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The Chora Church, Istanbul . . Greek word Chora means “outside of the city (land).” It is known that there was a chapel outside of the city before the 5th century when the city walls were erected. The first Chora Church was rebuilt by Justinianus (527-565) in place of this chapel. In the era of Komnenoi, it served as the court chapel for important religious ceremonies, thanks to its nearness to the Palace of Blachernae. Chora Church was destroyed during the Latin invasion (1204-1261) and repaired in the reign of Andronikos II (1282-1328) by the Treasury Minister of the palace, Theodore Metochites (1313). It was expanded towards north and it was decorated with mosaics and frescoes. The mosaics and frescoes in the Chora are the most beautiful examples dating from the last period of the Byzantine painting (14th century). After continuing to serve as a church following the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, the building was converted into a mosque in 1511 by Vizier Hadim Ali Pasha. It was converted into a museum in 1945, and during the restoration in 1948-1959 carried out by the Byzantine Institute of America, the mosaics and frescoes were uncovered and brought to the daylight . . . Music by the amazing @loreenamckennitt

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Sillyon (in Byzantine times Syllaeum) was an important fortress and city near Attaleia in Pamphylia, on the southern coast of modern Turkey. The native Greco-Pamphylian form was Selyniys, possibly deriving from the original Hittite Sallawassi. Throughout Antiquity, the city was relatively unimportant. The city is first mentioned in c. 500 BCE by Pseudo-Scylax. From 469 BCE, the city became part of the Athenian-led Delian League. It is mentioned in the Athenian tribute lists in c. 450 BCE and again in 425 BC,E, and then disappears again from the historical record until 333 BCE when Alexander the Great is said to have unsuccessfully besieged it. The city was extensively rebuilt under the Seleucids, especially its theatre. In later times, when most of western Asia Minor fell to the Kingdom of Pergamon, Sillyon remained a free city by a decision of the Roman Senate . . Music by Shiela Chandra . .

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The Ancient City of Lagina . The site of Lagina is an ancient Carian city located at Turgut village in the province of Mugla. Lagina Hekate used to be a Carian cult site belonging to the ancient city of Stratonikeia located at about 11 km from Lagina. During the recent excavations made by Turkish archaeologists, it has been discovered that the history of the site dates back to the Bronze Age, about 3,000 BCE. It became an important religious center during the rule of Seleucid kings around 3rd century BCE Major constructions were made in the 1st century BCE under the reign of emperor Augustus. According to the inscriptions found at Lagina and at the bouleuterion of Stratonikeia city, these two sites were connected by a sacred road. After the Hellenistic and Roman periods the Byzantines also settled at this site but then it was abandoned most probabily because of the earthquakes and invaders. . . Music: Beni Beni by Niyaz . . .

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The ancient city of Myra * Myra was a leading city of the Lycian Union. Its remains are situated about 1.5 km north of today's Demre. The date of Myra's foundation is unknown.  There is no literary mention of it before the 1st century BCE, when it is said to be one of the six leading cities of the Lycian Union (the other five were Xanthos, Tlos, Pinara, Patara and Olympos). It is believed to date back much further however, as an outer defensive wall has been dated to the 5th century BCE. The city is well known for its amphitheatre (the largest in Lycia) and the plethora of rock-cut tombs carved in the cliff above the theatre. Myra once had a great temple of the goddess Artemis Eleuthera (a distinctive form of Cybele, the ancient mother goddess of Anatolia), said to be Lycia's largest and most splendid building.  It was built on large grounds with beautiful gardens and had an inner court defined by columns, an altar and a statue of the goddess.  Not a trace of it remains today, however, since St. Nicholas (the bishop of Myra in the 4th century CE) in his zeal to stamp out paganism in the region, had the temple of Artemis, along with many other temples, completely destroyed. Emperor Theodosius II made Myra the capital of the Byzantine Eparchy Lycia until the city fell to the caliph Harun ar-Rashid in 808 CE after a seige and quickly went into decline.  Then, early in the reign of Alexius I Comnenus (1081-1118 CE) Myra was overtaken by Seljuk invaders. Because of the terrible plague that swept through Anatolia (Myra lost one-third of its population to it in 542-3 CE) Muslim raids, flooding and earthquakes, Myra was mostly abandoned by the 11th century.  What remains is very impressive - a large theatre with the backdrop of Myra’s famous rock-cut tombs.  The sight of these is quite striking. * * Music by Ömer Faruk Tekbilek . .

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The Istanbul Archaeological Museum . .

The collection of the Archaeology Museum Turkey’s first museum houses over one million artifacts belonging various cultures.

You will find displayed here important artifacts such as the Sarcophagies of Alexander the Great and King Tabnit. Also housed are remarkable artifacts including the Mourning Women Sarcophagus, and the Brankhit Sculptures of the Didim-Milet Sacred Way, belonging from archaic period utill late-Roman period as well as Assyrian, Babylonian and neo-Hittite artefacts. Besides archaeological artifacts, one can enjoy seeing various valuable objects from the pre-islamic Arabian Peninsula, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Anatolia in the Ancient Orient Museum as well as some outstanding tile and pottery samples by Seljuk and Ottoman in the Tiled Kiosk Museum . . Music by @erdemergun_ . .

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Sidé is located in the region of Pamphylia in Anatolia and a prosperous Aegean trading centre in Hellenistic and Roman times in the 1st and 2nd centuries BCE. It’s also one of the best preserved classical sites in Turkey. The ancient city of Side is found on a small peninsula measuring about 1 km by 400 m. Sidé was founded around the 7th century BCE by Greek colonisers from Kyme in Aeolis. The natural geography of the area made it an ideal place in Anatolia for trade and a harbour. The Hittites have connections to the area as attested by artefacts found. In 333 BCE, Alexander the Great occupied the site and introduced the population to Hellenistic culture which became the dominant tradition until the 1st century BCE. Ptolemy later overtook the site when he declared himself king of Egypt in 305 BCE. Side stayed under Ptolemaic control until it was captured by the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. Side was freed from the control of the Seleucid Empire after the defeat of Hannibal and Antiochus the Great. Side began to decline around the 4th century CE with an influx of mountain invaders. It had prosperity on and off through the next few centuries before being abandoned around the 12th century CE.

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Mevlana Rumi’s Tomb in Konya, Turkey

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Sillyon (in Byzantine times Syllaeum) was an important fortress and city near Attaleia in Pamphylia, on the southern coast of modern Turkey. The native Greco-Pamphylian form was Selyniys, possibly deriving from the original Hittite Sallawassi. </p> Throughout Antiquity, the city was relatively unimportant. The city is first mentioned in c. 500 BCE by Pseudo-Scylax. From 469 BCE, the city became part of the Athenian-led Delian League. It is mentioned in the Athenian tribute lists in c. 450 BCE and again in 425 BC,E, and then disappears again from the historical record until 333 BCE when Alexander the Great is said to have unsuccessfully besieged it.</p> The city was extensively rebuilt under the Seleucids, especially its theatre. In later times, when most of western Asia Minor fell to the Kingdom of Pergamon, Sillyon remained a free city by a decision of the Roman Senate

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Aspendos (part 2) . The ancient city of Aspendos is located in Southern Turkey, in the ancient Pamphylia region. Both the archaeological remains and the historical sources confirm that Aspendos had entered upon the stage of ancient world events by the 5th  century BC with the arrival of the Persians to Pamphylia and that it continued to retain its importance until, and after, Alexander‟s control of Asia Minor. The site of Aspendos houses the best preserved ancient theatre of the world. This richly decorated monument bears the traces of different historic periods including the Roman and the Seljuk periods. It was initially built during the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, between 160-180 C.E.  The inscription on the western entrance wall records that the architect was Zenon, son of Theodorus and it was the gift of two rich brothers; A.Curtius Crispinus Arruntianus and A.Curtius Crispinus. .

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Aspendos . ( Part 1) The ancient city of Aspendos is located in Southern Turkey, in the ancient Pamphylia region. Both the archaeological remains and the historical sources confirm that Aspendos had entered upon the stage of ancient world events by the 5th  century BC with the arrival of the Persians to Pamphylia and that it continued to retain its importance until, and after, Alexander‟s control of Asia Minor. The site of Aspendos houses the best preserved ancient theatre of the world. This richly decorated monument bears the traces of different historic periods including the Roman and the Seljuk periods. It was initially built during the reign of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, between 160-180 C.E.  The inscription on the western entrance wall records that the architect was Zenon, son of Theodorus and it was the gift of two rich brothers; A.Curtius Crispinus Arruntianus and A.Curtius Crispinus. .

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Lyrbie- Seleuceia, Turkey

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