Travel to Turkey

The construction was given to the father of Mevlana by Sultan Ala’ al –Din Kaygubad as a present. It was a rose garden. When Mevlana’s father passed away in 13th century, his tomb was constructed here. Mevlana Museum is a tourism center of Turkey.

Who is Mevlana?
Mevlana is a title given to the religious leader and important figures in Islam. Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi is a Persian poet and philosopher. Mevlana Museum was named after this persona. He is known all around the world with his works and thoughts. His philosophy is based on the concept of tolerance. His speech “Come whoever you are” is world wide famous and it shows the great tolerance of him and his philosophy. UNESCO announced the year 2007 as Mevlana year. During 2007, many ceremonies, performances and organizations were held for Mevlana in many different countries.

Parts of Mevlana Museum
Mevlana Museum is one of the mostly visited museums of Turkey. Tourists from all over the world visit the museum. It is such an international museum that panoramic virtual tours are available on the net. Via it, people can go around Mevlana Museum online.

The building and parts of the museum are architecturally masterpieces. This is one of the factors making it a tourism center. You should see all these different parts of Mevlana Museum. The tour begins with the Gates of Dervishes. In this part of the museums, there are rooms of dervishes. There are also ritual rooms and a small mosque here.

The Tomb is an important part of Mevlana Museum. There are mausoleums of Mevlana, his father, Hürrem Pasha and some other important and historical figures. Every mausoleum is designed separately and they are worth to visit.

The construction was used with religious reasons before being a museum and a tourism attraction. So there are parts constructed and used for religious rituals and ceremonies. There is a small mosque. It is a mosque designed very sophistically. The rugs, walls, seats, everything are worth to see in this part. The mosque attracts attention with well designed atmosphere of it.

Once upon a time dervishes and religious men were living in this building. A kitchen was the basic need of them. The kitchen part is still in good condition. It is open to the visitors. In the kitchen, there are illustrations depicting old times.

There is a special dance of dervishes called “Sema”. It is the part of religious ceremonies. There is a Sema Hane, ritual hall in Mevlana Museum. The dance was performed in this part. Now it is a place in which musical instruments, glass or metal dance figures and statues are displayed.

There are collections displayed in Mevlana Museum. First of all, the books of Mevlana can be seen here. He wrote many books and poems. In addition to that, there are Quran collections. They are generally old and hand written Quran pieces. They are unique pieces and you should see the art used for writing these pieces.

Watch a video of Mevlana Museum.

Travel to New York

In 18th century, theatre was experiencing difficult days. There were not enough theatre buildings and there were strict regulations about theatre. Despite everything, New York has been always a centre of culture and art. In 21st century, Broadway is still the centre of theatres.

Famous Plays of Broadway
Up to now, many famous plays by important writers were played in Broadway. Some of these famous plays are The Merchant of Venice, The Beggar’s Opera, The Black Crook, El Capitan, A Trip to Chinatown, Little Johnny Jones, The Fortune Teller, The Red Mill, Babes in Toyland, Lady Be Good, Funny Face, Show Boat and many other interesting and important ones.

Broadway Theatres
On the Broadway Street, 39 theatres are found. They are all famous and they play different theatre plays. These theatres are Al Hirschfield, Ambassador, American Airlines, August Wilson, Brooks Atkinson, Ethel Barrymore, Belasco, Bernard B. Jacobs, Biltmore, Booth, Broadhurst, The Broadway, Circle in the Square, Cort, George Gershwin, John Golden, Helen Hayes, Hilton, Imperial, Longacre, Lunt Fontanne, Lyceum, Majestic, Marquis, Minskoff, Music Box, Nederlander, New Amsterdam, Eugene O’Neill, Palace, Richard Rodgers, Gerald Schonfeld, Shubert, Neil Simon, St. James Studio 54, Vivian Beaumont, Walter Kerr and Winter Garden theatres.

Current Plays of Broadway
During the long history of Broadway, many plays were acted for the first time here, fame came after Broadway and many celebrities joined the acting scene here. Nowadays good playas are still going on. Some of them are A Tale of Two Cities, All My Sons, Mamma Mia, Gypsy: A Musical Fable, In the Heights, Legally Blonde, Mary Poppins, Phantom of the Opera, The Little Mermaid, Billy Eliot the Musical, Young Frankstein, Shrek, To Be or Not To Be, A Man For All Seasons, Grease, American Buffalo, Dividing the Estate, Jersey Boys and many other ones.

Tour of Broadway
You can watch theatre plays in Broadway. In addition to this, from time to time tours are held for Broadway plays. Unfortunately, these are only within the country. There are not international tour programs. However, if you follow the schedule, you can have the chance of watching a Broadway play in another city rather than New York.

Tony Awards of Broadway
Broadway is such a big organization that it has its own awards for players. Every June Tony Awards are given to the artists and shows. It has become more popular after the popularity of TV. People looked for a way to keep audience’s attention. It is a fact that awards catch people’s attention and more and more people come to Broadway.

For further information visit Broadway page.

Travel to Istanbul

Istanbul Toy Museum is located in Göztepe, Istanbul, Turkey. It was founded in 2005 by Sunay Akın. The museum was opened on 23rd April 2005; it is the National Sovereignty and Children’s Day.

Who is Sunay Akin?
Sunay Akin is a Turkish writer, poet, journalist and researcher. He is the founder of Istanbul Toy Museum. Establishing such a museum was a dream of Akin. He gathered toys from all over the world for eleven years. He used his own family’s pavilion as the museum building. In 2005, his dream came true and he opened Istanbul Toy Museum.

Toys at the Museum
At Toys Museum, approximately 4000 pieces toys are found. They were gathered together by Sunay Akin from all over the world. From different countries, you can see many toy kinds. There are new and old pieces. The oldest one is the violin toy made in France in 1817. There are also old toys from America. These are doll and balls. In addition to these, metal toys made in Germany are among the oldest pieces.

The toys are classified and displayed according to their origin, country, history or period. There are toy parts displaying World War Second, Germany, America, France, Turkey, II Abdülhamit King Period and many others. Each part make you live in another time in another place with these little toys.

Activities at the Istanbul Toy Museum
In the first floor of the pavilion you can find a toy and gift shop. From here, you can buy toys as souvenir. There are dolls, metal toys, traditional toy kinds and hand made ones available. You can choose whichever you want.

The second floor displays different soldier figures. There are many imaginary scenes with these soldiers. In addition to that, there are famous world figures such as Batman, Superman, Santa Claus and the others. You will feel the excitement while going around this floor.

While visiting Istanbul Toy Museum, you can rest at the café of museum. You will enjoy resting in this dreamy place. At the museum, there is also an underwater part. This part consists of submarine model and accessories.

At Istanbul Toy Museum, different organizations are held. These are harmonious organizations with the name of museum. For instance, illusion performances, theatre plays for children and similar organizations are held. You can visit the museum and you can also attend these interesting organizations.

Visit the web site of Istanbul Toy Museum.

Vacation in New York

In the early years of 20th century, the area of the square was owned privately. With the movement of New York Times building to the area, everything changed. The publisher of New York Times, Adolph Ochs worked for the renewal of the area. With his offer, a subway station was constructed and advertisements were begun to be used. Everything began that simple and now the streets are full of lights, advertisements, colorful things. These are the things that make the area attractive. These are the characteristic features of Times Square.

New York gained importance in the world arena. It developed day by day. With this development, Times Square became a centre of art, theatres, halls and hotels. Many celebrities met with the scene world here. With time, new features were added to the characteristics of Times Square. Commerce, trade and economy became important. It also became a tourism centre visited by lots of people everyday.

In many movies, TV series, videos and other audiovisual works, Times Square has been used as setting for several times. Times Square is one of the symbols of New York City. Especially, at nights, the square is full of lights creating a charming sight. Neon and sign keep the streets alive. Being so attractive and in the centre of New York, Times Square requires strict security regulations. Especially after 11th September, more and more security precautions were taken. Everyday lots of people come here and go from here. Keeping all them in secure is hard. However, the regulations are good enough to keep everything steady and safe.

New Year and Times Square
Celebrating New Year at Times Square is a tradition since the first organization held in 1907. In 1907, a ball was held at the square. Since then, every year magnificent celebrations are organized. New year night thousands of people gather here. Fireworks light up the streets. Every year more than 25.000 people come here for the celebrations. However, the greatest organization was for millennium. It is predicted that approximately 2 millions people attended to New Year day at Times Square.

Times Square and Broadway Theatre
Broadway Theatre is located very close to the Times Square. It is probably the most famous theatre around the world. Many literary and dramatically important plays were acted for the first time in Broadway. Many actors and actresses became famous after acting here. In the name of Broadway, there are 39 theatres displaying all professional plays. If you go New York City and Times Square, you should see Broadway and watch some plays.

Visiting Times Square
Times Square is the centre of art and commerce. You can find stores of famous trademarks. You can go around great plazas, watch unique theatre plays, taste different flavor in restaurants. If you are interested in architecture, you will also find towers and other buildings. These are well built and interesting construction.

For Times Square Cam visit earthcam.com.

Travel to Brazil

The open arms of Christ the Redeemer are accepted as a symbol of warm characteristics of Brazil people. From the every point of the country, the statue is visible. It is also icon of Christianity.

Construction of Christ the Redeemer Statue and Some Features of Statue
Constructing such a great statue was not a new idea. However, it stayed as an idea for a long time. In 1922 the construction began and it ended in 1931. Christ the Redeemer was opened in the same year, in 1931.

The statue was built with the donations of people. Catholics donated mostly. The design of the statue symbolizes cross, globalization and the entire world. Christ the Redeemer is 38 meters tall and it is approximately 630 tons. The open arms of Christ the Redeemer are 30 meters long.

French sculptor Paul Landowski built the statue. The design of the statue belongs to Heitor da Silva Costa. For construction concrete was used. Additionally, it was covered with a special mixture.

One of the New Seven Wonders of the World: Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is one of the largest statues of the world. It is so great that in 2007 it was chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It was chosen with the votes of people and when the election was held there were many campaigns for the statue. The votes carried it to top and now it is listed as one of the wonders of the world.

The statue gave inspire for other constructions. Sculptures and architects built similar statues. Pico Isabel de Torres in Dominic Republic is one of the examples of these constructions.

Visiting Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is located on the top of Corcovado Mountain. Below the mountain there is Tijuca Forest National Park. The scenery from the mountain and from the park is very beautiful. You can reach to the top of the mountain by railway.

Different organizations are held to attract more people to the area and to the statue. In 1999, Australian bungee jumper Felix Baumgartner jumped from the right hand of the statue. Organizations similar to that are held.

Every year, Christ the Redeemer statue is visited by millions of people. Since its construction, the great statue experienced harsh times. Lastly, in 2008 the statue was struck by a lightning. However, it still keeps its form.

Travel to Turkey

Built as a cathedral, it was converted into a mosque during Ottoman Empire period. It is now a museum and it is also called Hagia Sophia Museum. The construction of it began in 532 and ended in 537. Construction period was very fast for such a cathedral. It is one of the biggest cathedrals of the world.

Hagia Sophia chronologically experiences three different periods. First of all, it was a church. Nothing remained from the first construction. Then a new one was built. However, the same destiny was waiting for it. It was burned and ruined. Not all the parts of the church were damaged. Some major parts of it came to our age. With the order of Emperor Justinian, a totally new church was built. After the conquest of Istanbul by Turks, the church was changed into a mosque. It was used as a mosque for a long time. In 20th century, Hagia Sophia became a museum combining different religious, cultural and historical elements.

Architectural Features of Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is located in Turkey. However, it is a masterpiece of Byzantium architecture. It is such a wonderful building that Hagia Sophia gave inspire for other architectural works.

The construction is 56 meters high and 31 meters high from the inside. There are more than 100 columns carrying the building. The dome is the center of Hagia Sophia. It is separately a masterpiece. Forty windows surround the dome. From these windows, the sunlight enters the inside of the building creating different sceneries.

The museum displays some unique archeological works. Marble works, statues, mosaics, icons are just some of the works you can see here. There are four minarets of Hagia Sophia added after it was converted into a mosque. Four of them are different from each other. As they were added to the construction after a long time, architects built them in different styles and weights in order to balance the building.

Hagia Sophia is famous for its mosaics. Built as a church, it depicts figures of Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, Saints, birth and death. With time, some of these mosaics were taken to different parts of the world by vandal people. After Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque, mosaics were removed or covered. Islam is a religion which does not use imagery elements. Becoming a museum, the situation of Hagia Sophia was protected. Now visiting and seeing different mosaics, paintings are possible.

Visiting Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia was a candidate for New Seven Wonders of the World. It was not chosen in 2007. However, it is still a tourism attraction center of Istanbul. Everyday, the museum is visited by hundreds of people. If you want further information about Istanbul city, read also Center of Turkey: Istanbul.

Watch videos of Hagia Sophia.

Travel to Turkey
Temple of Artemis

Once upon a time, the temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. However, now there are only some columns remaining. Nearly the entire of the temple was ruined.

History of Temple of Artemis
The temple is dedicated to goddess Artemis. It was built in 6 BC. It is totally marble. The construction took a long time. The site area is older than the temple. It is predicted that Lydian and Lelege societies inhabited the area.

The Temple of Artemis was designed and built by Cretan architect Chersiphron and his son Metagenes. King of Lydia Croesus gave the required financial support for the construction of the temple.

The area that temple was built on a boggy area. It is predicted that such an area was chosen intentionally. It was a precaution for possible earthquakes. When the construction of the Artemis Temple ended, it became a visitation point for traders, kings, tourists, and believers. They brought some goods, jewelry for the honor of Artemis goddess.

This old site and temple faced many attacks and it was restored many times. The biggest event in its history is Herostratus’ ruining the temple. The temple was destroyed in 4 BC by Herostratus. He believed that the temple would be world wide famous after that event. Despite being destroyed, fame was important. The temple was restored only after the death of king. However, this was not the first and the last destroy of the temple. It was destroyed by Goths during their rush. The temple was rebuilt by Roman Emperor Constantine. With time, the temple lost its religious importance. The ruins of the construction were used in different constructions.

Architectural Features of Artemis Temple
The researches show that the temple was built in three periods. In the first period, there was an altar in the area. Then the Temple of Artemis was built. Finally, restoration period began.

The entire of the temple could not reach to our age. We know only what is recorded. The data shows that it was approximately 155 meters high and 55 meters width. The temple was built totally from marble. Columns formed the temple. It was not just a building. In it, there were many art works. It was a displaying center. Statues, sculptures, paintings made by famous artists of the era were displayed in the temple.

Tourism and Temple of Artemis
Ephesus ancient city is a tourism center. Read the article Pearl of Aegean: Izmir – Turkey to get more information about Ephesus. Visiting Temple of Artemis is a part of Ephesus tour. The temple is not in good condition. However, it is still worth to see this historical and mythological site.

Travel to Turkey

Now Zeugma antique city is found in Gaziantep, Turkey. Zeugma city was a very important trade way. It was used as a passage way. The area of the city is approximately 20000 square meters. It is near the river Fırat. That makes it economically and militarily important.

History of Zeugma Antique City
Zeugma was founded by Seleucus Nicador. It was one of the biggest cities of Commagene Kingdom. In 1 AD, the city was under the control of Roman Empire. The city was named after Seleceus Nicador. The name was changed in 1 AD, the name “Zeugma” was given to the city. In its long history, Zeugma faced many attacks. Some of them ruined it. When Sassanids invaded the area, Zeugma was damaged. After that, the city becomes the land of Roman Empire. Islamic rushes affect the city. People left Zeugma due to these rushes and Islamic population inhabits it. In 17th century, a village named “Belkıs” is founded in the area.

Why Is Zeugma So Important?
Excavations found a unique city. Zeugma is one of the oldest, greatest cities of the world history. It combines culture, history, art and archeology. The city is famous for its mosaics.

The collection of Zeugma consists of mosaics, bullas, and statues. Zeugma is the city of mosaics. Only a small part of mosaics could be found with excavations. These are Roman works. This kind of mosaic can be found in two places in Turkey, Zeugma and Ephesus. If you also wonder about Ephesus read also TRAVEL: Pearl of Aegean: Izmir – Turkey.

Half of the area found with archeological excavations is covered with mosaics. That makes it world wide famous. Some of them were taken to Gaziantep Museum. Who made these works and why? The area was a common point for traders, for passengers. It was a point where people from the entire world met. These attracted the attention of artists. Lots of painters, sculptures came to Zeugma and left all these masterpieces to our age.

A world record was broken in Zeugma. A collection of more than 100.000 bullas were found. Bulla is a kind of seal used for letters. Finding so many bullas shows the great state archive of Zeugma. On every bulla, there are different figures. These figures give us information about economical, cultural situation of the era. The collection is displayed in Gaziantep Museum. It is one of the richest bulla collections of the world.

Sculptures and statues found in Zeugma are other unique parts of the city. The styles sculptures used here lead the other artists. Combining traditional and cultural elements of the area, works that can be seen only in Zeugma were made. Examining these different sculptures and statues is highly recommended during your visitation.

The city is divided into three, A, B, C. With excavations, A and B parts met with sunlight. There is not an excavation work for part C. There is a project to establish a museum at that part. However, ironically A and B parts is under water! A dam was built on the city!

Travel to Italy

After construction of cathedral, Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in 1173. Six columns form the tower. It is approximately 56 meters height and stairs lead you to the top, more than 290 stairs. The last level of the Pisa Tower is in the shape of cylinder. Here, bells are found.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in a vertical style. However, the building began to lean after the construction. The main cause of leaning is the soft base. The tower continued to lean to the southwest for a long time. It is predicted that 100 years means 7 centimeters leaning. It looks like little, but for a huge building, it is a great change.

Famous Pisa Tower was closed between the years 1990-2001. The building was under the risk of collapse. The technical methods applied to the construction were successful. The leaning of the tower was stopped. Now, visitors are accepted to the tower again.

Architectural Features of Pisa Tower
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is one of the masterpieces of Italian architecture. There is not an exact name about who built it. Speculations indicate the architect Bonanno Pisano.

Construction period took a long time. In 1173, construction began and it was finished in 177 years. Especially, wars brought halt to the construction. The tower was built floor by floor. For the first floor, mainly marble was used. The leaning began with the third floor. Building further floors were nonsense because the building had already began to lean. However, construction continued. The main reasons of leaning were soft base and soil. As the tower was leaning, architects tried a different method. They built floors in different sizes. This made the tower lean to the other side, but it was not a solution. The last floor was built in 14th century. Seven bells were replaced to this floor. Each of these bells has distinctive features. Different producers made them. Their tones and weights are also different from each other.

Visiting the Leaning Tower of Pisa
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the symbol of Italy. Any tourist visiting the country has photo under the tower. The tower is not the only attraction spot in the area. In addition to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, there are some other charming places to visit.

If you go to the city Pisa, certainly visit the Piazza die Miracoli. Anyway, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is located at that square. The square is a common meeting point. It combines architecture, history and nature. Especially at nights, the square is crowded and more beautiful.

The Pisa Tower was built near a cathedral as a bell tower. Visiting this famous cathedral is an option for your vacation. The cathedral was built in Romanesque style. It is the symbol of wealth.

Another place that can be visited along with tower is the Baptistery. It is a huge building with magnificent architecture. In it there is statue of the Baptist, Italo Griselli. The walls were decorated with paintings. The churchyard is an attractive place for visitors. Coming out of the Baptistery, you see the churchyard. It is not only a yard; it is a well designed part of all these buildings.

Visit official website of Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Travel to Turkey

There are legends about the name of the monastery. It is claimed that Christian Greeks were saying “stou mela” when they wanted something from Panagania Icon. The claim is supported with another name. Sumela Monastery was also called as “the virgin of Mela”.

Architecture of Sumela Monastery
The church is predicted to be built in 3AD. There is not much data about what happened before it became a monastery. A famous story about Sumela Monastery is like that: Two monks dream the same thing. They dream that Pagania Icon made by Saint Luke is at Sumela. They come here without knowing each other and meet there. They start to build the first church.

There is a church, rooms, library, kitchen and other rooms at Sumela Monastery. Every part connects you to some other. At the top of a cliff, imagine series of rooms. Stairs lead you to the upper and other parts of the construction.

Walls of church are full of frescoes. The greatest of these frescoes depicts the birth of Virgin Mary, birth of Jesus Christ, their lives. Some paintings from the Bible can be found under them. This great fresco is found on the south wall of monastery. At the south gate of the Sumela the death of Mary and followers are depicted. At the east gate Genesis, Adam and Eve, the first sin, their punishment, and resurrection are found with frescoes. Some frescoes depict angels, Mikhail and the angel of death. These frescoes are the elements making monastery such important and beautiful. However, unfortunately some of them are damaged. Monastery is an old construction. Time, human factor and nature damaged monastery. Many times it was restored, but there are still parts that are not in good conditions.

The balcone of the Sumela Monastery does not look like such old. It is a part added after hundreds of years. It is predicted that balcony was used by monks and quests. From there, you can watch the charming scenery.

Visiting Sumela Monastery
Sumela Monastery is a tourism attraction place. Especially after restoration more and more people began to visit it. It is a tourism center, but government is worried about that. The current situation of monastery requires special care. There are some precautions that visitors should take. In order to keep this unique building, we should be more careful.

Generally Black Sea tours include Sumela Monastery to their schedules. There is accommodation option near Sumela, there are restaurants close to the area. After visiting Sumela, you can stay in the area.

The atmosphere combines culture, history, religion, architecture, archeology, nature and aesthetics. Finding all these at one place is not possible every time. Sumela Monastery is the only example of its type. If you go Trabzon, certainly visit this mysteries place and have great time.