Turkey

Another fascinating tourist attraction rich with history and culture…

AYASOFYA
The Basilica of Hagia Sophia was constructed by Roman Emperor Justinian in 537 AD. This was the largest church in the Christian world for a thousand years.Its immense dome rises nearly 200 feet above the ground and its diameter spans more than 100 feet. The mosaics covering the walls are among the most important works of art that have survived to this day of the Byzantine era.

Large round buildings had been successfully covered by domes before, but Hagia Sophia had a rectangular floor plan, and covering a large rectangular structure by a huge central dome was being tried for the first time in history. The dome collapsed and repaired many times.

The Ottomans converted the basilica to a mosque in the 15 th century after the conquest of Istanbul. Recognizing its historic and universal importance, the Turkish Government turned it into a museum in 1935

TROY
Ancient city of Troy is located 30 km south west of Çanakkale province in the Marmara Region of Turkey. This is one of the most important historical cities of Anatolia. Archeological excavations have revealed nine separate periods of settlement at this site, including ruins of city walls, house foundations, a temple and a theater. The earliest settlement dates from five thousand years ago and the last coincided with the late Roman period. Famous Trojan wars, depicted in Homer’s epic Iliad took place here at about 1200 BC. A symbolic wooden horse at this site commemorates this legendary war.

http://www.turkishembassy.org/traveltourism/famouslandmarks.htm

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^ Good Stuff Sweetz.
I went to Istanbul with my family when I was 16…I don’t think I saw Sophia mosque :frowning: but I did visit Topkapi museum…It was a wonderful experience. We even flew Turkish airlines..I think my dad saved some money there :-D..Turk hawa yulari is what they call it i guess..Turkish airhostesses are :k: :-D…I would definitely recommend Turkey for travel.

Cool. Insh'allah I will go one day as I have been fascinated by Turkey for a very long time.

That's one place I still haven't been to but really want to see. I know a lot of Turks here (Germany) and most are really good people, and good food.. that and I like watching their music shows on TRT :p

There are so many fascinating places there. You have all the pre-Islamic cultures, some of the first Christian sites, Ottoman, etc. its such a large synthesis of culture.. its awesome. I think one of the reasons I havent gone yet is because I can't make up my mind where to go! I had an opportunity to do volunteer work in the eastern region a while back and am really mad that I couldn't go (finances :() Someday I'll be there! but that language is tough...