We left early Sunday morning, April 18, for a field trip with the students to Turkey. We traveled with Prof. Fred Wood's class. The other religion teacher is Dan Belnap. Here we are on the bus ready to go.
Water feature at the airport
We noticed the roads were nicely landscaped and very clean.
The entrance to the airport and freeway were beautiful and clean.
We drove past the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque on our way to the Citadel Restaurant.
The Citadel Restaurant with BYU students.
The Hagia Sophia was built in the mid-6th century A.D. by Emperor Justinian over the ruins of two churches. It is located on a hill overlooking the Bosporus River, near the Blue Mosque. It was the largest church for over a thousand years.
The central dome collapsed more than once, so flying buttresses were built to hold the walls in.
When it was converted into a mosque, Muslims covered the Christian art with plaster which actually preserved it rather than destroyed it.
When the Muslims converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque, they modified this crusader cross by removing the cross bar.
They had scaffolding up to make restorations and repairs to the Hagia Sophia.
The central dome is 180 feet high.
Muslim signs
Blaine and Linda on the second floor balcony.
Looking at the Blue Mosque from the Hagia Sophia Mosque
The Hagia Sophia originally contained Christian mosaics and paintings. When the Muslims converted the church into a mosque in the 15th century, they covered the Christian art with plaster to hide human images. Ironically, the plaster preserved rather than destroyed the art.
Street vendor along the way sold roasted corn on the cob. We then went to the Archaeological Museum.
David Seeley, Dan Belnap, David Whitchurch, and Fred Woods are the faculty on our trip. They were so excited to get into room # 28 of the museum . It's generally not open to the public.
Sarcophaguses were burial tombs. Many were very ornate and painted.
Sewer pipe connections
Istanbul University is one of the better universities in Turkey
We spent the night at the Hotel Grand Washington in Istanbul. It was very nice but very small.
Linda's sad because she lost her breakfast partner. David and JoAnn Seely are in the background with the city of Istanbul.
The next day we walked to the Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, and the Topkapi Palace.
The Hippodrome was used for public events like chariot races, horse races, and civic celebrations. In the center of the track was the spine (spina) around which the races would be run. On the spina were monuments of which three remain. One is a portion of the obelisk originally from the Karnak Temple in Egypt.
The pink granite obelisk of Thutmose III (1500 BC) was originally part of the Karnak Temple in Egypt. Emperor Theodosis (390 AD) brought it to the hippodrome. Only the top 3rd of the obelisk survives and remains where Theodosis displayed it.
We then walked to the Sultanahmet or Blue Mosque. It is called that because of the beautiful blue Iznik tile used in the interior. It is located near the Hagia Sophia overlooking the Bosporus River. It was built in the 1600's. When Ahmet I became Sultan of the Ottoman Empire at the age of 14, he wanted to build something big which he could be remembered by. The mosque was built in 7 years (1616) Ahmet severely damaged the economy of his empire by building such a grand structure. He died the following year of typhus at the age of 27. The Blue Mosque has 6 minarets whereas the normal amount is 4.
Linda at the gate of the Blue Mosque.
Linda at the gate of the Blue Mosque.
Linda had to cover herself to go into the mosque.
The mosaic tiles were intricately laid.
Hagia Sophia from the mall connecting it to the Blue Mosque
BYU students in front of the Blue Mosque.
The Blue Mosque has 6 minarets, whereas a normal mosque of this type has only 4. This originally created controversy with the Grand Mosque in Mecca which contains the Kaaba and also has 6 minarets. The issue was resolved when Ahmet sent his architect to Mecca to add another minaret to the Grand Mosque.
Minaret at the Blue Mosque.
The street signs show the direction of major cities.
The Basilica Cistern is a huge underground cistern built by Justinian in the 6th century. It was built to supply water to the Imperial Palace, where the Blue Mosque is now located. It has 336 columns and walls that are 13 feet thick to hold 2,800,000 cubic feet of water. Some of the column bases are reused from earlier structures, including 2 huge Medusa heads. Medusa had hair of snakes and whoever looked at her turned to stone. One of the heads is upside down and another is sideways, to fit the columns they support. The Basilica Cistern was a location for the 1963 James Bond movie "From Russia with love" and the 2009 move "The International".
Notice the different styles. This is because the columns were taken from earlier structures.
In 1453 Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II conquered Constantinople and moved the
capital there from Bursa. A few years later he built the Topkapi Palace.
It was the primary Sultan residence for 400 years. It is now a museum
for things like armor, jewelry including an 86 carat diamond, Mohammed's sword -
tooth - and hair from his beard.The second Ecumenical Council was held
here in the Byzantine Church of Holy Peace.
Linda on the Palace grounds.
The royal kitchens are in the background
The sultan reclined on the large bed (maroon) as he greeted guests.
Islam is the main religion in Turkey, but it is not the state religion. The first president of Turkey, Kemal, wanted government and religion separated. There is a feeling of tolerance in the places we visited.
Overlooking the Golden Horn and Bosporus Strait from Topkapi Palace.
Lunch and then shopping at The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. It is a huge shopping market. Linda bought 3 table cloths for $55 each inside the bazaar.
Outside the bazaar
One of the thousands of stores inside the bazaar
One of the many many walking streets inside the bazaar.
We rode a ferry along part of the Strait of Bosphorus. Constantinople is on 2 continents -Asia and Europe. Constantinople is on both continents, separated by the Strait of Bosphorus. The 2 continents are connected by 2 bridges that span the Strait.
The Black Sea is north of Istanbul and connects to the Sea of Marmara by the Bosphorus Strait. The Sea of Marmara connects to the Aegean Sea by the Dardanelles Strait. The Aegean Sea opens into the Mediterranean Sea.
What a beautiful day.
We watched a Whirling Dervish dance that evening in Istanbul. The dance is mystical Islam whose objective is to connect with the spiritual. Five men danced by almost continuously whirling in circles for about 45 minutes. The dance was accompanied by musical instruments. They would whirl with both hands in the air for several minutes, then they would rotate to a new spot and whirl more. We weren't allowed to take pictures.
Linda tried to smooze her Old Testament professor, Dr. Dan Belnap, to get an "A" in his class.
We headed south from Istanbul for Gallipoli along the Sea of Marmara and through lush rolling hills.
The Gallipoli Penisula is 150 miles southwest of Istanbul on the northwest of the Dardanelles Strait. In 1915 the western front of World War I was stuck in a stalemate in the trenches of France. The Allied Powers of US, Great Britain, France, and Russia decided to capture Istanbul and open a passageway to Russia so they could attack the Central Powers of German, Austia-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire from the east.
The campaign was poorly planned and resulted in a stalemate after several months and 250,000 casualties on each side. The Allied forces were primarily British, French, New Zealanders, and Australians. They withdrew and the Turks, led by Mustafa Kemal, declared victory.
Kemal later changed his name to Ataturk and led the Turks to independence against the Allied Powers. Turkey was established in 1923 with Ankara as the capital. Kemal changed the Turkish alphabet from Arabic script to a version of Latin script, without changing the language. He established the government as secular rather than religious.
Charles who is Hawaiian and Sara who attends BYU Hawaii sang a Hawaiin chant to honor those who died during the battle of Gallipoli.
Along the beach and in one of the cemeteries:
Blaine is usually behind the camera, so this is a good picture.
There were rows and rows of headstones.
I thought the message on this memorial was touching.
Linda and Erin Belnap
We ferried our bus and students across the strait to the Asian Continent and the excavations at Troy. Nine levels have been excavated, down to the Early Bronze Age about 3000 BC. No one knows if the Trojan war was real or imagined, but if it is real it probably took place in the Late Bronze Age around the 13th - 12th century BC.
German businessman Heinrich Schliemann carried out the excavations. He found a stash of jewlery, vases, and goblets which he smuggled out of Turkey into Germany. They were apparently taken by the Red Army during World War II. The Soviets denied their existence until 1993 when they were rediscovered. They are on display in Moscow and subject to acrimonious custody claims by Russia, Germany, and Turkey.
Replica of the Trojan Horse at Troy
Archeology remains from the City of Troy.
Schliemann discovered the jewels near this ramp. The ramp may be like the ramp used to roll the Trojan Horse into the city.
The opening to the underground sewer system at Troy.
Inside the Trojan Horse, ready to capture the unsuspecting army of Troy.
Wed. May 21, we drove to Assos. The scenery on the way was beautiful- well manicured fields and farmlands.
Paul, Luke and their companions sailed from Assos to Mitylene, the main harbor on the southwestern end of the island of Lesbos (Acts 20:14)
The philosopher Cleanthus was born in Assos. The Apostle Paul quoted his "Hymn to Zeus" in a speech in Athens (Acts 17:28).
In the 4th century B.C. King Hermias persuaded Aristotle to move to Assos and establish an academy. Persians later attacked Assos and killed King Hermias. Aristotle fled to Macedonia (northern Greece) where he became the teacher of King Phillip's son who became Alexander the Great.
The city walls are some of the best preserved Hellenistic walls in Turkey.
No worries about sitting on a public toilet seat.
A resident of Behramkale ( the modern city of Assos) made this table cloth that Blaine bought.
BYU students at lunch
Pergamum Acropolis remains that date to 8th century BC
Many of the buildings were originally constructed during the Hellenistic time period (3rd-2nd century B.C.
The theater, built on the steep slope of the hill, contained around 10,000 seats.
Pathway in the city of Pergamum
Blaine and Linda at Pergamon
We took a cable car up and back to Pergamon.
On Thurs. May 22, 2014 we went to Ephesus. Ephesus was an important economic center because of its port at the mouth of the Caster River leading into the Aegean Sea. It's now five miles from the sea because of the deposits of centuries of silt. The earliest settlements at Ephesus date to around 1400 B.C.
During the 6th Century B.C. a temple was built to Artemis, protector of nature and wildlife. It became one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Rome gained control in the 2nd century BC and Ephesus was made the capital. The population was 250,00 becoming one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire. Paul visited Ephesus on his missionary visits. The apostle John moved to Ephesus later in his life before being exiled to the Island of Patmos.
Ancient streets of Ephesus
Rome gained control of Ephesus in the 2nd century B.C. and became the capital of the province of Asia with a population of 250,000. The Great Theater held 25,000 people.
Houses of the wealthy, along the main thoroughfare of Ephesus.
"Public toilets" take on a whole new meaning.
The Library of Celsus was built in the 2nd century. It is flanked by statues representing Wisdom, Character, Judgment, and Expertise.
The footprint is thought to be a marker showing the way to the house of prostitution, a popular place for sailors since this was a major port city.
On Paul's second trip to Ephesus with Priscilla and Aquila, he taught in the Jewish synagogue (Acts 18:18-21). Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos preach in the synagogue. Apollos had been baptized earlier, so Aquila and Priscilla taught him (Acts 18:24-26, 19:26)
Ephesus was built on the mouth of the Cayster River which led to the Aegean Sea. This would have been the entrance to the city from the sea.
On his third mission to Ephesus, Paul found some who claimed to have been baptized but had not received the Holy Ghost. He rebaptized them and gave them the Holy Ghost (Acts 19:1-3, 19:4-6, Mark 1:6-8). Paul taught at the school of Tyrannus and performed miracles (Acts 19:9-12) and those who believed burned their pagan books worth 50,000 pieces of silver (Acts 19:18-19). He wrote his first epistle to the Corinthians from here (1 Corinthians 15:32).
Paul's teaching hurt the businesses that were making silver statues of Artemis (Acts 19:23-28). They wailed on him for 2 hours in the theater (Acts 19:24-34). (The King James translators used the name Diana in place of Artemis). On his return trip at the end of his third mission about 57 A.D. he sailed past Ephesus and docked at Miletus, probably because it was too dangerous to stop at Ephesus. He asked the elders of Ephesus to meet with him (Acts 20:16-17). He later wrote to Timothy who as a church leader in Ephesus and counseled him to stay in Ephesus to teach against false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3).
According to early Christian tradition, the apostle John moved to Ephesus later in life. He was exiled to the Isle of Patmos where he wrote the Book of Revelation about 90 A.D. The Lord praised the Christians at Ephesus for resisting false teachers (Revelation 2:2-3) and warned others to repent (Revelations 2:4).
John returned to Ephesus where he wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles of John about 95 A.D.
Blaine and Linda in front of the amphitheater.
Baptismal font
The Third Ecumenical Council was held in the Church of St. Mary in Ephesus in 431 A.D. It dealt with the question "How human was Jesus?" It concluded he was both human and divine.
Ephesus had different locations at different time periods. The previous pictures were taken beyond the hill in the background. After Alexander the Great conquered Ephesus about 334 B.C. the Temple of Artemis was rebuilt on a grand scale and became one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, attracting visitors from all over the Mediterranean. After the Roman Empire became Christian in the 4th century A.D., the Temple of Aremis was dismantled and its stones were used for other buildings. The single reconstructed columni in the center of this picture is all that remains on the site of this wonder of the world.
Greek settlers arrived in the area of Priene in the 10th century B.C.
The ionic temple of Athena is located in Priene and is one of the most
beautiful examples of Greek architecture.
The theater in Priene seated 6,000.
Looking toward Miletus from Priene. Miletus became the most important city in the region for many centuries. It was destroyed by the Persians about 500 BC. Miletus was rebuilt in the 5th century and Priene was established in the 4th century.
Hippodamus of Miletus is known as the father of urban planning. He developed Priene on the square block plan, similar to Mormon cities in the western US.
Alexander the Great lived in Priene while he attacked Miletus.
The theater at Priene had special seats for dignitaries.
Sardis was settled around 1400 BC, before the Trojan War. It was the
capital of Lydian kingdom during the 5th century BC. When King Croesus
consulted an oracle about a threat from Persian King Cyrus, the oracle
told him he would destroy a great kingdom if he crossed the Halys River
into Persian Territory. Thinking the oracle meant the Persian Kingdom would be destroyed,
Croesus attacked Cyrus. A Persian spy discovered a secret entrance when
he observed a Lydian soldier retrieve his helmet he had dropped over
the wall. The Persians used this secret entrance to conquer Sardis.
Croesus had destroyed his own great kingdom rather than Cyrus' kingdom, which fulfilled the oracle's prophecy.
At the end of the 1st century AD, the Lord rebuked Sardis for their hypocrisy (Revelations 3:1-3).
Sardis was located along a major trade route and became very prosperous. It was the western capital of the Seleucid Empire in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, and it became part of the Roman Empire in the mid-2nd century BC. Shops lined the street behind Linda.
Inscriptions in the shops indicate at least 6 were owned by Jews and 10 by Christians.
Most of the remains are from Roman and Byzantine periods, including a large Roman bath and gymnasium complex built in the mid-2nd century AD.
One end of the gymnasium.
This area was originally used for dressing rooms. In the late 2nd century AD it was renovated into a basilica and probably used as a Roman court of law. In the 3rd or 4th century AD it was renovated into the largest synagogue that has been discovered outside of the Holy Land. It appears the Jews were assimilated into the Roman society - the synagogue was next to the gymnasium and Jews had Greek names and served on the city council.
Mosaics in the snyagogue
Anyone for a swim? As part of the gymnasium, there was a cold bath, two warm barths, and a hot bath.
Archaeologists have uncovered remains of a large temple of Artemis. Construction began in 300 BC and expansions and renovations continued for many centuries. It was one of the 7 largest Greek temples.
The temple acted as a bank depository, as described in the inscription.
Lunch with Gary Nickle at the left
Bursa was founded during the Hellenistic period about 200 BC and was named Prusa after its King Prussias I. It was famous for its hot springs and baths.. It was an important international trade center for silk and other imported products on the caravan route from Asia. It was located near the Sea of Marmara whicle allowed easy access to the sea trade through the Bosporus Strait to the Black Sea and through the Dardanelles Strait to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
The Ottoman Turks made Bursa their capital in the 14th century but moved the capital to Constantinople after they seized Constantinople in 1453. Bursa declined under the Ottomans because they promoted Izmir as the primary port to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
In the 20th century, Bursa became an industrial center for textiles, food processing, and automobiles. It is the 4th largest city behind Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir.
The largest mosque is called Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque) and was built around 1400.
Bursa has a large shopping mall for locals.
Food market in Bursa
View of Bursa from our hotel room
Hotel room in Bursa
Ritual washing outside the Grand Mosque in Bursa.
One of 20 domes in the Grand Mosque.
Some of the beautiful Arabic calligraphy in the Grand Mosque.
Inside the Grand Mosque.
Linda inside Grand Mosque
This marks the direction toward Mecca, which Muslims face during prayers.
There are two thick minarets outside the Grand Mosque. The call to prayer is broadcast 5 times a day from minarets.
This is a ritual washing station outside of the Grand Mosque. We had to remove our shoes before entering the mosque.
Nicea (Iznik) is on the eastern shore of Lake Iznik. It was settled in the 4th century BC and was a regular stopping point along an important trade route across Asia Minor.
Emperor Constantine gathered Christian leaders for the Council of Nicea around 325 AD. It was the first of 7 councils over 427 years that decided questions about the Christian religion regarding things such as the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. The first council was held in Constantine's palace, which is now underwater off lake shore. Councils 2-6 were held at other locations. The final council was held at the Hagia Sophia in Nicea in 787 AD to decide if the veneration of icons of Jesus and saints is permissible.
Walls around the old city of Nicea.
Inside the Hagia Sophia in Nicea.
On the shore of Lake Iznik, we felt an earthquake in Greece while we were listening to Dr. Wood's lecture. Blaine thought the wind was quite strong as he was sitting on the rocks behind Linda. Then he realized the ground was swaying.
Poppy fields in Isnik
Lunch with BYU students
Good bye Turkey
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