This is a lovely area in which you will inevitably get lost. it used to be a zone of outlying summer palaces and monasteries. A couple of the palaces are still set into the walls. The remains of several others, particularly Blachernae and Bonos, rear up above the ground in unexpected ways. Inevitably, the palaces have churches associated with them. Most of the Byzantine churches around have gone or are disappearing fast.
However after the conquest, a strip of churches began to flourish along the Golden Horn. The Ecumenical Patriarchate was demoted to this area in the 16th century and after a few false starts came to rest at the current location in Fener. The Feneriot empire began – the zone of rich non-Turks who made an excellent living negotiating between the providers of foreign goods and services and the Ottomans who found it demeaning to use other languages. Other patriarchates set up Metochions in the area and the breakaway Bulgars established their exarchate here.
Kanlı Kilise, The Church of Theotokos Panaghiotissa, The Mouchliotissa, “St Mary of the Mongols”
Church of St Peter and St Mark/Atık Mustafa Paşa Camii/Kocamustafa Camii/Hasret-I Cabir
Patriarchal Church of St George/The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate
St Demetrios Xyloportas, Balat
Vlach Saray/Church of the Panaghia Paramithias/Palace of the Wallachians
Toklu Ibrahim Dede Mescidisi/Church of St Thecla
The Ayazma of Blachernae/Panayia Blachernae Ayasmasi/Church of Meryem Ana at Blachernae
St Stephen Bulgarian Orthodox Church
The Metochion of Jerusalem
The Metochion of Sinai
The Church of St Nicholas
Posted June 2, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
This is an attempt to map and photograph every remaining Byzantine church in Istanbul, no matter how fragmentary. I also look at the amazing proliferation of Christian variety that has stemmed from the original Ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople. There are some inevitable inaccuracies here. Please let me know if you find some.
Here is the explanation and introduction (with references).
There are two ways of finding a particular church:
1. Find it in the index. Most churches appear under a number of different names.
2. Click the appropriate area on the list below (as indicated by the map).
Kocamustafapaşa, Yenikapı and Silivrikapı
Süleymaniye/Vezneciler/Aksaray
Posted February 3, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
It’s a massive volcano in central Turkey. Strabo reported that from its summit, you could see both the Mediterranean and Black Seas. It’s a spectacular place to ski.
Admittedly, when I was there I was attached to the ski team of a school in Istanbul where I worked. I spent much of my time skiing down the edges of competition slopes with armloads of jackets.
Still, I got away for a good ski sometimes. And just look at the place.
The peak
Winter on Erciyes
Looking towards the Toros Mountains
Another view from Erciyes Dağı
Posted January 31, 2014 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
I don’t really know how this happened.
I was working at a school in Istanbul and our school band was invited to an arts festival at a new college in Antalya. I played bass for them.
We were on the program for a concert in the nice amphitheatre on the seafront. We ended up playing to a massive crowd with a troupe of Georgian folk dancers behind us. This is a picture of me backing Ҫağrı, now a fully-fledged pop star.
I have no idea who throught it would be a good idea to have a grunge band as the mainstay of the independence day festivities. Still, everyone seemed to have a great time. Especially me.
Posted December 2, 2013 Posted by Adam in Uncategorized
Paul Stonemore has a lovely baby girl. As she develops teeth, she begins to bite. She begins to kill small animals. When she switches her attention to people, Paul finds himself becoming first embarrassed, then horrified, as it emerges that Marie has become an efficient killer. A job offer from MI6 leads to Paul and Marie’s flight from Istanbul and across Europe as they search for a place of safety and profit.
Read an excerpt here.
Novel: approx 200 pages
Out now on Amazon Kindle.
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