Sunday 11 January 2015

The Historical Çemberlitaş Bath

The Çemberlitas Historical Bath is located next to the Çemberlitas Column, near the Grand Bazaar. It was built by architect Sinan with the wish of Nurbanu Sultan, the mother of Sultan Murat III and the wife of Selim II, in 1584. Its construction  was intedned to generate revenue in order to support the Valide-i Atik Mosque in Üsküdar.

The hamam has separate sections for both men and women. It was also called the Mother Sultan Bath (Valide Sultan Hamamı) and the Rose Bath (Gül Hamamı). Evliya Çelebi, the most famous Ottoman traveler, called it  Murat III Bath, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1574 until his death.

The glass case of the bath is covered by a dome, and the three stories of changing rooms have been built within a glass case. One then continues from glass case into the hot section (ılıklık) which is roofed by three domes. From the hot section into the main building which is called the harare. At the four corners of the harare, there are six halls and twelve sustaining columns that are covered by domes. In front of the halvets there are navel stones (göbek taşı) that are said they had been fixed by Köprülü Mehmet Paşa. There are inscriptions on the navel stones which have been partially erased and which display the bath’s superb architectural textures as if one were passing through a fantastic corridor of history.

Currently, the Cemberlitas Historical Bath has continued to entertain tourists seeking the pleasures and enjoyment of a Turkish bath. As such, it deserves to be regarded as a masterpiece of Ottoman bath architecture.


Thursday 8 January 2015

Gemiler Island, Turkey Tours

Plan Turkey Vacation to visit this wonderfully arranged Island in a mountain-girt cove, Gemiler Island is stuffed with c.1,500 year old Byzantine remains. The island, only 1km long, has been overviewed by Japanese archeologists who have uncovered the presence of a flourishing residential area sticking to the northern shore.

Not at all like the established urban areas of the district, there are none of the average open structures, no theater, no showers, no exercise center, no colonnaded roads, no marketplace, simply a thick gathering of houses, reservoirs and four fundamental holy places.

Portrayed on Italian medieval oceanic outlines as St. Nicholas Island, Gemiler appears to have flourished as a key stop on the Christian journey course to the Holy Land. Travelers cruising to Jerusalem would put in at this safe harbor, renew water and supplies and petition God for their safe trip.

Today, one can investigate the remaining parts of these early chapels, adorned with mosaics and frescoes, find a gigantic open storage and stroll in a novel processional path up to the house of God church and the island's summit with its shocking 360-degree view.




Tuesday 6 January 2015

The Great Mecidiye Mosque

The Ortakoy Mosque is situated on the waterside of the Ortaköy pier square in the Beşiktaş District, one of the most popular locations on the Bosphorus. Plan Turkey Vacation to this great mosque which was built on the order of Abdulmecid (1839-1861), the ruler of the Ottoman Empire, and was constructed by the Nigoğos Balyan in 1853. It was during the same century that the mosque rose to a higher level of importance on the European side of Istanbul. It is also known as “Great Mecidiye Mosque” and is one of the most beautiful samples of the Baroque architecture in Istanbul.

Previously, there was a little mosque built by Mahmut Ağa, the son-in law of the Vizier Ibrahim Paşa, on the former site of the mosque. The little mosque built in 1721 but was destroyed during the revolt of Patrona Halil in 1730. The current mosque, which was erected in its place, was greatly damaged during the earthquake of 1894, and the spire of the minaret needed to be rearranged. When it was understood that the building was in danger of collapsing in 1960, ground reinforcement efforts were carried out. After the conflagration in 1984, it was completely restored and reattained its previous magnificence.



It is composed of a Harim (sanctum sanctorum) and a Hünkar Kasrı (sultan’s summer palace). The Harim section is composed of a square-shaped main chamber with an edge length of 12.25m, and the middle chamber which passses through the main chamber. The ceiling of the Harim section consists of a dome construction covered with pink mosaics and the dome was placed on the main wall. The mosque has two minarets with a single sherefe (minaret balcony) each, the niche is made of mosaic and white marble, and the pulpit is a marble craftsmanship covered with porphyry. The two-storey house, with its elliptical stairs at the northern entrance, is called Hunkar Kasrı.

The Ortakoy Mosque, built in the 19th century, has reached our times as the main component onlooking the Bosphorus.

Sunday 4 January 2015

The Black Rose of Halfeti Turkey

Plan Turkey Vacation to see the true black roses are said to grow in Turkey and nowhere else in the world because of the soil and growing conditions of the mighty river Euphrates.




Thursday 1 January 2015

The Amazing View of Istanbul



Istanbul is one of the beautiful places in turkey. It still preserves the legacy of past while looking forward to a modern future. In Istanbul one can feel home and it serves different cultures all around you. You can enjoy the harmony of cultures, appreciate harmony of people & enjoy the rhythm of diversities in Istanbul. Landmarks which are historical. City are in harmony with the beautiful Turquoise blue of Bosphorus, which creates an unrivaled landscape.