The Suleymaniye Mosque, built on the order of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, by the architectural genius Mimar Sinan. The construction work began in 1550 and the mosque was finished in 1558. This vast religious complex blended Islamic and Byzantine architectural elements. It combines tall, slender minarets with large domed buildings supported by half domes in the style of the Byzantine church Hagia Sophia. The design of the Suleymaniye also plays on Suleyman’s […]

Hagia Sophia (from the Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, “Holy Wisdom”; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya) is a former Greek Orthodox patriarchal basilica (church), later an imperial mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. From the date of its construction in 537 until 1453, it served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to […]

Istanbul from the City Wall Including Hagia Sofia, Suleiman Mosque, Galata Tower, The City wall, The golden Horn to name but a few sights. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country’s economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population of 13.9 million, the city forms one of the largest urban agglomerations in Europe and is the second-largest city in the world by population within city limits. Istanbul is […]

Surrey Quays, London Surrey Quays is a largely residential area of Rotherhithe in south-east London, occupied until 1970 by the Surrey Commercial Docks. The Docks are called Surrey Docks because until 1900 the borders of Surrey and Kent met in this area. After the closure of the docks, the area remained derelict for over a decade, with much of the warehousing demolished and over 90% of the docks filled in. […]

Venice is a beach front neighbourhood on the West side of Los Angeles. It is known for its canals, beaches and Ocean Front Walk, a 2.5 mile pedestrian only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors. Venice was home to some of Los Angeles’ early beat poets and artists and has served as an important cultural centre of the city. Originally called “Venice of America,” it was founded by tobacco millionaire […]

Wadi Musa, Petra, Jordan The name Wadi Musa means Valley of Moses in Arabic. It was reported that prophet Moses passed through the valley and struck water from the rock for his followers at the site of (Ain Musa) Moses water Spring (Moses’s Well). The Nabateans built channels that carried water from this spring to the city of Petra. Wadi Musa was also nicknamed the Guardian of Petra. Aaron, the […]

Karak Crusader Castle, Jordan Shot from the highest point of the Castle remains. In 1132 King Fulk, the Crusader king of Jerusalem, made Pagan the Butler Lord of Montreal and Oultrejourdain (the lands east of the River Jordan and the Dead Sea). Pagan made his headquarters at al-Karak were he built a castle on a hill called by the crusaders Petra Deserti – The Stone of the Desert. His castle, […]

Ad Deir (The Monastery) Petra, Jordan Ad Deir (The Monastery) is a monumental building carved out of rock in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra. Built by the Nabataeans in the 1st century and measuring 50 metres wide by approximately 45 meters high.  Architecturally the Monastery is an example of the Nabataean classical style. It is the second most visited building in Petra after Al Khazneh (The Treasury). It was […]