Asure has venerable associations, being ascribed to the times of Noah’s Flood. It is said to have been invented after the Ark rested on Mount Cudi in Southeastern Turkey (according to Islamic tradition) or Mount Ararat in Eastern Turkey (Christian tradition). Whichever mountain it was, Noah ordered that all the remaining provisions on the ark […]
When the 17th-century Turkish writer Evliya Celebi, who traveled throughout the Ottoman Empire recording everything he saw, visited Malatya he remarked upon the plentiful water from numerous springs, the good air, and the orchards and vineyards in the green plain, and said that this was a city which aroused the admiration of all those who […]
“Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just, simply food. The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself!” Abdulhak Sinasi Turkish Cuisine: Prologue For those who travel engaged in culinary pursuits, Turkish Cuisine is a very, curious one. The variety of dishes that make up the cuisine, the ways they all come […]
The secular nature of the Turkish state is enshrined in its constitution and discrimination on religious grounds is not acceptable. Nevertheless, the majority of the population is Moslem and a government department exists to administer Islamic religious affairs. The Islamic religion derives from the Prophet Mohammed who was born in Mecca in 571 AD into […]
The Seven Churches of Revelation (Asia Minor) St. John recorded letters to the Seven Churches in Asia, as part of Revelation, the last book of the Bible. Exiled on the island of Patmos as he saw visions and recorded them, he must have longed to be able to visit the churches in person to deliver […]
Art and arms might seem contradictory concepts, but like all human artifacts, weapons have been a vehicle for artistic expression. The swords of many types and periods which we see in museums today have often been transformed into objects of such beauty by the craftsmen who made them that we forget they were instruments of […]
Silver filigree work has its origins in Mesopotamia and Egypt from where it spread to Turkey and other parts of Asia. From Turkey, it was exported with Ottoman rule into Yugoslavia and Greece. It is also known as cift isi (tweezer work) and vav isi from the Arabic letter vav which is somewhat similar to […]
The Sufi Experience: beyond its monuments, its rich history, and the radiant exoticism that Morocco displays in front of those who visit it; beneath the hustle and bustle of its lively streets, and the sensuality of its everyday life, there’s a strong sense of spirituality, mysticism, and transcendence, expressing itself through ancient rituals and ceremonies […]
Meerschaum is a German word meaning, sea-foam, alluding to the belief that it was the compressed whitecaps of waves, just as it is said in mythology for the goddess of beauty Aphrodite. It is a hydrated magnesium silicate. Magnesium doesn’t make it strong and the hydrogen and oxygen don’t make it cool. It is the […]
Shells could be regarded as a symbol of longevity since they survive for millions of years as fossils. At the same time certain mollusk shells, principally the pearl oyster but also many other species are the source of pearls and mother of pearl, the iridescent inner layer below the horny exterior. The large shells of […]
