Category: UNESCO

 

Many of the most beautiful or historic locations around the globe have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. I share information and photos about those that I have experienced here.

PhotoPOSTcard: A Living Movie Set

On the way to the Sahara desert, we made a brief stop at the Ait-Ben-Haddou UNESCO site. The site is recognized as a great example of a ksar, a collection of earthen dwellings built behind defensive walls which are reinforced by angle towers. At one time, the village was part of a thriving commercial trading route between the Sudan and Marrakesh. Today however, the site has been abandoned except for tourists, hawkers selling their wares, and the film industry. The guides make sure to let you know that the movie Gladiator and scenes in The Game of Thrones were filmed here.

My Sahara Desert experience was hosted by Merzouga Luxury Desert Camps. All content is my own.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

 

Bathing Like a Sultan – Overcoming Naked Inhibitions in a Turkish Bath in Istanbul

Enjoying a hamam, or Turkish bath in Istanbul is a unique experience in Turkey. I wanted to try it on my first visit to Istanbul, but to do so, I would have to set aside my inhibitions about being seen naked by strangers. Could I do that?

I know I have a typical American hang up about public nudity. Hollywood may show a lot of bare skin, but that’s not me on that screen. Plus, at my age, I feel like I am losing both the battle of the bulge and the battle with gravity. I am not sure that I really should subject the world to seeing my body without clothes on.

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Sleeping With the Sultan – Behind the Walls of Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace Harem

The Topkapi Palace harem complex is a beautiful and still slightly mysterious part of the Topkapi Palace which was the home of the Ottoman Empire Sultans.

Paris has the Palace of Versailles. Vienna has the Hofburg Palace. London has Buckingham Palace. In Istanbul, it is Topkapi Palace that was the opulent home to the Sultan rulers of the Ottoman Empire and their female entourage for almost 400 years. Learn about what went on behind the walls of the Topkapi Palace harem.

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Istanbul’s Hagia Irene – A Step Back in Time

Before the more famous Hagia Sofia was built, Hagia Irene served as the main church in Constantinople. Hagia Irene also served as a model for the construction of the Hagia Sofia next door.

To step through the door into Hagia Irene in Istanbul is to step through a time portal back to fourth century Constantinople. Before the more famous Hagia Sofia was built, Hagia Irene served as the main church for the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Hagia Irene also served as a model for the construction of the Hagia Sofia next door.

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PhotoPOSTcard: The Call to Prayer in Istanbul

The first time I ever heard the Islamic call to prayer was in Istanbul on my first visit in 2016. The sun was starting to set as I was taking a break on a bench in the hippodrome area in front of the Blue Mosque. The tulips were in full bloom and the scent of hyacinths was wafting on the early evening breeze.

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Visiting the Historic and Famous Mosques in Istanbul

Not all of the mosques in Istanbul are open to non Muslim visitors. But fortunately, the most historic and famous mosques in Istanbul are open to tourists.

Not all of the mosques in Istanbul are open to non Muslim visitors. But fortunately, the most beautiful and famous mosques in Istanbul around the historic core of the Sultanahmet area can be visited by tourists during the non prayer times of the day.

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PhotoPOSTcard: The Dogs of Istanbul

This photo was recognized with an Honorable Mention in the 2018 North American Travel Journalists Association Competition in the  Photography, Arts and Culture -Online category.

You can’t visit Istanbul’s historic district without encountering a stray dog, or two or ten. They roam freely and apparently quite happily, and often become the star of the show, despite the iconic scenery around them. They lay down anywhere and everywhere and people will carefully walk around them. They appear well cared for and well fed. If a dog has an ear tag, then it is part of the Trap, Tag and Release program where the dogs are captured, vaccinated, fixed and then released back into their neighborhood. As with the cats of Istanbul, it takes a village to care for the dogs of Istanbul as well.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose

PhotoPOSTcard: Istanbul’s Blue Mosque at Sunset

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or Blue Mosque as it is more commonly known, was completed in 1617. Legend tells that its architect misread the Sultan’s instructions and mistakenly interpreted “six minarets” instead of “gold minarets”. This was a problem because at that time, only the Great Mosque of Mecca had six minarets. To allay criticism, the Sultan then ordered that a seventh minaret be added to the Great Mosque in Mecca.

Thanks for visiting.

Rose