Topkapi Palace: The Fourth Court

Topkapi Palace: The Fourth Court

Topkapi Palace dominates Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district, completing what I think of as the city’s essential sightseeing trifecta alongside Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Perched above the Bosphorus, the palace does not simply reward visitors with views; it opens a door into more than four centuries of Ottoman rule.… Read the rest

Topkapi Palace: The Third Court

Topkapi Palace: The Third Court

Topkapi Palace dominates Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district, completing what I think of as the city’s essential sightseeing trifecta alongside Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Perched above the Bosphorus, the palace does not simply reward visitors with views; it opens a door into more than four centuries of Ottoman rule.… Read the rest

Topkapi Palace: The First Court

Topkapi Palace: The First Court

Topkapi Palace dominates Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district, completing what I think of as the city’s essential sightseeing trifecta alongside Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. Perched above the Bosphorus, the palace does not simply reward visitors with views; it opens a door into more than four centuries of Ottoman rule.… Read the rest

Celebrating Manal

Celebrating Manal

It’s easy to forget those born in December and January, or indeed any other busy time of the year when individual birthdays may rank second to larger and more public, religious or commercial events – Christmas, Easter, Eid, Chinese New Year, Thanksgiving, Halloween and the like.… Read the rest