Turkey - The Underground Cistern in Istanbul

This interesting card, which I received from Gökçe, shows the Underground Cistern (also called the Basilica Cistern), which I had no idea about before. The first things that come into my mind when I think of Istanbul are the bridges connecting Europe with Asia and of course Hagia Sophia. But I know that it's an ancient city with lots of munuments that aren't so popular, but are definitely worth seeing. I know it's possible to go on a 4 days trip to Istanbul from Odessa (Ukraine) by ship, so maybe someday I'll try it. Of course, I would definitely prefer to go there by train, but ships are OK too :)


The Basilica Cistern (Underground Cistern) was built by Justinian I after the bloody Nika Revolt in 532, probably as an enlargement of an earlier cistern which was constructed by Constantine the Great. During the Byzantium Period, it was used as a reservoir for water storage for the Great Palace and other buildings in the First Hill. During the Ottoman Period, the water was used for Topkapi Palace and watering the gardens of it. However the cistern had its brighest days during the Byzantium Age.

The interior of Underground Cistern is excellent. It is 138 m, 452 ft long by 65m, 213 ft wide. There are 336 columns in the cistern in 12 rows. Most of the column capitals are either in Corinthian or Doric in style. At the far end of the Cistern, there are two heads of Medusa which are put upside down or side ways. The Medusa heads are taken from an ancient pagan site and the position in which they were placed suggests that the people who put them there, were Christians and did not want to remind a god from pagan period. The water inside the underground cistern is collected rain water. The carp in the water are decorative and an incidental protection against pollution. Some people even think that the Byzantines originally also raised fish in the cistern.

Turkey - İstanbul

I've received this (and other 2) wonderful card today from my new penpal Gökçe :) It shows the Sultanahmet Mosque and Haghia Sophia. I haven't been to Turkey, but I find İstanbul one of the most fascinating cities of the world and that's one of the places that I just must visit during my life! As a person, who is interested in history, I enjoy visiting old cities and towns, especially the ones which are older than my own city, so over 1000 years old. But İstanbul isn't simply an ancient city - it's a city which used to be the centre of different empires, different cultures and religions. The historic circumstances were changing, also İstanbul's name was changing, but it was always one of the most important cities in the world.

The history of Hagia Sophia is a good example of the city's history in general - it was built as a Christian patriarchal basilica in 4th century and was later turned into a mosque (and minarets were added). Now it's a museum.
The Sultanahmet Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, was built between 1609 and 1616 and is the national mosque of Turkey.

Last, but not least, as I've written in one of the posts about İstanbul bridges, I love all kind of borders :) So receiving a card, on which I can see both Europe and Asia, makes me very happy :))

Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul; historically Byzantium and later Constantinople) is the largest city in Turkey, largest city proper and second largest metropolitan area in Europe, and fourth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is the cultural and financial center of Turkey. The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbor known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the Europe (Thrace) and on the Asia (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents. In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330–395), the East Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.

Turkey - Cappadocia (TR-16107)

I received this wonderful card as an official from Turkey. According to the sender, these natural "fairy chimneys", located in mid-Turkey, were created by wind. Some of the caves used to be inhabited. I guess that living inside these caves was very hard, but now it's a really interesting view. It also shows the great power of wind and water, which cause erosion and give the rocks so unusual shapes. The Rock Sites of Cappadocia region are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

TR-16107

In a spectacular landscape, entirely sculpted by erosion, the Göreme valley and its surroundings contain rock-hewn sanctuaries that provide unique evidence of Byzantine art in the post-Iconoclastic period. Dwellings, troglodyte villages and underground towns – the remains of a traditional human habitat dating back to the 4th century – can also be seen there.

Turkey - Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge in Istanbul

Thanks to Leslie, I've got postcards showing both bridges in Istanbul that connect Europe and Asia. As I've already written for several times on this blog, I love border bridges and a bridge connecting 2 continents seems to be even more exciting for me :)
This one is called the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge. According to Leslie, "Fatih" means "conquerer" & Sultan Mehmet was the one who captured Constantinople from the Byzantines in 1453. He built the Rumeli Fortress (which you can also see on this card) to help those efforts.

Turkey - a painting by Esat Acet (TR-12944)

It's my 1st official postcard from Turkey :) It shows a painting by Turkish painter Esat Acet, painted in 2001. Unfortunately, I haven't found any further information about the artist or about this painting :( I guess it shows a Turkish village at the seaside? :)

TR-12944

Turkey

Thanks to Leslie, my collection of Turkish cards keeps on increasing :) And they're all very beautiful! This one shows a small map of Turkey (so, there are 7 regions/provinces in Turkey?) and some Turkish art. It's very different from what you can see in other European countries and I think it Turkey will always be closer to Asia. I think there's no need to change it, because culture of Asian countries is really fascinating and there's no point in trying to make people more "European". I've already heard different opinions about Turkey and Turkish people (I mean especially their attitude to women, is Islam still very important in their life etc). I haven't been to Turkey, so I only know the stereotypes, but there's no doubt that Turkey is a beautiful country with interesting history and culture.

Turkey - Ankara

I received this postcard in the World Languages RR (I already have 4 postcards from Leslie and I'm waiting for the 5th one, because we both participate in every Russian group) :D
This postcard shows Ankara, the capital of Turkey. According to Leslie, "Kalbimdesin" means "You're in my heart" :) I can't speak Turkish, but I trust her :)

Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after İstanbul. The city has a mean elevation of 850 m (2800 ft), and as of 2007 the city had a population of 3,901,201, which includes eight districts under the city's administration. Ankara also serves as the capital of the Province of Ankara.

As with many ancient cities, Ankara has gone by several names over the ages: The Hittites gave it the name Ankuwash before 1200 BC. The Galatians and Romans called it Ancyra. In the classical, Hellenistic, and Byzantine periods it was known as Ἄγκυρα Ánkyra. It was also known as Angora after it fell to the Seljuks in 1073, and was so known up until 1930.

Centrally located in Anatolia, Ankara is an important commercial and industrial city. It is the center of the Turkish Government, and houses all foreign embassies. It is an important crossroads of trade, strategically located at the center of Turkey's highway and railway networks, and serves as the marketing center for the surrounding agricultural area. The city was famous for its long-haired Angora goat and its prized wool (mohair), a unique breed of cat (Angora cat), white rabbits and their prized wool (Angora wool), pears, honey, and the region's muscat grapes.

Turkey - Bodrum

As I've already mentioned in my previous post - I have 3 wonderful Turkish cards written in Russian from Leslie :) This one shows Bodrum. Now it's an international center of tourism and yachting, but:

The first recorded settlers in Bodrum region were the Carians and the harbor area was colonized by Dorian Greeks as of the 7th century BC and the city later fell under Persian rule. It was the nominal capital city of the satrapy of Caria. Its location ensured the city enjoyed considerable autonomy.
Herodotus, the historian, (484-420 BC) was born here.

To be honest, I don't like very touristic places, where you can just lie on the beach, swim in the sea and relax, because I find it boring and because there are usually so many people that I have no chance to relax in fact. But, in Turkey there are many places that I know from my history lessons and that I would really love to see.

Turkey - Istanbul

I received this postcard in Slavic countries & Rest of the world RR :) Thanks to Leslie, I already have 3 cards from Turkey written in Russian :) This one shows a lighthouse in Istanbul, somewhere between Europe and Asia :)

Turkey - Istanbul

This beautiful postcard, that I received in the World Languages RR, shows the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul. It connects Europe and Asia. As I've loved all kinds of borders (first it could be simply a province border, now that I can travel more - I enjoy crossing any country borders), I dream of walking through this bridge :) And dreams often come true, right? :)