Tokguru Musings…

Erkan Kilim asked:


last time The best place from which to survey the outside of the cathedral is the simple, almost rustic garden café, residing in a fine old two – storeyed crenellated building with Gothic windows that was once the Chapter House, and reached by walking between the cathedral and the Bedestan. This quiet spot has a superb view of the cathedral’s south wall with its flying buttresses, and gives the leisure to appreciate the soft meloow golden stone, harmonizing against the background of the green cypress trees and the deep blue sky.French craftsman began work on the construction of the cathedral in 1209 and, thanks to the stability of its flying buttresses, it still stands today despite the earthquakes of the 15th, 16th and 18th centuries. The roof is flat, a concession to the geography and climate of the Orient, but a curiosity in a building which in all other respects resembles the great Gothic cathedrals of France.The cathedral of St. Sophia is, architecturally, the most important monument in Lefko?a, with its superb carving and sculpture in the triple-portalled porch and the colossal high west window. The twin towers were never completed, a fact which made them serve admirably as foundations for the two tall Ottomon minarets added by the Turks after 1571. In appearance these additions, labeled incongruous by purists, have been likened to candles with their extinguishers on.Today, as it has done for more than the last 400 years, the principal mosque, and the greatest celebrations of the two major Muslim festivals, are conducted here. Its name change from Aya Sofya Camii only took place in 1954, when the mufti, the religious head of the Muslims of the island, renamed it the Selimiye Camii in honour of Selim II, the sultan in whose reign Cyprus was conquered by the Turks. Since 1959 the muezzin has been spared the climb up 170 steps to the minaret gallery every day, five times a day, to summon the faithful to prayed, by the introduction of an automatic recording played through a loudspeaker. The mosque is open and can be visited any time, though it is best to avoid the midday prayers on a Friday. During other daily prayer times you can visit but must keep silent. As in all mosques, shoes must be removed at the entrance. No special dress is required, as Turkish Cypriots take a much more relaxed view of bare heads and arms. Inside, the whitewashed interior seems stark, but the beauty of the proportions in the high pillared nave is if anything enhanced by the absence of decoration.

Colour comes in the form of the carpets, predominantly reds and greens, none older than this century, and all of them orientated towards Mecca. This direction is indicated by the highly colourful mihrab or prayer niche in the southern wall. The green wooden structure in the centre of the nave is the prayer platform where the prayer leader or imam stands during services, and the closed lattice gallery in the north transept is where the women, the few who come to the mosque, are penned. Unlike churches, where the bulk of the congregation tends to be female, worshippers in mosque are almost always men.All Christian symbols and decorations were stripper from the cathedral, inside and out, when the Turks conquered Lefko?a in 1570, save for one or two tombstones hidden underneath the carpets at the far end of the cathedral. The Turkish commanded, Mustapha Pasha, even had the graves opened and the bones scattered randomly.Venetian historians wrote many such accounts, none of which enhanced the Turks’reputation for clemency. The Ottomans had already taken Syria, Egypt, Rhodes and Constantinople before they turned to Cyprus. With a huge fleet and over 100,000 men, they landed at Limassol which they quickly pillaged and burnt, before moving on to Lefko?a, the capital.

Hearing of the advance, the terrified government gathered the men, women and children within the walls. The Venetian governor at the time was one Nicola Dandolo, ‘a man whose ineptitude was so apparent, his supineness so glaring that it verged on treachery’, as one historian wrote. The odds were hopeless. Within the walls were 76,000, of whom only 11,000 were capable of fighting. The strength of the walls was such, however, that the siege lasted 48 days before the city fell. In the marketplace of Lefko?a a funeral pyre was made of the old, the infirm and any others, who were unsuitable as slaves, and the acrid smoke filled the city for days. When the Ottoman ships returned to Constantinople, they were bulging with as many slaves and as much gold and jewels as they had been able to cram aboard. Over 20,000 Turkish soldiers were left behind to settle on the island, and more were subsequently encouraged to emigrate from the mainland.

The Turks retained control of the island for the next three centuries, but despite much mismanagement, along with nature’s contributions of famine, drought, and plague, there were some important developments. The Greeks were given more autonomy than they had ever enjoyed under any previous ruler. The feudal system imposed under the Lusignans and perpetuated under the Venetians, in which the peasants were fountains distributed all over the cities for the first time. A few are still in use today. The Turks rarely went in for building fancy, self-glorifying edifices like Roman triumphal arches or Egyptian pyramids. Their legacy lay in social welfare buildings, like aqueducts, mosques, tekkes, caravanserais, schools, libraries and baths.No attempt was made to impose Islam on the native population.

The Latin Catholic priests were expelled, and the Greek Orthodox Church was restored.

NorthCyprus Hotels The Greeks in fact tore down many Latin Gothic churches and the remainder were turned into mosques or stables. The Turks gave the Orthodox archbishop the responsibility for collecting taxes from both Greek and Turkish elements of the population, and in return, the Church was itself exempt from any tax it collected in excess of the tribute specified. It was from this practice that the habit was established of the archbishop being regarded as the de facto head of the Greek Cypriots, a role which was frequently misused from then until Archbishop Makarios , under whom the Cypriot Church overreached itself for the.



Create a video blog…instantly.

Erkan Kilim asked:


All of Lapta’s churches date back to the Ottoman Preiod. The churches were independent from the Cypriot government, their running was controlled by the Ottoman Sultan and all their expenditures covered by the Ottomans. This shows that also Orthodox churches in Cyprus were constructed by Ottoman rulers. Legends say that the Ottomans did not convert any Orthodox churches into mosques when they conquered the island. Apparentky, only the Catholic churches became mosque. This is a historical fact. The Ottoman Empire repaired all Orthodox churches and even renewed some, where necessary. The reason for this is that the Greeks had helped the Ottoman Empire to conquer Cyprus. The Orthodox Greek Cypriots had always been looked upon with scorn and despised by the Catholic Italians and thus been subject to their oppression and cruelty. Some even say that the Italians hanged 32 Orthodox priests on a single day. This is why many Christians living in the time built their churches in remote places, such as riversides or beachfronts. The construction of churches on the most beautiful spots of Greek villages came about with the arrival of the Ottomans.

North Cyprus Hotels There are 3 identical mosque in Cyprus – these are the Haydarpa?azade Mehmet Bey Mosque, the Arabahmet Mosque and the Hala Sultan Mosque. They are all octagon-shaped, have a single dome and were built by an unknown architect in the beginning of the Ottoman rule.



Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Douglas Winterburn asked:


Situated at the foot of the Eastern Rhodope mountain range, Haskovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria, dating back to well over 7000 years. You can get a magnificent view of the town from the nearby Hill of Youth which also has perched at the top, the modern 32 metre high statue of Our Lady and the infant Jesus. As you look down from here you can also get a good look at one of the oldest mosques in Europe, the Eski Camii with its unmistakeable slightly inclined minaret.

There is a variety of activites that you can enjoy in Haskovo. In the centre there is the town museum which holds interesting exhibitions throughout the year and if you are here during the end of September you will be treated to the carnival atmosphere of the the annual jazz festival. Then there is shopping! There are shops galore here selling all the latest fashion accessories and much more.

During Turkish rule this place was referred to as the ‘clean town’ and it is not hard to understand why everywhere you go everything seems to look so fresh, including the restaurants; cafes; monuments; statues; right down to the quaint pedestranised streets.

You can stay in a good 3 star hotel in the centre of town for as little as 15 euros per night – if you would like to spoil yourself you can stay in a more luxurious one for about 40 euros a night.

Many international companies have started to invest heavily in Haskovo and property prices, particularly amongst commercial enterprises, have increased considerably. However you can still buy land and property in the surrounding villages that are close to dams, lakes and wildlife, for as little as 9 000 euros.



Create a video blog…instantly.

John Parks asked:


Casablanca is a very active and very beautiful city in western Morocco. There are many buildings and business that benefit from tourism. With many restaurants and ways of transportation, it is easily a great place to travel. There are about 3 million residents, and many of them are very friendly and helpful to the newcomers and visitors. This exotic city is a very lively paradise and the weather is warm throughout the year. The temperature does not often reach more than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 24 degrees Celsius, but it does not go much lower than fifty one degrees Fahrenheit and eleven degrees Celsius. Most people who visit the active city will prefer the warmer part of the year. The perfect temperatures keep even the laziest travelers ready for more adventure and social fun.

There are many ways to get to the city of Casablanca in Morocco. If you are from another country, you will probably be taking an airplane to get to the city. Mohammed V International Airport is probably the most commonly used air port in the city and this is how a majority of the tourists get to the city. The French and the Spanish are the most likely visitors, but the city of Casablanca can be enjoyed by anyone with the will to have fun.

One of the first things that will come to a person’s mind when he or she hears the name ‘Casablanca’ is of the movie of the same name. It is true that the 1942 romantic drama film was set in the city of Casablanca. In the movie, it accurately shows the city still under the control of France. It was in the March of 1956 in which Morocco became independent from France again. Though most of them are speakers of the native language of Arabic, more than half of the residents also speak French, as a result of the time that the country of Morocco was occupied by the French. Many people also speak Spanish, because Spain is not a great distance away from the country.

There are a great number of landmarks are a huge attraction for incoming tourists to the city of Casablanca. When Casablanca was under the control of the French, architects were able to create many magnificent structures in the city. One of the most visited is the Hassan II Mosque, which over a hundred thousand worshippers can pray in and look through the windows at the Atlantic ocean. It is the second largest mosque in the world. Some of the other popular sites are the Casablanca Twin Towers, the Technopark, both of which are very educational. There are also many local restaurants for those who wish to sample the cultural foods. Casablanca is a very beautiful city.

For more information on Casablanca, visit http://www.casablancamicroblog.com and http://www.moroccomicroblog.com.



Kansieo.com

Margaret Winfrey asked:


A Nile cruise is an essential part of any Egypt luxury vacation, and so important, in fact, that the cruise should comprise the entire vacation. Egypt is nothing without the Nile, and the ancient Egyptians even had a god devoted only to the Nile: Hapi.

Until the Aswan high dam was completed in July, 1970, the Egyptians depended on the annual ‘inundation’ for the water to irrigate their fields and provide them with the vital crops needed for survival in a country that was all desert other than the occasional oasis, and the fertile land each side of the Nile. The inundation occurred from June to September and came from summer floods in the highlands of Ethiopia. The Nile would break its banks and flood, leaving behind a rich dark silt essential for agriculture.

The inundation was a sign that Hapi had come, and the ancient Egyptians were very happy to see Hapi (sorry!). During the inundation the farmers had nothing to do, and in order to avoid paying taxes when they had no income they would work for the pharaohs by building pyramids: they were not built by slaves as popularly believed.

The whole of Egypt’s civilization was developed along the Nile, and a good Nile cruise should enable you to get a perspective on how the ancient Egyptians lived, in addition to how today’s population of this part of Egypt still rely on this vast river – the longest in the world, greater even than the mighty Amazon.

You should start at Cairo, not only the capital city of Egypt, but also one of the most populated in the world. This was not the important city it now is in the ancient days, but is a magnet for Egyptologists from all over the world. The pyramids of Giza are close by, and this is the permanent site of the Tutankhamun exhibition. However, there is more to modern Cairo than just ancient Egypt, and five thousand years of culture can be seen and visited here, including the great Mohammed Mosque and the Citadel of Sala Al-Din, commonly known as Saladin. The citadel dates from the time of the crusades, when Europe fought the Muslims to reclaim Jerusalem and the Holy Land for the Christians.

As mentioned above, Cairo was not the capital of ancient Egypt – that was Memphis, and not the Memphis that you know. This Memphis beat a different tune, and ruled the world as the Egyptians knew it for almost 600 years. You must visit the Saqqara, where the royals were laid to rest for the last time throughout the eras of the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman periods. The Egyptian Pharonic dynasties lasted much longer than either of these other two, largely due to its means of succession although the Egyptians were not without their scheming and murdering for power.

‘Must visits’ are the Great Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx lying beside them, and also St. Sergius church where Jesus and his parents stayed after leaving Jerusalem. The you should head off for Luxor(ancient Thebes) where the pharaohs stayed during the winter months. Try to book into the Winter Palace Hotel, and check up on the guest book. Here you will find Howard Carter, who discovered Tutenkhamun’s tomb, Agatha Christie while she was researching ‘Death on the Nile’, Henry Kissinger, Sir Winston Churchill, King Farouk, George Clemenceau and many, many more.

No Egyptian vacations are complete without a visit to the Valley of the Kings, just over the river from Luxor, or Thebes as the pharaohs knew it. It was here that the kings and nobles of the 18th through 20th dynasties were buried, from the 16th to the 11th centuries BC; a thousand years after the pyramids were built. The most famous temple here is the Temple of Karnak, built over many generations and that must be visited during your Nile cruise. The same is true of the Temple of the Goddess Hathor at Luxor. Hathor was depicted with a cow’s head, and was the goddess of family love, pleasure and beauty, sometimes associated with the Greek Aphrodite.

There are many, many more places to visit and sights to see on a Nile cruise, and most Egypt vacations will likely be unable to show you them all. The Aswan High Dam, which stopped the inundations and allowed more regular irrigation, is one of them. Abu Simbel is another, where two temples were physically moved to avoid flooding when the dam was built, one of these being erected by Rameses II.

Without a doubt, Egypt vacations that include a Nile cruise rank right up there with the best vacations possible. You are visiting the longest river on earth, and one that a whole civilization depended upon for its survival for thousands of years. Not only that, but a civilization that was greater than the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations combined, although it has not been given the credit it deserves.



Website content

Paul McIndoe asked:


As the capital of the country of Oman, Muscat has great importance within the country itself. It seems strange to think then that the city originally consisted of three towns. Today however, each part offers a very different experience to the many visitors who come to the city each year.

The Walled City of Muscat should definitely be your first stop. This existed for centuries, and was so called because the gates to the city were closed each and every night as the sun went down.

If you love nothing better than strolling round a museum and taking a look into the past, you will find plenty to delight you in Muscat. The National Museum is a great way to find out more about the culture of the area, while the Natural History Museum is also worth a look.

Don’t miss the outstanding sight of the Grand Mosque either. Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, to give it its full name, has only been in existence since 2001, but it already seems as if it has dominated the landscape for many more years than that.

Another of the original towns is known by the name Muttrah. Here you should definitely make a beeline for the Muttrah Souq if you can, as this is an experience in itself. This souq is a real maze of pathways and alleys, where you can easily become lost; however, it is a wonderful place to find real bargains of all kinds, particularly when it comes to household items.

The third portion of the city of Muscat is known as Ruwi. This will enable you to get an altogether different shopping experience to the one offered by the Muttrah Souq. Here you have a high street which is packed with all kinds of shops, and once again there are plenty of bargains to be had.

Muscat also benefits from its location on the north eastern edge of Oman. It looks out onto the Gulf of Oman, where you will find a wide range of holiday properties and hotels along this coastline. In fact, this is one of the reasons why flights to Muscat prove so popular, as many come to check out the wealth of accommodation in the area; either to purchase or simply enjoy as part of a relaxing break away.

Indeed, Muscat makes a fascinating and enchanting place to take a holiday. The only thing you need to decide is which part of the city you will visit first.



Caffeinated Content

John Parks asked:


For the hungry culture vulture, Ankara offers a wealth of attractions, from its ancient and modern monuments, and archeological sites, to its museums and mosques.

One of the capital city’s most important archeological sites and present day attractions, the Ankara Citadel, whose foundations were laid by the Galatians and then completed by the Romans, sits on a prominent lava outcrop. The Byzantines and Seljuks made further restorations and additions. Many fine examples of traditional architecture are found around and outside this attraction, the oldest part of Ankara. Recreational areas are available for rest and relaxation. A lively cultural life exists as well within the Citadel walls through a variety of restaurants serving local cuisine and offering music. Many of these restaurants were formerly traditional Turkish houses, now restored as places of entertainment.

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations contains what is left of the stage and backstage of the Roman Theater. Roman statues found within this ancient attraction now can be seen in the Museum. The seating area is presently under excavation.

The Temple of Augustus and Rome, known as the Monumentum Ancyranum, 

was built between 25 B.C. to 20 B.C. After the death of Augustus I in 14 A.D., a copy of the text of Res Gestae Divi Augusti was inscribed on the interior of the pronaos in Latin, whereas a Greek translation can also be found on an exterior wall of the cella. Enlarged by the Romans, then converted into a church by the Byzantines, this structure is located in the Ulus quarter of the city.

Ankara’s Roman Bath is one of the city’s most popular and frequently visited attractions. It bears all the features of a classical Roman bath: a frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (cool room) and caldarium (hot room). Built in honor of Asclepios, the God of Medicine, by Emperior Caracalla, the bath’s only remaining features today are the basement and first floors. This attraction is also located in the Ulus quarter.

Several mosques in Ankara constitute a significant attraction for the tourist interested in exploring the capital’s rich religious history. Several of these architectural attractions stand out:

The Alaaddin Mosque, with its carved walnut mimber (pulpit), bears an inscription that records the mosque’s building in the 12th century by the Seljuk ruler, Mesut.

Ahi Elvan Mosque was founded in the Ulus quarter the Ankara Citadel and was constructed during the late 14th and 15th centuries. Particularly notable is its walnut mimber.

Yeni (Cenab Ahmet) Mosque, the largest Ottoman mosque in Ankara, was built by the famous architect Sinan in the 16th century. The mimber and mihrap (prayer niche) are of white marble, and the mosque itself is of Ankara stone (red porphyry).

For its size and prominent position in Ankara, Kocatepe Mosque is unquestionably the most notable of the city’s attractions. It was recently constructed in the classical Ottoman style with four minarets. In addition, Kocatepe is the second largest mosque in Turkey. Constructed between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter, its compelling dimensions and location have earned Kocatepe Mosque the status as the capital’s landmark attraction.

For more information on Ankara and Istanbul, visit http://www.ankaramicroblog.com and http://www.istanbulmicroblog.com.



Website content

Gerald Greene asked:


Casablanca is a famous classic movie if ever there was one set in the exotic Casablanca, Morocco of the 1930’s. Casablanca is a movie that expresses the irony and pain of life, but more importantly, it expresses the joys that life can bring.

With an unlikely and almost unwilling hero played by Humphrey Bogart, and a beautiful and naive heroine Casablanca will make you cry, laugh and feel as no other movie will.

Casablanca the city is a mixed bag of Morocco, where modern, hip and seedy all come together. Casablanca is 240 Km North of Marrakesh. There is train service for about 10 Euros/person.

Morocco’s gross domestic product grew 8.1 percent in 2006, up from 1.7 percent in 2005. Moody’s Investors Service rates the country as “stable,” with credit strengths that include a young population, as well as structural and democratic progress. Morocco’s Jewish minority has decreased significantly and numbers only about 7,000 (See History of the Jews in Morocco).

Most of the 100,000 foreign residents are French or Spanish; many are teachers or technicians and more and more retirees migrate to Morocco, especially to Marrakesh. Morocco is a great place for American investment and exports: the country has a stable political environment, an advanced privatization program, prudent fiscal policies, and a low inflation rate.

Casablanca’s modern attitude and big-city edge makes it today the most cosmopolitan of all Moroccan cities, a vibrant economic hub with the largest port found anywhere in the Maghreb. Some of the highlights worth exploring include the majestic Hassan II Mosque and the lively squares of Place des Nations Unies and Mohammed V, which host some of the city’s most impressive architecture.

Casablanca is a giant metropolitan port city with unmistakable Moroccan flavor and international appeal. Casablanca is also a mixture of old and new, with the recently completed Hassan II Mosque, the second largest in the world, and a notably historic medina of its own. Casablanca stands for one of the most progressive African cities.

Casablanca is also the center for more than half of all bank transactions in Morocco. Casablanca is the seat of numerous Arab and French schools, an art school, the Goethe-Institut, and the Hassan II mosque (1993), one of the world’s largest. Casablanca is also the home of the Hassan II Mosque, the second largest in the world. The Jewish community contributed to the construction of this mosque, which was inaugurated in 1994.

Casablanca the movie is useful as it offers a snapshot of a moment when World War Two was just getting underway and was yet to be won. To think about the flow of history can result in an understanding of the fear that the Nazis instilled or the difficulty involved in assembling a workable allied unity. Since the movie, Casablanca the city and Morocco have attracted people from all over the world who were influenced by the intrigue of the movie and who savor travel adventures.

Casablanca has a reputation for its beaches and nightlife. While in Casablanca, be sure to visit the Royal Palace and the Great Mosque, as well as the Hassan II Mosque, which is one of the only mosques in Morocco that a non-Muslim person can enter.

Casablanca is the economic center of Morocco and its most modern city. The largest city in North Africa, with a population of more than 4 million people, Casablanca is renowned not only in movie lore but also for its fascinating array of eclectic architecture, its leather work and its Medouin carpets.

For a holiday in a cosmopolitan and exotic North African city Casablanca is well worth checking out.



Website content

Tom Carter asked:


“He’s from Pakistan.”"No, no! He’s Japanese.” A lively group of Uyghurs orbiting around me at the Hotan marketplace in southern Xinjiang were vociferously debating the nationality of the 196cm foreigner standing before them.

I am in fact a first-generation American of a hybrid Scandinavian-Mediterranean-Hispanic lineage, my dark brown features and unkempt travel whiskers often causing confusion amongst Asians who can’t quite place my nationality. Ironically, Han Chinese often mistook me for a Weiwuerzu someone from Xinjiang.

If there is one province unlike any other in the People’s Republic, it would have to be Xinjiang. Categorically different from the rest of the country in every conceivable way, the Muslim-dominated Xinjian in the distant northwest is at once China’s most intriguing and intimidating travel destination.

Xinjiang Autonomous Region is China’s largest, sharing international borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan andcentral Asian countries. This geographical proximity resultingly accounts for over half of China’s 12 million Muslims, perhaps Xinjiang’s most obvious characteristic Muslim followers of Islam, the second largest religion in the world, are a devout people who believe in the oneness of God, called Allah in Arabic, as opposed to the Christian doctrine of a holy trinity. Muslim adherents can be seen throughout Xinjiang carrying venerated copies of the Qur’an (Islamic holy scripture) and faithfully dashing off to he mosque five times a day for a congregational series of Mecca-facing prostrations and prayer.

Xinjiang’s predominant nationality is the Uygur, a vibrant and outgoing culture of Central Asian descent whom this writer affectionately likes to refer to as The Desert People. The Turkic-speaking Uyghurs traditionally attire themselves in simple, loose-fitting robes to accommodate the harsh climate, with the men wearing either plain white or brilliantly embroidered dopi skull caps and the women veiling themselves in a hijab headscarf. A shaved head and long beard further distinguishes the Uyghur men while the ladies take pride and pleasure in dyeing their hands red with henna.

Geographically, Xinjiang offers starkly different topography and climate throughout the vast region, ranging from the cool alpine mountains of the northern Altay region to the arid southern sands of the Taklamakan, the second largest desert in the world. And while Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital, is a gleaming northern metropolis of skyscraprs and department stores, the remote cities bordering the south-western Tarim Basin, including the famed Silk Road oasis of Kashgar, are known for their more traditional way of Muslim life.

Attractions

Situated directly on the borders of Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan, the spectacularly sapphire-blue Hanasi Hu Lake in the mountainous region of northern Xinjiang is a popular tour group destination. To the south, the massive Sunday markets in Kashgar and Hotan are not to be missed, though the latter is arguably more authentic.

Transportation

1. From Beijing to Urumqi, 10 flights daily between 8am and 9pm (four hours, 2,410 yuan)

2. To Hanasi Hu, a group tour arranged by any Urumqi travel agency is often suggested for its feasibility, however a majority of time is spent in transit (four days, 500 yuan, including accommodations and entrance tickets)

3. To Kashgar, overnight trains leaving daily from Urumqi at 1pm and 5pm are the most convenient and comfortable way to travel (30 hours, 170 yuan).

4. From Kashgar to Hetian, busses depart from Renmin Donglu almost hourly between 7am and 6pm (eight hours, 50 yuan).

Accommodation

Xinjiang disappointingly offers very little as far as budget accommodations or youth hostels, and due to immigration from neighboring nations, smaller boardinghouses are strict to only allow Chinese nationals. In Kashgar, the Uyghur-run Noor Bish Hotel near the famous Id Kah Mosque is a backpacker’s favorite (30 yuanfor a dorm bed).

Regional cuisine

If China is famous for its cuisine, then Xinjiang is responsible for half its success. Heavily seasoned lamb kebab (yangrou chuan), spicy lamian noodles topped with peppers, tomatoes and garlic, deep-fried fresh fish (how did they get fish in the desert?), goat’s head soup, golden pilaf rice and fragrant peaches and watermelon, all washed down with refreshing cinnamon tea. There may not be as much bread (nang) in the whole of China as in Kashgar, with lightly seasoned loaves and sesame seed bagels being pulled hot out the oven by the minute.

###



Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Douglas Scott asked:


Xining is the capital of Qinghai province and the capital of Xining City District. It lies in the Huangshui River Valley with a lot of mountains and ravines. It is also called the Summer Resort Capital of China for its cool summer.

Industries in the city include machinery, chemical, power, metal making, and food processing. Xining is a major producer for making heavy machine tools, electrolytic aluminium, and alloy steel. The chief farm products of Xining are corn, rape, wheat, fruit, vegetables, milk and livestock.

The city is the supply depot for visitors who are headed to the other destinations of Qinghai Province and Tibet, making it a great place to shop. Water Well Alley Market is for dining with over 3,000 stalls. The Riverside Market for shopping. Stalls here sell a variety of goods, from fish to squawking parakeets and birdcages.

Xining has a vivid nightlife and streets are filled with small vendors selling both food and clothing. The older people will be seen at the coffee houses and tea houses.

Xining provides a variety of delicious food and snacks. The biggest street for vendors selling is on Daxin Jie, where touts sell every thing from barbecued fish to fried dumplings. One of Qinghai’s special exports is caterpillar fungus, called dongchongxiacao, which can be soaked in vodka like a worm in tequila or brewed with soup.

The Dongguan Mosque is one of the largest mosques in north west China. It was built in 1379, the mosque has a long history of more than 600 years. Architecture of the mosque combines traditional Chinese style and the local features, with grand appearance and delicate, dazzlingly inside ornaments. The mosque has a prayer hall which can hold up to 3,000 people. The mosque now serves as an educational centre and institution of higher learning for Islamism, and also is the leading mosque in Qinghai.

The sacred Kumbum Monastery is one of the six most important monasteries. The ancient monastery, built during the 39th year in 560 AD of the reign of emperor Jiajing. The Great Hall of the Golden Roof and the Great Hall of Meditation are the main parts. There are a total of around 20,000 religious paintings and embroideries within, as well as numerous yak butter sculptures and idols of Buddhas past, present and future. A pure gold tower stands in the hall that contains the ashes of Tsong Khapa. Photography is prohibited within the monastery.



Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

Erkan Kilim asked:


There is usually somewhere to park near the main square, and this is the best place to begin your walking tour within the walls. The imposing western façade of the cathedral has been likened to Rheims cathedral in France, and it dom?nates the main square. Its towers were badly hit in the Turkish bombardment of the 16th century, and further damaged by earthquakes. Nevertheless, the cathedral is an undeniably beautiful building, its Gothic grace and elegance far exceeding that of its sister cathedral in Nicosia. It was built 100 years later than St Sophia, in the early 14th century, and its more delicate tracery work and ornate design reflect the more luxurious lifestyle and tastes of the luxury-loving merchants of the port. The architects were themselves brought from France, and the cathedral may well have taken 100 years to complete. A tradition tells that the architects were a master and his pupil, and the master, on seeing the pupil’s genius in the work, was consumed with jealousy. He invented a technical error he claimed to have noticed in the top of the towers, and having led the pupil up there to point out the error in detail, pushed him headlong over the edge-the first of much blood spilt at St Nicholas. The cathedral is built from the same familiar soft brown limestone that is used in the ramparts and walls. All the Crusader and Venetian buildings are from this stone and you need only walk round the town looking out for this colour to identify immediately all the older buildings.The atmosphere of the square is much marred by an ugly hotchpotch of newer buildings and a plethora of telegraphy poles and wires, inescapable from whichever direction you try to take a photo. To the left of the façade the small domed building was once an Ottoman madrasa, built around 1700. Next to it is a small shrine.

Foreign visitors to St Nicholas today must buy a ticket, the only one of the churches where this is the case. Inside, the whitewashed walls almost serve to emphasise the superb proportions and height of the nave. The stained glass was all blown out in the bombardment and blasting of the siege, save for the high rose window in the front façade. Today, the remaining colour is supplied by the mosque accessories, painted the usual reds and greens- the raised platform for the Koran-recitation classes, the wooden pulpit or minbar, and the mihrab niche, indicating the direction of Mecca and around which all the decorative effort is concentrated, as in all mosques. If you’re lucky, the keeper will take you to the northern corner of the building where, behind the green screens and hidden under the carpet, lies a stone slab etched with a medieval depiction of St. Nicholas.Your imagination has to work hard to recreate the splendid coronation ceremonies that took place here under the Lusignans. The custom had developed that each ruler was first crowned King of Cyprus in St Sophia in Nicosia, and then after an elaborate and exhausting procession on horseback, was crowned King of Jerusalem here in St Nicholas, Gazimagusa being symbolically that bit closer to the Holy Land.The huge old tree that looms to your right as you come out of the cathedral/mosque main door is thought to have been planted at the same time as the cathedral was built, ie:around 1250. it is a type of tropical fig, originally from East Africa, and it keeps its foliage all year round except in February. The old Venetian loggia facing the tree now serves as the mosque ablutions area. Beneath one of its two circular windows is a section of frieze with animals and garlands, taken from the cornice of a Roman temple, probably in Salamis. Behind the cathedral/mosque is a little garden café housed in a converted chapel, with tables and chairs scattered outside round a rudimentary fountain.

NorthCyprus Hotels Here you can sit and have a simple lunch of kebab and chips whilst overlooking the apse and buttresses of the cathedral. Youths are often clustered here playing backgammon, drinking coffee or Coke. No beer or alcohol of any sort is on the menu, because the owner says that the government will not permit the sale of alcohol on premises that were once a church.



mosques

Tatyana Kogut. asked:


There are places on earth which can’t refer to one culture and one belief only. They are the indelible traces of human history, long, intricate and sometimes bloody. One of these is Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey – the building not only magnificent, but also exceptionally beautiful.

The story of this great building started, like it often happens, with the place where another ancient construction used to stand. This was the church built during the reign of Constantine the Great – that very Constantine who was the first of the Roman emperors to adopt Christianity. He transformed Byzantium into a new capital, which we now call Constantinople – the city of Constantine.

Not only did Constantine leave Rome – on the shores of the faraway Bosporus he started construction of a new Christian city. That is why even though its art had pagan, western routes, it was greatly influenced by the eastern, Christian principles. Already in V–VI AC the new cultural, artistic and architectural movement appeared, which was based on Christian dogmas. Moreover, the new constructions had oriental roots. For instance, the East was the motherland of a dome, which allowed new constructive and aesthetic opportunities. Characteristic of the Byzantine churches is the central cupola and deviation from classic forms of a basilica.

Hagia Sophia became a building of the kind. Emperor Justinian I invited famous specialists – Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, and thousands of workers. Building materials were brought from all around the great empire, sculptors and stonemasons from Efesus, Athens, Delphi and different Egyptian cities worked on the basilica, eight porphyritic columns were transported from the temple in Heliopolis.

That’s true, creation of the new needed destruction of the old – several pagan temples were taken to pieces and ruined… Construction took only five years and cost “a pretty penny”. But mind that this was not just a church, but a symbol of the empire’s might and the triumph of the new belief – Christianity. The result surpassed all expectations – December 27th , 537 the great Byzantine construction was revealed to people. Rather simple outside, Hagia Sophia impressed with its interior – even now, when little is left from its initial decoration.

The history of Hagia Sophia is dramatic – in 1453, almost 900 years after its construction, Constantinople was conquered by the Turks, sultan Mehmed II entered the building, but, luckily, it was not destroyed. Instead, the sultan ordered to convert it into a mosque. Images of the Christian saints were replaced with Islamic symbols, mihrab, minbar, four minarets and other constructions were added.

In the 20th century the mosque was converted into a museum. Thanks to this, the extant mosaics were cleaned, marble floor decorations were reconstructed and are now available to the public.

Get inside, and you will be impressed with marble works, gold mosaics, including the one depicting Christ and Emperor Leo VI the Wise, its huge hall, numerous windows… The magnificent building helps you forget about the heat and the fuss of the city streets. This is truly a temple of God’s wisdom.



Caffeinated Content