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
- 3 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 4 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 2 min
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
- 1 min
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
- 3 min
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
- 4 min
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
- 1 min
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
- 4 min
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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