The Temple of Apollo, Didyma

Once an ancient sanctuary on the coast of Ionia, now Turkey, the ancient site of Didyma contains the remains of a temple to Apollo, seen here. Like Delphi, Didyma was also an oracle.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul

From a photo taken in the Sultan Ahmet Park in Istanbul during a brief lull in the rain.

Stone Seat

This stone chair must have been a place of honor in the ancient Greek theater at Priene, Turkey.
Textures from rubyblossom and ShadowhouseCreations.

Sailing Past the Pirate's Castle

We passed the fortress on Pidgeon Island as we sailed into Kusadasi harbor. Kusadasi is the closest port to Ephesus as well as other Turkish ruins such as Miletus, Didyma, Priene, Pamukkale, and Aphrodisias. During Byzantine times, the fortress served as a defense against pirate attacks.

I've used textures from borealnz and brenda starr.

Copper Sky

Photo by Steve Bohn

This photo was taken as we sailed out of Istanbul harbor. I have tried to figure out which mosque it is, but I'm not certain. I've added textures from rubyblossom and pareeerica.

Miletus

This image shows a portion of the ancient theater of Miletus in Western Turkey. Once the greatest and wealthiest of Greek cities, this site has been inhabited since Neolithic times and Miletus itself was under Greek, Persian, Roman and Ottoman rule. Eventually its harbor silted up and it was abandoned in the Middle Ages.

I added two textures from Shadowhouse Creations.

You Don't Scare Me!

These two cats were wandering in the park near the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the cat on the bench was menacing the one below.

I've added blurring and texture to remove distracting elements.

Istanbul Harbor

We had surprisingly good weather on our cruise this past spring, with only one day of cold, rainy weather. Unfortunately, it occurred while we were in Istanbul, a port we had decided to tour on our own. Although the weather was a temporary setback, we did get out and experience most of what we had planned to do and see.

This image conveys the somber atmosphere of Istanbul harbor as we sailed into the great city. The tall building in the background is the medieval Galata Tower, built in the 1300s.

Head of a Young Woman

This sculpture is located in the Istanbul Archeological Museum and dates back to 27 B.C.  I've combined textures from Shadowhouse Creations to give it more visual interest.

Floral Tapestry

Some of the beautiful sculpture in the Istanbul Archeology Museum. I've added a grunge floral texture for effect.

Didyma

One of the ports on our cruise was at Kusadasi, Turkey, where there are lots of options for viewing nearby ancient Turkish ruins. Although the most impressive ruins are probably at Ephesus, we were put off by all the photos we'd seen showing hordes of people at that site, so we chose to visit three other sets of ruins instead: Priene, Miletus and Didyma.

Our excursion included lunch and we were delighted when we were taken to the restaurant above, overlooking the ruins of Didyma. We had a wonderful meal that included a huge buffet of delicious Turkish dishes and were then served an entree of sea bass. Afterwards, we walked to the ruins and explored them with our guide.

Photo by Steve Bohn

This photo shows the Temple of Apollo, the main structure at Didyma. By walking through stone tunnels, you reach a lower level of the temple. It's a very impressive sight and fun to explore.

Fishing at Eminonu

Fishing along the Eminonu waterfront is a popular pastime in Istanbul. We passed these fishermen as we walked back to our cruise ship (to the right above) docked in Karakoy across the Galata Bridge. This part of Turkey is known as the Golden Horn.

I've added a texture from Shadowhouse Creations.

Sunken Cistern

This is a view of the largest of many ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. This one was built during the reign of Emperor Justinian during the 6th century. The ceiling is supported by 336 marble columns, each 30 feet high.  Currently there is only a few feet of water in the cistern and very small fish and coins can be seen in spots where the dim lights penetrate the water. Descending and exploring this damp space can feel very mysterious, despite the fact that it is a popular attraction for both tourists and locals.

I've added a texture by joes sistah.

Sailing to Byzantium



Photo by Steve Bohn

 Byzantium was the original name of Istanbul, back when the Greeks founded it in 667 BC. It was later renamed Constantinople and was the capital of the Roman Empire until it was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. In 1930 it was renamed Istanbul.

Sailing into Istanbul was very exciting because the city straddles both Europe and Asia. The city is also a mix of ancient and modern and its people are very proud of their history. This mosque in this image is the famous Hagia Sophia

I've added a texture called sky hard by clive sax.