Antique Hunt in Koritza
When I arrived in Koritza, my dragoman told me that I could find interesting antiques in the town. I asked the men who were...
The Wedding Celebration
There was a lot of excitement and music at the wedding, as if the couple had been in love for many years. The groom,...
The Grand Mosque Inauguration
The grand inauguration of the Sultan Ahmet I’s Grand Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) was marked by opulence. During the ceremony, the Sultan, seated on his...
Economic Measures and International Relations
Support for Tradesmen
Upon Sultan Ahmet I’s accession to the throne, significant economic measures were implemented, notably the distribution of ‘ulufes’ to tradesmen by the...
Sultan’s Decree of Honor
A remarkable decree issued by the Sultan to Tiryaki Hasan Pasha sheds light on the deep respect and gratitude bestowed upon loyal officers. Hasan...
Formal main boulevard entered the Augustaion
The best approach to the palace was from the west, on foot. The great middle street of the city drew together those who arrived...
The church reopened at the Christmas season
When the dome collapsed, Paul tells us, clouds of dust darkened the day, the earth shook, but Christ protected his church and no one...
One Blue and one Green
And so in 532, when he ordered the execution of two criminals prominent in the factions—one Blue and one Green—he poked the hornet’s nest...
Appointed one at Rome
Of what is left to tell, this is worth mentioning. Each year two Roman consuls were appointed: one at Rome, the other at Constantinople....
Theodora was still too young
When this woman saw the populace assembled in the amphitheater, she placed laurel wreaths on her daughters’ heads and in their hands, and sent...
