Tuesday, January 8, 2013
A snowy first day
Monday, January 7, 2013
Snow
We arrived safely in Istanbul this morning. The students were thrilled to see snow. Of course, I'm not sure if folks will be quite as excited tomorrow, when we visit a number of outdoor sites!
The students will be posting updates on most days, so please check back frequently to keep up with our adventures.
The students will be posting updates on most days, so please check back frequently to keep up with our adventures.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Friday, January 4, 2013
Counting Down
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Basilica Cistern
It
was so hard to pick just one place to talk about! I’m excited for this entire
trip; it’s such an amazing opportunity to be able to experience a new city and
culture as well as study the historical significance of all the palaces,
mosques, etc. Only a few more days!
The
Basilica Cistern was built during Emperor Justinian’s rule in order to provide
the city of Istanbul with enough water. A cistern collects and stores water and
this particular one is the largest of several hundred cisterns that are under
Istanbul. It is 500 feet southwest of the Hagia Sophia and is 453ftx 212 ft,
giving it the ability to contain 10,000 tons of water. However, today it only
has a few feet of water along the bottom.
It
was built around 532 AD under the Stoa Basilica Square, which explains the name. It is also known as the “Sunken Palace” or in Turkish, “Yerebatan sarayi”.
There are 336 large marble columns supporting
the ceiling and 52 stone steps that lead into the entrance of the cistern. In
one corner, there are 2 columns that have Medusa’s head carved into the base,
one that is upside-down and one that is sideways. The reason for these
orientations is still unknown.
It is considered one of the top
tourist attractions in Turkey and has even been in the James Bond movie “From
Russia with Love”.
I can’t wait to hear the dripping
water, see the beautifully designed columns and learn more about its history.
It is such a unique place; I have never seen a cistern before and I’m happy
that this one will be my first.
Ahrida Synagogue
Although I’m looking forward to the entire trip from a
traveler’s perspective, as a student I am interested in seeing the Ahrida
Synagogue in Balat. The synagogue was founded in Constantinople, before the
Ottoman conquest, by a group of Greek Jews.
One interesting thing about the synagogue is that is has
been used by multiple rites of Judaism, as the Greek Jews were absorbed into
Sephardic culture after the Sephardic Jews arrived from Spain. Religious
philosophies often appear in architecture, so I will be interested in seeing if
the old building matches the current beliefs.
I like seeing older synagogues, and especially foreign
synagogues, because it really allows me to see how Judaism has changed through
geography and time. I don’t have the same experience with churches or mosques,
but I’ll be seeing many of both during this course, and I really can’t wait to
be off!
Ephesus
Ephesus was
one of the most influential and important cities of the ancient Greek and Roman
world. At its peak in the first century B.C. it had more than 250,000
inhabitants. It’s home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of
the Ancient World. The city also features prominently in the Bible: the
apostles Paul and John each wrote a letter to the church there, and the Gospel
of John and 1 Corinthians were likely written there. The city has gone through dramatic
rises and declines throughout the last few millennia, and today it is a
prominent tourist attraction in northern Turkey, in the Izmir Province.
I am very
excited for this particular part of the trip, as I have always been a fan of
exploring ancient ruins. The rich cultural and Biblical history of the city
fascinates me, and I look forward to personally experiencing Ephesus. -Addison
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