of Ephesus is always a eunuch). The temple of Artemis is destroyed by Goths in AD 262.

The mausoleum at Halicarnassus: c.350 BC

Halicarnassus in southwest Turkey (the modern Bodrum) is selected as a new capital in the 4th century BC by the ruler of a small kingdom, Caria. The king is Mausoleums, who dies in about 353 BC. His spectacular tomb, built for him by his widow Artemisia (she is also his sister), has given the world a new word, 'mausoleum'. It is adorned with sculptures, including a frieze of the battle between the Greeks and the female Amazons.

The temple stands until the 12th century AD when it is damaged by an earthquake and later plundered for building materials. Many fragments of the sculptures are in the British Museum.

The Colossus of Rhodes: 292 BC

A giant bronze statue of Helios the sun god, known subsequently as the Colossus of Rhodes, is put up to celebrate the city's survival of a long siege in 305-4 BC. Reinforced with iron and about 30 meters high, it takes some twelve years (292-280 BC) to build and erect beside the harbor. The image of the colossus straddling the harbor entrance is a medieval invention.

Before the end of the 3rd century BC, an earthquake snaps the statue off at the knees. It lies, a humbled giant, until AD 653 when the Arabs captured the island. They break it up for scrap and require, it is said, more than 900 camels to cart it away.

The Pharos at Alexandria: c.280 BC

The sun god Helios features also in the last of the seven wonders. This is the lighthouse put up on the island of Pharos at Alexandria (as a result Pharos becomes the Greek word for any lighthouse). It consists of a three-tier stone tower, said to be more than 120 meters high, which has within it a broad spiral ramp leading up to a platform where fires burn at night. They are reflected out to sea by metal mirrors. Above the fires is a huge statue, of either Alexander or Ptolemy in the guise of Helios.

The lighthouse survives until the 12th century. In the 15th century a fort, still standing today, is built on its ruins.

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Is it safe to travel to Istanbul? 

Although Istanbul seems like a risky place due to the region we are in, the fact that terror is globalizing and threatening the whole world means that Istanbul is no more at risk than other cities.

Travel advisories are issued by trained and competent authorities who have access to information way beyond the published reports. These advisories are prepared according to a protocol. All travel advisories are political tools of governments and they are written by low-level bureaucrats who have never stepped foot in Istanbul. 

To me, some people are just bored at home and add questionable posts online. Many of us already know the answer, so it's like a record that skips again & again. 

I am not trying to prove something. I just like you guys to be realized and enjoy your travels without too much stress of being cautious. Just be as careful as you are in Paris, New York, Brussels, etc.

Travel. Don't overthink. And if you don't go to Istanbul, you don't even know what you are missing out on. London and Paris have more risk than Istanbul. Yes, we have borders with Iraq and Syria but necessary precautions are taken. But, none of us has a crystal ball to tell you where and when will be the next terror attack. So, like many other foreign tourists wish you would enjoy the beauties of Istanbul.

I am sorry but I must add: Americans have not frequently been targets of crime or terror abroad.

If you check the damage of terror in the world you will end up seeing that Americans are the minority.

Mostly, Muslims who are already in the middle east and European locals and Africans has been targets of crime or terror.

Americans have not frequently been targets of crime as well since Americans are not only people who travel. No need to example of yourself. I can easily give example about my bad travel experiences too.

Enjoy Istanbul on your holiday without undue fear, particularly fear of being somehow targeted because of your nationality, ethnicity or religion. It's an amazing city. Simply follow the golden rule and you'll have a wonderful time with no problems.

The only thing you need to be careful is Taxi drivers as a tourist. They are not dangerous enough to harm people but they are mostly trying to rip off and rude 😉

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If you're considering a visit to Istanbul, We're Istanbul locals and we love our city.

  

Istanbul Old City Walk - Classical Istanbul Tour: 

You are going to meet with your guide at 09.00 am at your hotel reception. Together we will walk/drive to the old city. This is a full day walking tour, as all the places are less than 5 minutes walking distance from each other.

The tour starts at the Hippodrome, a center for sports activities and ceremonies and it is also famous for the chariot races during the Roman and the Byzantine era.

After the Hippodrome, we will visit Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque is the second-largest mosque in Istanbul and it was built during the Ottoman Period. It is known for its blue Iznik tiles and being the only Ottoman mosque with 6 minarets.

Then we will visit Topkapi Palace, which was the main palace of the Ottoman Sultans until 1856. Many famous exhibitions are housed in the palace. The Imperial Treasury is another part of the palace and it has an 86-carat diamond on display. We will have a splendid view of the Bosporus and the Golden Horn from the palace.

After here we will have a lunch break and continue to Hagia Sophia, one of the most important buildings in the history of world architecture. Built as a church by the Byzantines and decorated with mosaic tile icons, it then served as a mosque during the Ottoman era. You will be impressed by being in a 1500 years old museum.

The tour ends with a visit to the Grand Bazaar. It is the largest bazaar in the world with its 52 small streets and more than 4000 shops.

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Victory Day in Turkey. 95th anniversary of August 30 Victory Day.

Victory Day is a public holiday in Turkey that commemorates the victory in the Battle of Dumlupinar, the last battle in the Greco-Turkish war. Decisive Turkish victory in this battle was a critical step towards the independence of Turkey.
When the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the First World War, its territory was occupied and partitioned between the Allies. Turkish nationalists promptly began the War of Independence. The Greco-Turkish war was the Western Front of this war.

The Battle of Dumlupinar was the final and decisive battle of the Western Front. It began on August 26, 1922, near the town of Dumlupinar in Kutahya Province. The battle lasted for four days and resulted in decisive Turkish victory, which ended the Greek presence in Anatolia and eventually enabled Turkey to win the War of Independence.

Victory Day is celebrated on August 30 throughout Turkey. It is honors the Turkish military and the Republic of Turkey. The main celebration takes place at Anitkabir (Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's mausoleum) in the capital city of Ankara. Victory Day festivities include flag hoisting, official speeches, wreath-laying ceremonies, military parades. One of the most important ceremonies is held at the War Academy in Istanbul.

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The Jewish Museum of Istanbul.

The museum is comprised of three separate sections, enabling the visitors to be connected to vast amounts of information on history, religious rituals and social life.

Configured with a mindset of establishing a modern, contemporary museum, interactive panels have been designed and technology has been utilized throughout the premises by means of touch-screens.

The museum areas are not restricted to static informative boards and by using an interactive computer system, it is possible to add additional data whenever desired.

In the first section, Jewish history on Anatolian lands from 4th century BC to present day is told. Including the passage from the Ottoman Era to the Turkish Republic, historical events are presented in chronological order. The touch-screen panels that tell of more recent history present various topics with the accompaniment of photographs and videos. In the section devoted to journalism, examples of Jewish press in Turkey, including samples of newspapers, printing press related items and historical objects are featured.

The Midrash hallway that creates the physical connection between Neve Şalom and the museum enables the observation in real-time of religious ceremonies held at the synagogue. To witness rituals such as a Brit Milah (circumcision), a wedding, a Bar Mitzvah, transports a museum visitor to becoming an actual participant in the ceremony.

The section where objects used in religious rituals appear to have been brought back to life are exhibited in the Midrash which is originally from the Apollon synagogue that closed in 1982. A mystic atmosphere prevails in this section where liturgical objects are on display that was used in religious ceremonies in a variety of synagogues.

In the ethnographic section, the cycle of life from birth to death is conveyed to visitors by means of objects, documents, photographs, drawings, and videos. A video projector allows the visitors to view Jewish traditions and rituals in various cities.

In the final section boards and touch-screens tell of Jewish traditions, holidays, cuisine, linguistic culture, and music as well as structures such as synagogues and cemeteries located in regions with large Jewish populations. Visual and auditory elements have been frequently used in these screens. In this section, an oral history study in the Judeo-Espanyol language allows us to listen to live witnesses and this contributes to our collective memories.

A computer in the museum is available to assist visitors who wish to conduct research about the roots of Jewish life in Turkey.

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You know who you are. Seasoned traveler, SLR camera carrier, street food over TripAdvisor restaurants eater. When you visit somewhere new, organized group tours and sightseeing buses aren’t your thing. You don’t want to just be a tourist, you want to get the real feeling of a city. This one-day itinerary will help you explore Istanbul like a local and take you to the hippest spots around that tours would just glide over.

Istanbul Two Continents and Backstreets:
  
The tour takes you off the beaten track of Istanbul. While discovering local markets, bazaars and backstreets, you will also gain an overview of Turkish history, culture and the unique architecture of Istanbul. 

Firstly, we will walk around the Beyazid square where the old Ottoman book bazaar of Istanbul is located then we will walk down to the Tahtakale, which is a popular shopping area for local people as they are able to buy almost anything at wholesale prices. Our walk takes us to the 16th century Rustem Pasa Mosque. The Rustem Pasha Mosque was designed by Ottoman imperial architect Mimar Sinan for the grand vizier Rüstem Pasha and is famous for its Iznik tiles.

Then we we will catch a ferry to Kadikoy, a large residential area on the Asian side of Istanbul. In Kadikoy you will get to see how the local people live and visit Kadikoy's famous fish market.

We will have lunch in Kadikoy and then board another local ferry back to the European side of Istanbul. 

The ferry will stop at Besiktas and from there we will will catch a dolmus up to Taksim, also known as Pera and is one of the main centres of Istanbul. Walking down Istiklal Street, the main street in Taksim, you will feel like you are walking down a European Street, with many famous clothing shops, such as mango and topshop as well as many Starbucks and more than 3,000 street cafes, pubs and restaurants. Taksim is almost the best place to experience the nightlife of Istanbul.

Our walk will take us to Galata tower, one of the first towers built in the world and where you can see a 360-degree view of Istanbul from the top of the tower. We will then walk to Karakoy where we will cross the Galata Bridge, where you can see locals fishing and

From Eminonu, it is easy to get back to your hotel, you can either catch a tram or take a walk.

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The Istanbul You've Never Seen. Some pictures from our last walking tour in Istanbul.

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