The Grand Bazaar
After leaving Topkapi Palace, my guide took me to the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is quite close to the New Mosque and Spice Market,...
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The Blog.
I post bi-weekly about writing, editing, teaching, and travel.
Apr 9, 20233 min read
Topkapi's Fourth Courtyard
In my previous few posts, I introduced Topkapi Palace, its Second Courtyard and Harem, and the Third Courtyard. In this final post, I...
Apr 6, 20233 min read
Topkapi's Third Courtyard
In my previous two posts, I introduced Topkapi Palace and then went into detail about the Second Courtyard and Harem. In this post, I...
Apr 2, 20234 min read
Topkapi's Second Courtyard and Harem
This past Wednesday, I introduced Topkapi Palace as the home of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire from the 1460s until 1856, when a new...
Mar 30, 20232 min read
Intro to Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace is huge, and, as it is Wednesday, I do not have to go over all of it today. Instead, I will provide a brief introduction...
Mar 26, 20232 min read
Hagia Irene
My second day in Istanbul started with a peak inside Hagia Irene. The Eastern Orthodox Church, which sits in Topkapi Palace's outer...
Mar 23, 20231 min read
Hope, Fear, and Grading
Here it is, the end of Wednesday, and I've not had time for my usual post. I blame the above stack of papers. Everyone says the worst...
Mar 15, 20233 min read
Old City Sights
Old City Corner I spent three full days in Istanbul. At 8 a.m. each day, I met my tour guide, Gamze, at the Starbucks at Taksim Square. ...
Mar 12, 20234 min read
The Basilica Cistern
To examine the history of a civilization, first consider its water. Ancient civilizations formed on the banks of rivers. The ancient...
Mar 9, 20231 min read
Busy Week
View of the Tennessee River from the visitor's center off Neyland Drive. It's been a busy week—too busy for my usual post on my trip. I...
Mar 5, 20234 min read
The Hippodrome of Constantinople
Ruins of the Hippodrome, from an engraving by Onofrio Panvinio in his work De Ludis Circensibus (Venice, 1600). The same morning I saw...
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