Eggs are the specialty of my friend Nermin Kura. A ceramicist, Nermin makes vessels inspired by eggs and photographs eggs in various settings. When I was in Ayvalik and saw the two ostrich and one emu eggs, I wanted to experiment with their shapes, forms, texture and photographed them in the … [Read more...]
The Puppeteer in Pera
On one of our outings, when we visited Narmanli Han, I heard an enchanting music coming from behind a line of people watching something. I could see the head of a very tall man with his face painted white but could not make anything of it until I got reasonably close to peek through the crowd. It … [Read more...]
Ayvalik, Flowers, and Windows
A stroll through the narrow streets in Ayvalik will make one aware of the close relation the people have with two things: flowers and cats. Now, I don't mean to give the impression that you will find lush gardens, meticulously manicured in every respect. I know of one such garden in Ayvalik, it is … [Read more...]
Six-Winged Seraphim 3D
Two views of the 3D mapping of the mosaic As I mentioned in the previous post, the newly unveiled Seraphim mosaic in Hagia Sophia reminded me of a head mapped to a flat surface. I am not an expert in 3D mapping, but I created the following composite showing how the face could have looked in 3D. I … [Read more...]
Hagia Sophia, a new mosaic unveiled
I read in a Turkish newspaper, Aksam, that one of the mosaics in Hagia Sophia was cleaned to reveal the face of the angel Seraphim. According to the news article, the mosaic has been covered for about 160 years. Possibly because of this, the pieces of the mosaic are preserved exceptionally well. … [Read more...]
From the Roof of Hagia Sophia
Earlier, I posted a slideshow consisting of the photographs I took inside Hagia Sophia. Since then, I have created a second slideshow, this time featuring the photographs taken from the roof of Hagia Sophia. You will see the Blue Mosque, the old Hippodrome, the obelisks on one side; and Hagia Eirene … [Read more...]
Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009
In memory of Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in the country for years. I saw him having lunch with his friends and his wife in the restaurant at Martha's Vineyard Airport on August 18, 2006. I asked if I could take a photograph of him. He was very gracious and said, in his memorable deep … [Read more...]
Hagia Sophia: A Short Video
I posted some of the photographs I took in, around, and from the dome of Hagia Sophia earlier. I wanted to provide an interpretation that evoked The Great Church in use; so I created a short video that is set to Byzantine Chant. I watched it a few times with great awe of the structure that remained … [Read more...]
Anemon Hotel and Grifin Fish Restaurant
Ergun, my brother-in-law, and good friend, scouts the most interesting places to visit. On June 29 we visited the Covered Bazaar for some last minute shopping then went to the Tunel district in old Pera. The first stop was an interesting bookstore which seemed to specialize in historical … [Read more...]
Hagia Sophia, III: View from the roof
From a small trap door, they made under one of the large windows between the ribs of the great dome of Hagia Sophia we stepped out to face a magnificent view of the area. As I stepped out, I was looking at the Blue Mosque at the level of its minarets and I could see the Sultanahmet district, the … [Read more...]