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| John II Comnenus, Byzantine emperor, and his wife, Irene, with Madonna and child. Mosaic in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, ca. 1118. |
With the trip to Istanbul only about eight weeks away, it's time to begin getting educated about this ancient city! I'll be walking its streets soon, writing curriculum based on the adventure, and so it's time for a little research! As of today, most of what I know about Istanbul is from a substantial Art History course I took at Kansas State University in the early 80's. I still have the 5 inch thick textbook from the course and vividly remember the lectures and looking at the grand slides the professor showed us as she infused her passion for art history into us. Learning about Constantine, and the Roman and Byzantine empire, the Roman architecture, the Greek Orthodox and the Ottoman influence, and the gorgeous Byzantine mosaics has stayed with me for a long time. Also, some geographic lessons about Turkey have come from Bible studies of the region. But, at this point in time, that is really my very limited, basic, existing knowledge about Istanbul. So, the pre-journey begins.
I know that Istanbul is where the east and west meet, where Asia and Europe meet. Istanbul is also known for . . .
it's contribution to architecture and art, especially the beautiful Byzantine mosaics.
1) The capital of the Eastern Roman Empire is represented by the hippodrome of Constantine, built in A.D. 324, in the Archaeological Park; by the aqueduct of Valens, built in 378, in the Suleymaniye quarter; and by the building on the ramparts starting in 413, ordered by Theodosius II, in the last of the four zones. 2) The Byzantine Empire (Christian-Greek Orthodox) is represented by several major monuments including the churches of St. Sophia and St. Irene in the Archilogical Park, built in the reign of Justinian (527-565); the ancient Pantocrator Monastery in the Zeyrek quarter, founded by the Empress Irene under John II Comnenus (1118-1143); and an old church in the zone of the ramparts, Holy Saviour in Chora (now the Kariye Camii) with its wonderful mosaics and paintings form the 14th and 15th centuries; and the current layout of the city walls are from modifications made during the 7th and 12th centuries and included adding the quarter and the Palace of the Blachernes. 3) The Ottoman Empire (Islamic) is represented by having its most important monuments in Istanbul, including the Topkapi Saray and the Blue Mosque in the archaeological zone; the Sehzade and Suleymaniye mosques, who are both the work of the architect Koca Sinan, constructed under Suleyman the Magnificient (1520-66) in the Suleymaniye quarter and the vernacular settlement vestiges of the Suleymaniye quarter, 525 wooden houses which are UNESCO listed and protected architectural structures.
This city, Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, has been a significant seat of history for more than one thousand years. I am looking forward to seeing as many of these structures as I can. And, it will, frankly, be amazing to view the mosaics which I first learned about as a young 19 year old girl sitting in a KSU Art History Course. I think that what I marvel at the most is how the gifted and talented artisans of ancient times designed and produced such magnificent architectural structures and art works before the advent of electricity and power tools and power lifts and all the modern conveniences that these same architects and artisans have at their disposal today. When I really take time to think about all of this, however, I think isn't it really amazing that mankind placed so much emphasis on adding beauty, enormous beauty, to art and architecture back then? At least in these monumental type of structures? Today we see more and more use of drywall and paint. Can you imagine going into a new church being built in your community and finding a wall of gold and precious stone mosaics? We could debate the reasons why it is good that we don't go to these excessive lengths anymore....and we could debate the reasons why it is sad that we don't until the sun sets one hundred years from now. Mankind has reasons for doing everything. Reasons change with the passing of time, politics, beliefs, and fashions. Either way, I cannot wait to see the infamous Istanbul and the beauty of architecture and art it holds for the world.
This UNESCO Video gives a good overview of Istanbul and details how Constantinople because Istanbul:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356/video
This UNESCO website gives a good overview of the architecture of Istanbul and has many other links:
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356
