The first was a certain race

So he prepared ships and filled them with armed knights, and set forth towards France. And as soon as they had landed, they sent messengers to show the nobles of France the cause of the embassy. And by the joint counsel of the nobles of France and of the princes, the maiden was given to Llevelys, and the crown of the kingdom with her. And thenceforth he ruled the land discreetly, and wisely, and happily, as long as his life lasted.

After a space of time had passed, three plagues fell on the Island of Britain, such as none in the islands had ever seen the like of. The first was a certain race that came, and was called the Coranians; and so great was their knowledge, that there was no discourse upon the face of the Island, however low it might be spoken, but what, if the wind met it, it was known to them. And through this they could not be injured.

The second plague was a shriek which came on every May-eve, over every hearth in the Island of Britain. And this went through people’s hearts, and so scared them that men lost their hue and their strength, and the women their children, and the young men and the maidens lost their senses, and all the animals and trees and the earth and the’ waters were left barren.

Consume first night

The third plague was, that however much of provisions and food might be prepared in the king’s courts, were there even so much as a year’s provision of meat and drink, none of it could ever be found, except what was consumed in the first night. And two of these plagues, no one ever knew their cause, therefore was there better hope of being freed from the first than the second and third.

And thereupon King Lludd felt great sorrow and care, because that he knew not how he might be freed from these plagues. And he called to him all the nobles of his kingdom, and asked counsel of them what they should do against these afflictions. And by the common counsel of the nobles, Lludd the son of Beli went to Llevelys his brother, king of France, for he was a man great of counsel and wisdom, to seek his advice.

And they made ready a fleet, and that in secret and in silence, lest that race should know the cause of their errand, or any besides the king and his counselors. And when they were made ready, they went into their ships, Lludd and those whom he chose with him. And they began to cleave the seas towards France.

Source: https://travel.istanbulgaria.info/lludd-and-llevelys-part-2/

Adventures Antarctic

Travel has recently come into the spotlight, specifically in regards to the perilous environmental tuation in both the Arctic and Antarctica and the role tourism may play, either to its benefit or detriment.

As many rightfully ask: is it even possible to travel responsibly to the two most fragile and important regions of our planet? From the rapid melting of Antarctica’s glaciers to the precarious state of the Arctic’s endemic wildlife, it’s totally fair to question the feasibility of taking tourists to our polar regions.

When trying to determine an answer to this possible conundrum, several factors need to be considered. Luckily, we’re not the only ones who are scrutinizing the situation: scientists have been researching this very topic for years and their arguments are not only sound but also logical.

Firstly, however, it’s important to understand that Antarctica and the Arctic are two very distinct regions. They make look similar to you and I (lots of ice, freezing winds, crazy hardy wildlife) yet every other aspect about the two regions could not make them any more different.

As such, the environmental challenges they face are unique and the solutions, consequently, will probably be distinct as well. vulnerable as well, primarily because there are so many more species of land animals than in Antarctica, where there are none.

If Antarctic wildlife numbers diminish due to unnatural deaths, it’s because of something that happens elsewhere on our planet.

So what can one do?

If you do decide to take a Polar trip then following the strict guidelines set out by your tour operator is your prime objective. In the Arctic, that means being respectful of indigenous communities you visit, buying hand-made artefacts as souvenirs and taking locally-guided excursions, to help provide income to local families. In both regions, you ought to ensure your hiking gear is clean to a fault: introduce foreign soil or bacteria here and you’ll be adding to the problem. You’ll need to keep a respectable distance from the wildlife and keep noises to a minimum; stay on predetermined walking routes and don’t veer off on your own.

Ship-wise, you’ll do well to choose the smallest expedition ship you can afford, the lower pax numbers being not only beneficial to landing sites but also to you, as a passenger. The lower the guest count, the more time each person has to spend ashore.

More importantly, however, you’ll want to trust a company that’s evidently committed to sustainable and responsible tourism, not one that’s using it to greenwash a party cruise. Polar travel is expensive, time-intensive: chances are you’ll be on a much-coveted adventure you’ve been dreamng for years.

At Chimu Adventures, the commitment to sustainable travel has been at the very forefront of operations since our company’s inception. Having travelled and guided extensively through Latin America before starting our company, we were incredibly aware of not only the benefits of tourism – in just about any destination – but also for the potential of doing inadvertent harm, if we did all the wrong things.

After all, there does come a point where we can collectively love a place, a little too much. So forget about behemoth cruise liners taking thousands of guests through the smallest canals of historic European cities: when it comes to responsible polar travels, we believe in small group expeditions that are invaluably educational. If we can turn just one more ‘mere tourist’ into a Polar warrior, then we’ll consider our job done.

That a woman shall be free

But she took care to be present in person, and argued the point with the

disappointed and incensed lover with pertinacity equal to his own. She

particularly insisted on the Levitical law, which declares, that a woman shall

be free of a vow which her parents dissent from. This is the passage of

Scripture she founded on:

If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond;

he shall not break his word, he shall do acteording to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

“If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father’s house in her youth; And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.

“But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or

of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall

forgive her, because her father disallowed her.”

Piece of broken gold

While the mother insisted on these topics, the lover in vain conjured l lie daughter to declare her own opinion and feelings. She remained totally overwhelmed, as it seemed—mute, pale, and motionless as a statue. Only at her mother’s command, sternly uttered, she summoned strength enough to restore to her plighted suitor the piece of broken gold, which was the emblem of her troth.

On this he burst forth into a tremendous passion, took leave of the mother with

maledictions, and as he left the apartment, turned back to say to his weak, if

not fickle, mistress, “For you, madam, you will be a world’s wonder”; a phrase

by which some remarkable degree of calamity is usually implied. He went abroad, and returned not again. If the last Lord Rutherford was the unfortunate party, he must have been the third who bore that title, and who died in 1685.

The marriage betwixt Janet Dalrymple and David Dunbar of Bal- doon now went

forward, the bride showing no repugnance, but being absolutely passive in

everything her mother commanded or advised. On the day of the marriage, which, as was then usual, was celebrated by a great assemblage of friends and

relations, she was the same sad, silent, and resigned, as it seemed, to her

destiny.

Source and more information plaece to visit this web site: https://private.tourguideensar.com/the-bridal-of-janet-dalrymple-part-2/

Visited Cities in Asia

When you picture an Asian city, what evocative scenes waft through your mind? Camels nonchalantly striding alongside honking traffic… Hawkers competing with one another’s shouts in smoky bazaars… Grand, crumbling fortresses from another age and many-tiered pagodas stacking up towards the sky…? Asia has so much to offer and its popular cities are as varied as its peoples and cultures. Many cities are today melting pots after centuries of tribal, imperial and colonial conquest.

The layers of time are evident throughout most cities and

are interwoven with the ever-shifting incoming cultural influences. The world

is a smaller place since commercial aviation brought these distant melting pots

of exoticism within a day’s travel. Today we can all visit most of these places

with relative ease.

Hong Kong

With over 25 million visitors annually, this tiny harbour

city is a world financial capital with a unique history. It is hands down one

of the most exciting and alive cities in Asia. The friendliness of the

Cantonese, the harbour so familiar from countless films, the glitzy modern

skyscrapers and the frantic but enchanting Hong Kong island all contribute to

the overpowering atmosphere.

Whether you go to eat at one of the thousands of top

restaurants, lose yourself in the markets, party early into the morning, take

in the view from the top of Victoria Peak, learn the fascinating history or go

shopping in the giant malls, you will leave Hong Kong invigorated and wanting

more and more.

Singapore

The gateway to Asia where east meets west – an exciting

fusion of cultures and accessible sights. Indulge yourself in some of the

finest hotels in Southeast Asia whilst admiring the outlandish modern

architecture and cavernous shopping malls.

The last few years has seen an increase in the already heady

rate of development and its eating, drinking and arts and culture scenes are

thriving. This busy port city has really got some serious wind in her sails!

Bangkok

Founded in 1782, Bangkok’s recent explosion of modernisation

has captured the mood and spirit of 21st century Asia. Towering skyscrapers

press up against traditional Chinese shop fronts while brand-new Mercedes

squeeze past vendors with pushcarts – this is a city of sharp contrasts.

Culture fiends will delight in the dazzling Royal Palace and the city’s

countless pagodas, while shoppers could spend weeks sifting through Bangkok’s

malls and open-air markets. Entertainment ranges from highbrow to the notorious

with everything in between.

A food lover’s paradise, the city caters for all tastes from

French fine dining with tranquil river views to sampling fried crickets on the

roadside. Prepare to have all your senses engaged.

The Atacama Desert, Chile

The driest desert in the world and the most surreal

star-gazing destination in the southern hemisphere, the Atacama is an ethereal

place to visit, where the salt-encrusted earth crumbles under your feet; where

the sunsets are fiery-red and where the night skies put on a magnificent show.

Desolate and harsh yet incredibly enchanting, the Atacama is

in the northern fringes of Chile, bordering the world-famous Bolivian Salt

Flats. If you have some extra time you could easily discover both in the one

single unforgettable journey.

The Amazon Rainforest, various destinations

The Amazon is one of South America’s most celebrated

highlights and the one destination everyone who visits South America wishes to

explore. Yet once you’re over and not overly keen to rough it out in a tropical

jungle budget-lodge – them pesky insects and soul-sucking humidity and all –

then rest assured you can still head here and experience this resplendent

wilderness. From luxury lodge-based tours to Amazon River cruises aboard

gorgeous river boats (yes, they also come with air-con and window fly-screens,

nowadays!) the options for exploring the

Amazon in comfort and style are plentiful. You can still

enjoy all the on-land excursions you wish, cuddling anacondas and chasing

sloths (or was it the other way around?) visiting remote Amazonian communities

and simply relishing being in the heart of the world’s grandest and most

important rainforest, all the while still getting a great night’s sleep,

feasting on superb cuisine and indulging in a refreshing shower at the end of

the day.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

We certainly wouldn’t begrudge any over-55s from heading to

the Brazilian party-capital to shimmy it up with the best samba dancers at the

annual Rio Carnival, yet let it be known that Rio de Janeiro is actually a

pretty spectacular city to discover at any time of year. Steeped in hundreds of

years of fascinating history – as the birthplace of African-imported slavery

into the continent – Rio is a powerhouse of attractions.

The famed Christ the Redeemer statue will welcome you with

open arms (well, he does that for everyone) and guides you along one of the

most picturesque coastlines of all. With a great array of museums, fun shopping

options, exceptional cuisine and a long list of sightseeing highlights to suit

everyone, Rio will bewitch you for days on end. And come sunset, when you’re

enjoying a sundowner on your private hotel balcony overlooking glitzy

Copacabana beach, you may well think there’s no more exciting place in the

world to be.

Yalvac Indent City of Antiocheia in Pisidia

Seeking the distinctive historical texture that underlies the county of Yalvac, we are led to the remains of the ancient city of Antiocheia in Pisidia.

The first buildings our eyes light upon seem to be strewn over the hillsides and among the ravines. The principal entrance to the city was located on its western side. The present form of the Western Gate, the guardian of the city’s security, dates to 21 2 and is decorated with reliefs of weapons and armor.

From there we stroll along the street called Cardo Maximus and make a sentimental visit to the abodes of the city’s erstwhile owners. Who knows whose house we may end up in as we ply these narrow, straight streets? The old town had two forums, that of Augustus and that of Tiberius. Located on the eastern side of the city, they were the focal-points of its life. Even the first workers’ strike in the world was taken at the Forum of Tiberius in AD 46. As we walk along, from time to time we realize that we are treading.

With this pensive thought in our hearts, we reach the aqueduct, gracing the north side of the city like a necklace.

The magnificent fortifications that once encircled and sheltered the acropolis of Antiocheia measure about three thousand meters in length. These walls underwent expansion and repairs in Roman and Byzantine times. Who knows how many sentries guarding these walls gazed dreamily upon the magnificent view around him?

Goddess Kybele

The sacred precinct of the acropolis, the city’s highest point, contains a temple dedicated to Emperor Augustus. Originally a temple to the goddess Kybele was located here. It was replaced by a temple dedicated to the moon-god Men afterwards. Still later, an elaborately decorated Augustus temple, dedicated to the Emperor who established the first and biggest Roman colony in the area, was built on the site in the late 1st century BC. From the standpoint of both its architecture and its decoration, the Temple of Augustus is a unique example of its kind. In the early 5th century, the temple was converted into a Christian church.

As you take in the scene before you, the very air you breathe seems charged with the millennia-old mystical inspiration of goddesses, gods, and emperors.

Despite being located on a hill, Antiocheia has a well-organized city plan and a developed infrastructure.

1 st-century propylon or monumental gate is situated where the Augustus and Tiberius forums join. Over its central archway are reliefs of Genius with wings and Nike that are indescribably elegant in the artistry of their execution.

Forum of Tiberius

The Forum of Tiberius (which dates to AD 15-40) is located at the eastern terminus of a column-lined street that dates from the 1st century AD and was one of the most important parts of the city. Large quantities of glass, pottery, and bronze objects have been unearthed in the shops of its gallery. The city’s theater is built into the side of a hill near the downtown area.

Elaborately decorated, the theater consists of three main parts. Originally it had a seating capacity of 5,000, but this was later, in the Roman times, increased to 15,000. One very unusual feature of this theater is its tunnel which is 8 meters wide and 62.5 meters long. This is unique among the theaters of the ancient world. It was, also in this theater that St. Thecla was exposed to torture.

Large quantities of glass, pottery, and bronze objects have been unearthed in the shops of its gallery. The city’s theater is built into the side of a hill near the downtown area. Elaborately decorated, the theater consists of three main parts. Originally it had a seating capacity of 5,000, but this was later, in the Roman times, increased to 15,000. One very unusual feature of this theater is its tunnel which is 8 meters wide and 62.5 meters long. This is unique among the theaters of the ancient world. It was, also in this theater that St. Thecla was exposed to torture.

Nymphaeum

The city’s monumental fountain (nymphaeum) consists of two parts. The first is an elaborately decorated facade of columns that contained the fonts; the second is a large reservoir lying behind the facade in which water was stored. Scattered around the city are smaller fountains from which Antiocheia’s ice-cold water bubbled forth.

A public bath is located at the northwestern corner of the city. Dating back to AD 25, it is a typical example of Roman bath architecture with separate hot, cold, and cool sections, dressing- rooms, service areas, and places to store water and supplies. The city’s stadium stands to the west of the acropolis where the foothills of the Sultan Mountains begin. Built in the 3rd century BC, it measures 190 meters long and 30 meters wide.

The stadium apparently underwent much development during Roman times and in its heyday it was the scene of exciting sports events and competitions, thrilling races, and bloody gladiatorial combats sometimes between man and beast, and sometimes between man and man. All in all, the stadium is where the strong vanquished the weak and where humanity’s savage and martial instincts were catered to and allowed to run free and untrammeled.

Crown of Antiocheia

The jewel in the crown of Antiocheia that makes it a place of pilgrimage is the Church of St Paul, the city’s first Christian church and also its biggest. Located 200 meters south of the Roman baths, it was erected on the site of the synagogue in which Paul delivered his first sermon, as described in Acts 13, by the city’s grateful inhabitants and dedicated the church to him. The building has a typical basilica plan. Excavations at the site have revealed the existence of a smaller church that was built here before the present one. The church is the most impressive in appearance with its mosaic-tiled floor and wall of columns.

Beneath the smaller church, the remains of a synagogue can be identified. This indicates that there were at least three stages of construction on this site. The first was the synagogue, which was rather large in size. In the early 3rd century a small church was built on the spot. Sometime in the early 4th century, the church we see today was put up. Numerous graves and skeletal remains have been discovered within the church. The church’s floor is decorated with specially-designed mosaics. Among the inscriptions on the floor of building is a reference to an Orthodox church leader named Optimus, who is known to have been the bishop of Antiocheia in 375-381.

In 46, St Paul accompanied by St Barnabas delivered his first sermon in the synagogue which was later replaced by the church. The church quickly became a place of pilgrimage for the faithful and a setting in which many other saints were to deliver sermons of their own.

The existence of seven churches in the city indicates that it was a religious center.

The aqueduct, which has become a symbol for the whole ancient city, was built in Roman times. Extending along the northern side of the city, it brings water from a source located ten kilometers away. The aqueduct is amazingly well preserved, especially when one considers that it was built in the first century AD. Despite the passage of nearly two thousand years, this structure that supplied the ancient city with its beneficial water still stands proud and tall.

Source Link: https://balkans.marietaminkova.com/indent-city-antiocheia-pisidia/

Military dictatorship – Uruguay’s darkest chapter

Uruguay remained neutral during the Second World War yet it

couldn’t remain immune to the international economic depression that soon

followed. As prices for its much-admired wool fell drastically, the country was

itself plunged into financial hardship, leading to the rise of a socialist

guerrilla movement, the Tupamaros.

The complex consequences of the guerrilla movement (which

included the kidnapping of the then British Ambassador) resulted in a military

coup in 1973, and the new instated military dictatorship would see the country

face its darkest historic period yet. Uruguay suffered under this brutal rule

for just over a decade and, at one point, was voted the country with the highest

number of political prisoners per capita and dubbed ‘The Torture Chamber of

Latin America’.

Much as in Argentina and Chile, Uruguay also suffered the

loss of thousands of ‘disappeared’ citizens. Despite democracy being eventually

reinstated in the mid-1980s, it would take until the turn of the new millennium

before the country once again found its economic footing and political

stability. Today, the country is in the process of arresting and sentencing

leaders which were instrumental in the 1973 military coup and subsequent human

rights violations.

Uruguay today – Stronger than ever

With a strong collective social conscientiousness, ample

individual rights and policies which are inclusive and immensely tolerant,

Uruguay is indeed considered one of the world’s most ethical and

environmentally-friendly nations.

As the country continues to implement incredible

environmental policies it has reached impressive levels of sustainability:

today, almost 95% of Uruguay’s energy today comes from renewable sources. Socially,

the country is also to be admired. Same-sex marriage, legalized in 2013, is one

of the many ways the country upholds LBGTQ rights and the country in general is

very receptive to the public voice. Protests and strikes are not uncommon in

Uruguay and are usually driven by a perceived unfairness for minorities (women

or the less-affluent, for example) but, in this country, the protests actually

lead to lasting reforms.

A splendid country with ease-of-access from Buenos Aires,

charming colonial towns, glitzy seaside resorts and a countryside that’s

relaxing, unique and captivating, Uruguay really is one of Latin America’s

hidden secrets and offers a wealth of things to do. Visit our Uruguay Tours

page for inspiration and do contact us for more info on how to best add-on a

stint in Uruguay to your South American travel plans.

Zoe Was Open-handed

When all was ready, the other business was carried on. There were lawsuits to be settled, questions of public interest, or contributions of money, audiences with ambassadors, controversies or agreements, and all the other duties that go to fill up an emperor’s time.

Most of the talking was done by the officials concerned, but sometimes, when it was necessary, the empresses also gave their instructions, in a calm voice, or made their replies, sometimes being prompted and taking their cue from the experts, sometimes using their own discretion.

Zoe was a woman

For those who did not know them it may be instructive if I give here some description of the two sisters. The elder, Zoe, was the quicker to understand ideas, but slower to give them utterance.

With Theodora, on the other hand, it was just the reverse in both respects, for she did not readily show her inmost thoughts, but once she had embarked on a conversation, she would chatter away with an expert and lively tongue. Zoe was a woman of passionate interests, prepared with equal enthusiasm for both alternatives death or life, I mean.

In that she reminded me of sea-waves, now lifting a ship on high and then again plunging it down to the depths. Such characteristics were certainly not found in Theodora: in fact, she had a calm disposition, and in one way, if I may put it so, a dull one. Zoe was open-handed, the sort of woman who could exhaust a sea teeming with gold-dust in one day; the other counted her staters when she gave away money, partly, no doubt, because her limited resources forbade any reckless spending, and partly because inherently she was more self-controlled in this matter.

o put it quite candidly (for my present purpose is not to compose a eulogy, but to write an accurate history) neither of them was fitted by temperament to govern. They neither knew how to administer nor were they capable of serious argument on the subject of politics. For the most part they confused the trifles of the harem with important matters of state.

Even the very trait in the elder sister which is commended among many folk today, namely, her ungrudging liberality, dispensed very widely over a long period of time, even this trait, although it was no doubt satisfactory to those who enjoyed it because of the benefits they received from her, was after all the sole cause, in the first place, of the universal corruption and of the reduction of Roman fortunes to their lowest ebb.

S: https://private.ensartourguide.com/zoe-and-theodora-part-2/

The robust and big Tower of Galata

After 1261, the Genoese have been settled in Galata, the place they’ve left a monument of their occupation within the robust and big Tower of Galata, that shaped their watch-tower and citadel, and the place they established, on the very gates of the capital, so robust a rival, that, as Gibbon observes, “The Roman Empire would possibly quickly have sunk right into a province of Genoa, if the Republic had not been checked by the damage of her freedom and naval energy.” These overseas communities have been allowed to be self- governing, as far as the Byzantine Authorities was involved.

That they had their very own courts of justice, and their very own locations of worship, even the Saracens being allowed to own a mosque. A sure variety of homes, a sure extent of territory, and specific piers at which their ships may moor for discharging or receiving cargo, have been assigned to them, and, as a rule, they paid decrease duties than native retailers did.

Generally, it appears they have been liable to render army service, as if feudal vassals, however to all intents and functions they loved underneath the Byzantine emperors very a lot the place which foreigners in Turkey now occupy, in advantage of the Capitulations granted by Sultans to European residents. The unique copies of a number of of the industrial treaties between the Empire and the Italian States are preserved within the archives of Venice, Genoa, and different cities of Italy, and furnish an fascinating chapter within the historical past of diplomacy and commerce.

Essentially

the most picturesque portion of the Golden Horn

Essentially the most picturesque portion of the Golden Horn is that which lies between the 2 bridges. Alongside the Galata shore, a big flotilla of gaunt native barges, with quick masts and lengthy indirect yards, is usually moored, ready to be employed within the transhipment of the cargoes that depart or attain the port Right here additionally a mass of native delivery is laid up for the winter, after the style of the early days of navigation. It’s a dense forest of naked masts and poles concerned in a community of cordage, with the steep hill, upon which the stone homes of Galata and Pera are constructed as a rocky background. After an evening of rain, the scene modifications.

Then from each yard and mast heavy, damp sails are unfold within the heat, misty, morning air, and also you appear to look upon a flock of nice sea-birds opening their wings to bask within the sunshine. Alongside the alternative shore, surmounted by the domes and minarets of the Mosque of Sultan Suleiman, the financial institution is fringed with native craft, laden with fruit or oil from the islands of the Mgean Sea, or bringing planks and beams to the timber-yards at Odoun Kapan from the lands beside the Danube. Timber has been saved at that time ever because the days of Justinian the Nice, if not ever because the metropolis was based.

The History Of Harput

Centrally located in eastern Anatolia, Elazig promises visitors a rich feast of history and culture.

Dating back to the 3rd millennium B.C., Harput was home to numerous tribes from the Hurrians to the Seljuks. The castle at Harput, where legend has it that milk was used to alleviate a water shortage during the construction, has ensured regional security since the time of the Urartus.

Made by sculptor Nurettin Orhan, the monument to Belek Gazi, a key figure in Harput’s history, in the courtyard of the Great Mosque is a reminder of this important ruler.

Dabakhane River to the north of Harput Castle is rich in minerals. Boasting thermal properties, its waters are highly recommended for gastrointestinal and liver ailments as well as for depression.

Turkey’s second largest dam reservoir, Keban Dam not only supplies a major portion of the country’s power needs, it has also brought the local people resort areas where they can enjoy freshwater fish.

Elazig Archaeology and Ethnography Museum is located on the campus of Firat University School of Engineering. The museum, which reflects the region’s archaeological wealth, features exhibits of finds unearthed in archaeological excavations in the area around Keban Dam Reservoir as well as examples of the region k ethnographical richness. Closed Mondays, the museum is open other days 8 a.m. to 5p.m.

Young at heart

With its orange- scented coasts, Wild festivals and architectural wonders, valencia is spain’s forever- young city bythe sea. And it’s poised now to becomethe mediterranean’s new star. Here are five reasons to see valencia.

City of art and learning

With its vast squares and modern architecture, this is perhaps the city’s most striking quarter. In addition to Oceanographic, one of Europe’s largest aquariums, the Cuidad de las Artes y las Ciencias with its museum, cinema and opera draws upwards of five million visitors annually. And the area’s fantastic architecture bears the signature of native son Santiago Calatrava.

The silk market

Near the Plaza de la Reina where the cathedral stands, one of the city’s iconic structures with its gothic lines and octagonal bell tower, there is another interesting building, the historic 15th century Lonja de la Seda, or silk market. Declared a world cultural heritage by UNESCO, it is surrounded by historic churches and other buildings.

Albufera lagoon

This lagoon in Albufera Nature Park is 11 kilometers south of Valencia. A wetland protected as one of the Mediterranean’s unique biological reserves, it is fed by natural underwater springs. A boat tour at sunset on the lake, which is a center of attraction for bird watchers, is another Valencia pleasure.

Benicassim festival

One of the world’s leading open-air music festivals, Benicassim is gearing up for this summer with the slogan, “Four days of concerts, eights days of camp, 100 artists and more (short films, theater, art, dance and courses). The big guns of this year’s festival,

July 14-17, include Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Mumford & Sons, Portishead and The Strokes,

Barrio de carmen

A leisurely stroll down the Barrio de Carmen, the city’s eating, drinking and entertainment district, is de rigueur for getting to know Valencia. The wind-swept streets lined with century-old buildings will let you feel the heartbeat of the everyday life unique to this part of town.

You can also sample here the Spanish snacks known as tapas to the accompaniment of live Flamenco music.

S: https://travel.doturkey.com/harput/

While his Majesty was praying

A few persons went away while his Majesty was praying; but all the pilgrims stayed, and I stayed with them. Several of the officials walked about on the gravel, talked, smoked, and drank orangeade, which a servant brought to them on a silver tray. Now and then from within the mosque came to us the loud murmur of praying voices.

The soldiers of the body-guard descended the hill from the gates of Yildiz on foot, leading their horses, and assembled outside the courtyard. They were followed by a brilliant squadron of cavalry in dark-blue-and-red uniforms, with green-and-red saddl -cloths; their blood-red flag was borne before them, and their own music accompanied them. The soldiers in yellowish brown had piled arms and were standing at ease, smoking and talking.

Twenty minutes perhaps went by, then a Gladstone bag was carried out of the mosque. We all gazed at it with reverence. What was in it? Or, if there was nothing, what had been recently taken out of it ? I never shall know. As the bag vanished, a loud sound of singing came from within, and a troop of palace guards in vivid-red uniforms, with white-and-red toques trimmed with black astrakhan, marched into the court led by an officer. Some gendarmes followed them.

Then the chief of police tripped forward with nervous agility, and made us all cross over and stand with our backs to the bank in a long line. An outrider, dressed in green and gold, and holding a big whip, rode in on a huge strawberry-roan borse. Behind him came a green-and-red brougham with satin cushions, drawn by a pair of strawberry roans. A smart coachman and footman sat on the box, and on each side rode two officers on white horses.

Now the singing’ ceased in the mosque.

People began to come out. The sultan’s son, less flushed, passed by on foot,

answering swiftly the salutes of the people. The brougham was drawn up before

the bright-yellow carpet. Nazim Pasha once more stood there talking with

several officials. The soldiers had picked up their arms, the sailors were

standing at attention.

Holidays are coming, winter holidays. I can

tell you about lovely places

to visit in Bulgaria. If you are a ski fan then Bulgarian resorts are for

you – Borovets, Bansko, Pamporovo. You will like it there.

Then there was a very long wait.

“The sultan is taking coffee.”

Another five minutes passed.

“The sultan is sleeping.”

On this announcement being made to me, I

thought seriously of departing in peace; but a Greek friend, who had spoken to

an official, murmured in my ear:

“The sultan is awake and is changing his

clothes.”

Vladimir Korolenko (1853-1921)

Korolenko spent a great part of his life in exile. Much of his writing is based on incidents gathered in Siberia. It is surprising that his exile
did not embitter him. His stories, which are half romances, are sympathetically and simply told.

The Old Bell Ringer is one of his most beautiful tales. The present version is by Maxim Lieber.

The Old Bell-Ringer

It was growing dark. The tiny village, nestling by the distant stream, in a pine forest, was merged in that twilight peculiar to starry spring nights, when the fog, rising from the earth, deepens the shadows of the woods and fills the open spaces with a silvery blue mist. … Everything was still, pensive and sad. The village quietly slumbered.

The dark outlines of the wretched cabins were barely visible; here and there lights glimmered; now and then you could hear a gate creak; or a dog would suddenly bark and then stop. Occasionally, out of the dark, murmuring forest emerged the figure of a pedestrian, or that of a horseman; or a cart would jolt by. These were the inhabitants of lone forest hamlets going to their church for the great spring holiday.

The church stood on a gentle hill in the center of the village. The ancient belfry, tall and murky, was lost in the blue sky.

The creaking of the staircase could be heard as the old bell-ringer Mikheyich mounted to the belfry, and his little lantern, suspended in mid-air, looked like a star in space.

It was difficult for the old man to climb the staircase. His leg served him badly, and his eyes saw but dimly. … An old man like him should have been at rest by now, but God spared him from death. He had buried his sons and his grandsons; he had accompanied old men and young men to their resting place, but he still lived on. ’Twas hard. Many the times he had greeted the spring holiday, and he could not remember how often he had waited in that very belfry the appointed hour. And now God had again willed that…

The old man went to the opening in the tower and leaned on the banister. In the darkness below, around the church, he made out the village cemetery in which the old crosses with their outstretched arms seemed to protect the ill kept graves. Over these bowed here and there a few leafless birch trees. The aromatic odor of young buds, wafted to Mikheyich from below, brought with it a feeling of the melancholy of eternal sleep.

S: https://travel.docappadocia.com/the-old-bell-ringer-part-1/

The name of Byron carved in bold letters

Upon one of the columns I found the name of Byron carved in bold letters. But I looked in vain for the name of Turner. Byron loved the Cape of Sunium. Fortunately, nothing has been done to make it less wonderful since his time. It is true that fewer columns are standing to bear witness to the old worship of the sea-god; but such places as Su- nium are not injured when some blocks of marble fall, but when men begin to build. Still the noble promontory thrusts itself boldly forward into the sea from the heart of an undesecrated wilderness. Still the columns stand quite alone.

All the sea winds can come to you there, and all the winds of the hills winds from the FEgean and Mediterranean, from crested Euboea, from Melos, from Hydra, from /Egina, with its beautiful Doric temple, from Argo- lis and from the mountains of Arcadia. And it seems as if all the sunshine of heaven were there to bathe you in golden lire, as if there could be none left over for the rest of the world.

The coasts of Greece stretch away beneath you into far distances, curving in bays, thrusting out in promontories, here tawny and volcanic, there gray and quietly sober in color, but never cold or dreary. White sails, but only two or three, are dreaming on the vast purple of Poseidon’s kingdom white sails of mariners who are bound for the isles of Greece. Poets have sung of those isles. Who has not thought of them with emotion? Now, between the white marble columns, you can see their mountain ranges, you can see their rocky shores.

Many are the things

to do in Bulgaria. My country is not yet very well discovered and I am sure

you would love it. It’s nature, history and great emotions.

A snow-white goat warming

Behind and below me I heard a slight

movement. I got up and looked. And there on a slab of white marble lay a

snow-white goat warming itself in the sun. White, gold, and blue, and far off

the notes of white were echoed not only by the mariner’s sails, but by tiny

Albanian villages inland, seen over miles of bare country, over flushes of

yellow, where the pines would not be denied.

There is an ineffable charm in the

landscape, in the atmosphere, of Greece. No other land that I know possesses an

exactly similar spell. Wildness and calm seem woven together, a warm and almost

caressing wildness with a calm that is full of romance. There the wilderness is

indeed a haven to long after, and there the solitudes call you as if with the

voices of friends.

The Lycian Way

Mustafa Kiziltas (Lyum 2011 first place)

“I’ve been first for two years in this marathon in which athletes from around the world compete. The Lycian Way combines rich history with magnificent natural beauty and is one of the world’s finest trails for an ultramarathon. Turkey’s second ultramarathon is going to be run in Cappadocia the summer of 2012. ”

Birmingham, at the heart of the uk with a population of over one million, is a destination of limitless opportunity, offering visitors an eclectic mix of things to do.

The city oozes style, culture and charm and attracts over 32 million people a year with its level of vibrancy and excitement. Whether it is heritage, culture, food, shopping or sport, there’s plenty of choice to keep you entertained in Birmingham. Birmingham’s early history as a city dates back to the early 12th century when Peter de Birmingham, holder of the manor, gained the right to hold a weekly market. Once famous as a ‘city of a thousand trades’, Birmingham is renowned for its pioneering past and was a world leader in the production of jewelry, pens, guns, buttons and buckles.

This exciting history has left visitors to Birmingham with a number of outstanding heritage attractions to discover, explore and enjoy, including great old vehicles and machines at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, the Motor Heritage Centre and Coventry Transport Museum. The Jacobean splendour of Aston Hall, the delightfully restored timber framed farmhouse Blakesley Hall and the magical Sarehole Mill in Hall Green, which formed the inspiration for JRR Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, are all well worth a visit, and the Black Country Living Museum creates a tribute to the people that once lived in the heart of industrial Britain. Birmingham’s flagship National Sea Life center offers a spectacular undersea voyage and is located alongside the city’s beautiful and historic canals. Birmingham promises you a shopping experience second to none. From clothing to jewelry, the world’s leading brands and shops offer a rich array of products to suit your taste.

Food for thought

Over the past decade Birmingham’s food scene has seen the city transform itself into the ultimate dining destination. Birmingham has over 200 topranking restaurants in the city center, spanning 27 countries across the globe, from Europe and the Far East to the Caribbean and the Americas. Birmingham has a hugely compelling and eclectic arts scene with world class and inspirational organizations and venues right across the cultural spectrum.

The diverse range of galleries, concert venues, theaters and cinemas the city has to offer are second to none. Since opening over 100 years ago, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is now home to more than half a million artifacts. Renaissance masterpieces, 9,000-year- old Middle Eastern treasures and the world’s largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art are all on show here.

Housed in one of Birmingham’s finest Art Deco buildings, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts was designed by Robert Atkinson, one of Britain’s leading architects of the 1920s and 30s. And it displays major works by Monet, Turner, van Gogh and Picasso, while Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery, located in the neo-Gothic Oozells Street School in Brindleyplace, features exhibitions across two floors, spanning photography, painting and sculpture.

Source: https://travel.doturkey.com/lycian-way/

The strength of the Orthodox Church

The Church was “rapidly losing all hold on the popular mind.” The strength of the Orthodox Church was in the villages “where people are ignorant and superstitious, but it weakens in proportion to the size and culture of the towns.” The establishment of the independent Bulgarian Church in the 1870’s was “one of those ebullions which end in nothing” because the people in “casting away old oppressions” gained nothing better.

The Bulgarian nation, according to the American clergyman needed not “desolation” but “reformation.” There was hope, with the aid of the American missionaries, this reformation would become a reality. “The Bulgations,” wrote Mutchmore, “notwithstanding all these and other disabilities, are more accessible to Christianity than any of their neighbors, they are more brainy and manly arid have more in them worth saving than any of their neighbors.”41 The Americans, through their missionary activity, publications, and Robert College would help the new, free, “redeemed Bulgaria” to become “the wonder of all the Danubean provinces.”

Mutchmore admitted that the Bulgarians themselves were working hard to change and modernize their country. The author presented some aspects of Bulgaria’s history to prove some of his preconceived notions. Bulgaria’s awakening was “inspired by the great Pan-Sclavistic idea” and her “small revolution” was “instigated by Russia.” He recognized that Russia “espoused ostensibly the cause of Bulgaria” and through the Treaty of San Stephano the country was freed from the Turks. Mutchmore blamed the powers, especially England, for the failure of San Stephano.

The American thought that the powers “had no right” and “no good reason” to intervene and save Turkey. At the Congress of Berlin the powers proceeded to divide up the domains of a sovereign Power to suit themselves, and to denude another nation of all the fruits of her losses and victories.” He thought this was unprecedented for “nothing like it has ever occurred in the history of the world.” To the American this was like the divisions of Poland.43

Praised Alexander Battenberg

Mutchmore praised Alexander Battenberg for his efforts to maintain the independence of Bulgaria and was critical of Russia’s policies. One of the reasons for his anti-Russian attitude was his fear that if Russia played a dominant role in Bulgaria, the Protestants would not be free to continue their missionary work.44 Notwithstanding the difficulties the Bulgarians had to face, Mutchmore believed, Bulgaria would be able to solve her problems.

The Bulgarian people, he wrote, “are bright more than bright. They have a better intellectual development than any of their neighbors, are industrious, and ambitious both to know and to do.” The Bulgarians were “physically superior, better dressed, and the better classes are more rapidly becoming European.” Bulgaria was in a period of transition “like a bird putting its head out of its shell only the head is out, the body is still fettered in the filthy prison house of the past.”

Kozan

Towards Kozan

Known in the historical sources as Sis, Kozan was one of the leading towns of the middle Ages. It is possible to see the vestiges of scores of churches and early period Turkish Islamic mosques in this town, which prospered thanks to its proximity to the trade routes.

Cilicia Monastery

Aka Sis Monastery, this building at Kozan was one of the region’s leading centers of Christianity between the 13th and the early 20th century. Believed to be the source of a number of legends and rituals in the area and rumored to boast over three hundred chambers, the monastery today consists only of its outer walls.

Hoskadem Mosque

Hoskadem Mosque is a fine example of Mamluk architecture, few examples of which are found in Anatolia but which enhanced the region’s architectural richness. It was built in the 15th century by the Emir Abdullah Hoskadem, one of the administrators in Anatolia of the Egypt-centered Mamluk State. Thanks to a series of repairs over time, it has managed to survive to our day. Like most of the early period Anatolian mosques, Hoskadem is also built on a rectangular plan.

Sabanci Central Mosque

Adana is among the places in Anatolia first reached by Islam. One of the main points of passage for the Syria- based Arab armies, Adana and its mosques have a past going back very far. And Sabanci Central Mosque, completed and opened for worship in 1998, is of a splendor befitting the city today. Capable of accommodating some 28,000 worshipers in its interior and exterior spaces, it is an outstanding example of classical Ottoman architecture built in our day, illustrating the fine points of the Islamic religion in the number of its minarets, windows, domes and semi-domes.

Koreken Church

This building is one of a relative few among the scores of church ruins large and small that have managed to resist time at Kozan, also known down the ages as Sis. Twenty minutes by car from Kozan center, it is also known among the locals as the ‘Kirkkapi’ or ‘Forty-Door’. Church.

Source: https://universal.doholidays.com/kozan/

Santa Sophia stands apart from all other buildings

Santa Sophia stands apart from all other

buildings, unique in beauty, with the faint face of the Christ still visible on

its wall; Christian in soul though now for so long dedicated to the glory of

Allah and of his prophet. I shall not easily forget my disappointment when I

stood for the first time in its shadow. I had been on Seraglio Point, and,

strolling by the famous Royal Gate to look at the lovely fountain of Sultan

Ahmed, I saw an enor- mous and ugly building decorated with huge stripes of red

paint, towering above me as if fain to obscure the sun. The immensity of it was

startling. I asked its name.

“Santa Sophia.”

I looked away to the fountain, letting my

eyes dwell on its projecting roof and its fretwork of gold, its lustrous blue

and green tiles, splendid ironwork, and plaques of gray and brown marble.

It was delicate and enticing. Its mighty neighbor was almost repellent. But at length not without reluctance, for I feared perhaps a deeper disappoint-ment I went into the mosque by the Porta Basilica, and found myself in the midst of a vast harmony, so wonderful, so penetrating, so calm, that I was con-scious at once of a perfect satisfaction.

At first this happy sense of being

completely satisfied seemed shed upon me by shaped space. In no other building

have I had this exact feeling, that space had surely taken an inevitable form

and was announcing itself to me. I stood beneath the great dome, one hundred

and seventy-nine feet in height, and as I gazed upward I felt both possessed

and re-leased.

For a long time I was fully aware of

nothing but the vast harmony of Santa Sophia, descending upon me, wrapping me

round. I saw moving figures, tiny, yet full of meaning, passing in luminous

distances, pausing, bending, kneeling; a ray of light falling upon a white

turban; an Arab in a long pink robe leaning against a column of dusky red

porphyry; a dove circling under the dome as if under the sky. But I could not

be strongly conscious of any detail, or be enchanted by any separate beauty. I

was in the grasp of the perfect whole.

The voice of a child disturbed me.

Somewhere far off in the mosque a child

began to sing a great tune, powerfully, fervently, but boyishly. The voice was

not a treble voice; it was deeper, yet unmistakably the voice of a boy. And the

melody sung was bold, indeed almost angry, and yet definitely religious. It

echoed along the walls of marble, which seemed to multiply it mysteriously,

adding to it wide murmurs which were carried through all the building, into the

dimmest, remotest recesses.

Turned Mother Against

Frangois Coppee (1842—1908)

Coppee, the poet of the poor and humble, lived a long and uneventful life. His volumes of verse are characterized by qualities of sentiment and simplicity. But his novels, plays, and short stories, especially the last, are an integral part of his literary work. These, says Brander Matthews, “have qualities of their own; they have sympathy, poetry, and a power of suggesting pictures not exceeded, I think, by those of either M. de Maupassant or M. Daudet.”

The present version, translated by Walter Learned, is reprinted from Ten Tales by Franfois Coppee, by permission of the publisher, Harper & Brothers.

The Substitute

He was scarcely ten years old when he was first arrested as a vagabond.

He spoke thus to the judge;

“I am called Jean FranQois Leturc, and for six months I was with the man who sings and plays upon a cord of catgut between the lan¬terns at the Place de la Bastille. I sang the refrain with him, and after that I called, ‘Here’s all the new songs, ten centimes, two sous!’ He was always drunk, and used to beat me.

That is why the police picked me up the other night. Before that I was with the man who sells brushes. My mother was a laundress, her name was Adele. At one time she lived with a man on the ground-floor at Montmartre. She was a good work¬woman and liked me. She made money because she had for customers waiters in the cafes, and they use a good deal of linen. On Sundays she used to put me to bed early so that she could go to the ball.

On weekdays she sent me to Les Freres, where I learned to read. Well, the sergent-de-ville whose beat was in our street used always to stop before our windows to talk with her a good-looking chap, with a medal from the Crimea. They were married, and after that everything went wrong. He didn’t take to me, and turned mother against me.

Every one had a blow for me, and so, to get out of the house, I spent whole days in the Place Clichy, where I knew the mountebanks. My father-in-law lost his place, and my mother her work. She used to go out washing to take care of him; this gave her a cough the steam… She is dead at Lamboisiere. She was a good woman. Since that I have lived with the seller of brushes and the catgut scraper. Are you going to send me to prison?”

Source: https://balkan.privatetours.info/the-substitute-part-1/

The Topic Of Bulgaria

After all, I can not say how far his remarks to me have been totally of his personal making, however definitely they have been the remarks of a person who had studied the topic of Bulgaria thoughtfully and had arrived at sure particular conclusions. He spoke extremely of the self-control, power, and sobriety of the Bulgarians as a race, of their extraordinary aptitude in buying information and in assimilating the concepts in addition to the language of international nations, a flair which in no clever interfered with their intense sentiment of nationality. He professed to have been enormously impressed by the ability with which his Ministers males peasant-bom and self-educated picked up the information of public affairs and the manners of society.

The Bulgarian mind was, to his pondering, a kind of virgin soil wherein concepts took root quickly, and, after they had taken root, have been retained with all of the tenacity of a vigorous and uncultured reminiscence. As to his personal place, each overseas and at house, he spoke with extraordinary freedom. He didn’t conceal the mortification he had skilled at his remedy by the main international Powers, however added that in the direction of Russia he by no means had and by no means would specific himself in any other case than with respect and gratitude.

He might always remember, or want to neglect, that it was to Russia his adopted nation owed her liberation; that it was Russia who had created the military which secured her independence; Russia whose uniform he wore, and was proud to put on. Nothing, he was satisfied, might have been extra loyal or extra disinterested than the coverage of the late Czar in the direction of Bulgaria. It was since Alexander the Second’s demise that this coverage had sadly been modified.

Maintain on the Bulgarian

individuals

The Prince gave the impression to be underneath no delusion with respect to the character of his maintain on the Bulgarian individuals. The individuals, he mentioned, have been democratic of their traditions, their concepts, and their instincts. They’d accepted a monarchy, not from any robust summary desire for monarchical establishments, however as a result of they knew and felt the monarchy, as represented by him, to be important to their existence as an impartial nation.

He was satisfied that on this sense ninety-nine Bulgarians out of 100 have been staunch supporters of the reigning dynasty, the partisans of Russia not numbering multiple per cent, of the entire inhabitants. The bulk in favour of the Ministry in workplace on the time of our dialog was, in his opinion, a really massive one; nonetheless there was an opposition which could hereafter turn into formidable.

Photo safari Aladag Mountains

Photo safari in the Aladag ains with thrilling summit approachig four thousand meters, the Aladag

1 Timber give approach to daisies above 2,000 meters.

2 Delicate species of carnation might be discovered within the Hacer Forest environs.

We by no means hesitate when the invitation to affix a photograph safari in the Aladag Mountains is obtainable yearly on the finish of July. Greater than making the summit, our objective is to get gorgeous pictures. The very best level to which we’ll climb is Yedigoller Highland at three,100 meters. With nationwide park standing since 1995, theAladag vary is residence to fox, lynx, wolf and bear. The vary lies primarily in Kayseri province, the remaining spreading into Nigde and Adana, and the area is flooded with 1000’s of nature buffs and mountaineers Turkish and international alike yearly.

From Kapuzbasi to Hacer

Our photograph safari begins at Kapuzbasi Falls close to the Kayseri city of Yahyali, the place a mighty river seems to have been minimize off by steep rocks. The rainbow created by one of many waterfalls dazzles the attention. A bit additional forward at Elif Falls, the move is rather less. In accordance with others, this cascade, the place the water falls from the next elevation, is used to function a mill. The native individuals come right here with sacks of wheat and depart with freshly floor flour. The world across the falls are a veritable nation fairground. Braziers are arrange alongside the banks of the icy stream, watermelons are chilled, and kids play fortunately.

It’s not straightforward to tear oneself away from this breathtaking sight. However the Aladag Mountains await us with all their surprises, and we nonetheless must climb a great thousand meters to achieve our night campsite. We hand our heavy gear over to muleteers ready for us simply exterior the village of Ulupmar and set off. On the primary leg, we take a nice highway that runs from from Hacer Forest to the campsite at Soguksu. Large cedars and colourful butterflies are our companions alongside the best way. In the direction of night the bushes skinny out and an impressive view spreads earlier than our eyes. The solar’s final rays stain the rugged mountain slopes myriad shades of gold and crimson, and we now respect even higher why the Ala (which means variegated) Mountains are so named.

Camping on the mountain

The tenting enjoyable begins when the solar goes down. Throughout us the mountains are utterly enveloped in darkness. Lined up aspect by aspect, our tents await us. Regardless of their heavy masses the mules have arrived far forward of us, and our camp mates have even lit a fireplace and made tea. We’re too drained to take one other step. Those that know the route say that tomorrow’s leg can be much more tough. I sigh inwardly and ask myself if I ought to flip again. Remembering that if all else fails I can at all times journey on the again of a mule, I calm down once more and drift off right into a restorative sleep within the overpowering silence of the good mountains…

The subsequent morning we’re up earlier than dawn. Right this moment we’re going to cross Hacer Go and climb precisely 1,400 meters. The primary two kilometers run over nearly flat floor terrain via fabulous vegetation. Then the valley regularly narrows and mountains appear to bear down on us from all sides. On the finish of the valley the vast majority of our group select a zigzag path over a steep slag heap. The others select a path on the south slope. Lastly the final bushes have been left behind and we’re left going through rocky terrain and the deep blue sky. The flowers peeking out from between the rocks are astonishingly good in colour. The snow and ice-covered areas that at the beginning appeared solely sporadic are regularly greater now.

An individual can’t assist however really feel awed by the splendor of nature. Finishing our exhausting climb close to sunset with our final shred of energy, we attain the Yedigoller (Seven Lakes). Like a large wall, the Direktas is mirrored within the waters of Buzul Gold, a glacier lake. Actually, the lakes massive and small within the environs quantity greater than seven. Already dozens of tents have been pitched on these lake-dotted highlands. After a deep sleep now we have breakfast and start our descent. Our path runs alongside the shores of quite a few lakes, every extra stunning than the final. After we attain our campsite on the fringe of the forest, we will resist shouting: “Farewell, Oh nice Aladag Mountains! ”

Source: https://travel.docappadocia.com/photo-safari-aladag-mountains/

Wartime Austerity

The Jabur tribe, who were our neighbors, had the most liberal ideas about private ownership and there was usually a good deal of shooting during the night. It was a period of wartime austerity: so the tires of our car for instance were worth something over a hundred pounds apiece in the market, and anything else valuable had to be kept chained to our beds.

In addition, there were curious weather

conditions. One night there was a freak storm of wind, of the sort for which

the district is well known; and the next morning the whole contents of our

kitchen, including heavy cooking pots, were recovered from a corn field almost

a quarter of a mile away. It can be imagined that these conditions were not

ideal for patient and methodical work. However, this was certainly, what was

required.

The conformation of the Hassuna mound was

an extraordinarily interesting one, since it perfectly illustrated the

phenomenon, which we have previously described as a “shift in the focus of

occupation.” It was possible to understand this before starting to excavate.

Judging from the preponderance of “Ninevite I” pottery on the surface, the

earliest occupation of the site was on the east side at the apex of the

triangle formed by the convergence of the two little river beds, and it

extended from there up to the summit of the mound.

Latest inhabitants

However, the lower slopes of the mound on the west side were covered with polychrome sherds of Tell Halaf ware, which one assumed to be considerably later in date. One could see therefore that, restricted by the enclosing banks of the two streams, the village had in later times expanded westwards and that traces of its latest inhabitants would be found low down on the western flank. Moreover, this was in fact exactly how it proved when we came to excavate.

The “Ninevite I” occupation had first

created a tiny mound at the apex of the triangle: but the Tell Halaf village,

which was bigger, had spread westwards down onto the level ground behind. On

the west side therefore, the earliest remains were deeply buried: but to the

east, they lay directly beneath the surface.

Therefore, it was to the east that we began

excavating: and here we ran straight into some of the most difficult wall

tracing that we had ever experienced. There was a cluster of small primitive

houses, but they were built of pies clay, without plastering, and the material

of which the walls were made proved almost indistinguishable from the fallen

debris, which filled the rooms. It needed all the ingenuity of our best wall

tracers to recover the plan.

Summit of the Mound

The result seemed at the time almost too good to be true. Here indeed was a temple platform: but the walls which we found ourselves tracing at the summit of the mound were not the platform itself but those of the temple which stood upon it, and this in places clearly remained standing to a height of over six feet.

Furthermore, having already outlined its

plan on the surface, we were able in tracing the walls, to enter the building

in an orderly manner through the main entrance door. In addition, as we reached

the inside of the first vestibule, to our complete astonishment we discovered

that the inner wall faces were covered with painted frescoes. Work on the other

side of the hill meanwhile had revealed the source of the mosaic cones, which

formed an ornamental band along the parapet of the platform.

So the temple with which we were dealing

was not, as at AL ‘Ubaid, of the Sumerian Dynastic period, but of the earlier

and little known proto literate, corresponding to the stone foundations which I

had discovered under the later platform at AL ‘Ubaid itself.

As for the wall paintings, one began to

see, first of all a dado of plum  colored

paint, exactly matching that used in the proto literate painted pottery of

Jemdet Nasr. Then a band of elaborate geometric ornament, and above this the

feet and legs of men and animals, evidently forming part of a mythical scene of

the sort one sees in cylinder seals of the period.

Period of great anxiety

Now for ourselves came a period of great anxiety. For we found that what our wall tracers were cutting into, was not the ordinary soft “fill” inside a room, but very hard and carefully laid mud brick. Now we could understand why the part of the building, which had survived, was so remarkably well preserved.

The whole of it had at some time been

filled up solid with brickwork, converting it into an upper story for the

platform, upon which a yet higher temple could be built. This was desperately

serious, since the wall paintings were found to adhere more strongly to the

filling than to the plaster on which they were painted; and when this filling

was removed, they came away with it. Now was the time at which, under different

circumstances one would have closed down the excavation and awaited the advice

of European experts. However, this was the first year of the war and no such

help could possibly be obtained.

Importance of Anatolia

Importance of Anatolia and Yalvac in the Development of Religions

Anatolia’s generous heart and warm embrace were the tolerant setting for historical events related to the birth and spread of religions.

The development of Christianity and many of the elements crucial to it make up an important part of Anatolia’s cultural treasures.

In Palestine, the place of its birth, the new Christian faith was unable to make much progress and its adherents headed in the direction of Asia Minor-Anatolia-instead. In the next

Christianity began to spread and organize itself in Anatolia; and four cities-Antioch, Ephesus, Tarsus, and Antiocheia (Antiocheia in Pisidia, ie Yalvac) were targeted for this.

Development of Christianity in Yalvac St Paul undertook three important missions to propagate the new faith in Anatolia. Choosing this city of Antiocheia as his center, it was here that he proclaimed the new religion to all who would listen. It was from Yalvac (Antiocheia) that Christianity began to radiate all over the world.

Christian religion

One of the first four apostles of the Christian religion, Paul was also its first theoretician. His knowledge of religion was deep. An eloquent speaker with the ability to command respect and enormous drive, he played a crucial role in the spreading of the new faith.

At the time, Yalvac (Antiocheia) was a city where one could find living side by side the devotees of oriental mysteries, Jews, idolaters, and pagans. There was also, however, a class of well-off people for whom monotheism, the belief in a single, all-powerful supreme being, had a strong appeal.

This was the setting that Paul found himself in when he arrived here to preach the new religion. Paul was driven by the love for God that he bore in his heart to teach it to others and believed it was his duty to do so. And his conviction gave him the strength to travel great distances under the most difficult conditions, preaching and making converts.

When he first arrived in a new city, he would sit at a loom and weave tent-cloth not just to support himself but also as a way of meeting people, with whom he strove to establish communication and get to know them and understand their feelings. Reflecting the purity and clarity of his heart in whatever he did, he also wove a web of love and friendship as he sat at his loom.

Paul’s stay in Antiocheia

Paul’s stay in Antiocheia is described thus in Acts 13: Now when Paul and his company set sailed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antiocheia in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down and prayed..

And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath. Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.

As the above passage tells us, Paul continued to preach and in a short idolaters, and pagans. There was also, however, a class of well-off people for whom monotheism, the belief in a single, all-powerful supreme being, had a strong appeal. This was the setting that Paul found himself in when he arrived here to preach the new religion. Paul was driven by the love for God that he bore in his heart to teach it to others and believed it was his duty to do so. And his conviction gave him the strength to travel great distances under the most difficult conditions, preaching and making converts.

Reflecting the purity

When he first arrived in a new city, he would sit at a loom and weave tent-cloth not just to support himself but also as a way of meeting people, with whom he strove to establish communication and get to know them and understand their feelings. Reflecting the purity and clarity of his heart in whatever he did, he also wove a web of love and friendship as he sat at his loom.

Under the Edict of Milan, early in AD 311, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great declared that the Christian worship was henceforth to be tolerated throughout the Empire. An organized church was gradually being developed, councils were held, and metropolitan sees were established.

Antiocheia was present in the First Council of Nicaea (iznik) in AD 325 and was also prominently represented in the Council of Chalcedon (Kadikoy 451), the Second (553) and Third (680-681) councils of Constantinople (istanbul), and the Second Council of Nicaea (787). In the course of time, Christianity became firmly entrenched in Antiocheia as elsewhere and the city became something of a place of pilgrimage that attracted a heavy traffic of visiting believers.

Source: https://www.ensartourguide.com/importance-of-anatolia/

Flood Pit

And if, in his so called “Flood Pit”,

identical traces of the “huts in the marshes” appeared above and below what was

called the “Flood deposit”, these terms were only meant for publicity purposes:

and for archaeologists his section already envisaged an interesting sub

division of his Al’Ubaid period into distinct.

So here were the two sides of Woolley’s

work: an appeal to the public by means of interpretation and presentation of

his results (with undoubted educational advantages in addition to their

practical purpose of obtaining funds); and behind this the patient and

meticulous work of a research scholar. The results of twelve seasons of arduous

digging at Ur alone can be seen in his publications. First, annually came the

admirable preliminary reports, written often on board ship on the way home,

when the whole fabric of his discoveries was still fresh in his mind. And then,

in the years before his death, sixteen heavy volumes of final publication as

Mallowan has called them “a mine of information, a deep repository which will

grow richer as the years pass and the common store of knowledge is continually

pooled.”

But now, to examine Woolley’s place in the

new forum of archaeological Methodism. By all the most recently devised codes

of procedure and disciplinary generalizations, Woolley was an unconventional

excavator, to say the least of it. To begin with, during the whole of his

twelve campaigns at Ur, he never employed more than five assistants an

astonishingly small number considering that they had to control the activities

of a labor gang consisting of from two hundred to two hundred and fifty men.

Partial extenuation

And that during that time more than twenty

thousand small but valuable objects were in the process of being found. One partial

extenuation of this idiosyncrasy was that he tended to depend

largely and increasingly on his Arab staff. A great deal of practical

responsibility was taken off his shoulders by his supervisor, Sheikh Hamoudi

Ibrahim.

Hamoudi was a Syrian of strong character

and remarkable talents, which afterwards acquired for him the position of

Deputy in the Syrian Mejlis. Woolley had acquired his services before the First

War, when he was excavating Car  chemish

on the Turco Syrian frontier, and Hamoudi had at one time saved the life of T.

E. Lawrence who was also a member of the excavating party.

By the time Woolley came to excavate the

Royal Cemetery at Ur, Hamoudi had been joined by his three sons, Jahya, Ibrahim

and Alawi, all of whom were brilliant archaeological craftsmen, and the first

of whom, Jahya, completely took charge of Woolley’s photography.

Bulgaria Vacations.

Khans, Tzars, Orpheus, Spartacus, Thracians, Levski, Botev … All of them start with capital ‘B’ for Bulgaria. These are also the places that you can see on your Bulgaria vacations.

Bulgaria is the Thracians – great warriors and horsemen that were feared and outsiders respected them. It is also the country of accomplished artists and farmers who grew wealthy from trading jewelry, copper and gold. Their fierce weaponry is in archaeological museums around the country. Anyone who likes to see it, can do it there. Many tombs, discovered mainly in central Bulgaria – the region of Kazanlak and Shipka, reveal the Thracians’ rituals, their beliefs. A gold mask and a bronze head of a Thracian King have been found there.

Interesting Bulgaria

Places to see and things to do on Bulgaria vacations are waiting you to discover them. These are Rila Mountain that gave home to the Rila Monastery, the magnificent holy cloister, unity of spirituality, culture and nature. Then Rupite – a source of energy. Also the medieval archaeological complex Perperikon – the ancient monumental megalithic structures. Certainly the ‘Kukeri’ Festival – costumed men who perform rituals intending to scare the evil away and to announce the coming of spring. Another one is Nestinarstvo – a fire ritual that barefoot men and women (nestinari) perform on zharava (smouldering embers)… Visit Bulgaria and experience these places and take more mystical Bulgaria tours!

Bulgaria vacations in the sea of events, Golden times Bulgaria Vacations

Yes, good foundations had been laid. Time for the invaders and conquerors. First the Greeks, followed by the Scythians. Then the Romans, Byzantines and the Turks. (Istanbul guided tours) Nobody had ever spared Bulgaria. All of them left their indelible marks on the lands of that country. For us, the successors, to see, learn and know our Bulgaria travel experience.

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Substantially correct

And finally Delougaz applied himself to the problem of what lay beneath the oval. He then discovered that the findings obtained from Preusser’s trench were substantially correct. The entire temple complex, up to the periphery of the outer enclosure wall, was founded on a bed of clean sand having a depth of over fifteen feet.

He was by now aware that this could not be

a natural deposit, since, in a neighboring part of the site to which I shall

presently refer, he had continued to encounter occupational levels right down

to the water table, twenty seven feet beneath the surface. He was able to check

this situation by cutting a careful section through the outer enclosure wall.

This showed very clearly how the horizontal strata of occupation levels,

(previous to the temple period), stopped dead against the sand deposit, of

which the outer face could be traced sloping sharply inwards as it descended.

For some reason perhaps for some ritual

purpose, about which there is much speculation in Delougaz’ report the site on

which the temple was built must have been excavated, perhaps down to the clean

soil beneath, and then filled with uncontaminated sand brought from outside the

city. He estimated that the cubic capacity of the excavation made to receive

the sand and therefore of the sand itself was sixty four thousand cubic meters.

To us this may seem an unreasonable and pointless task for a builder to have deliberately set himself. But the impulse to seek a basis of clean soil for the foundations of a monumental building is something quite frequently found in other periods of Mesopotamian history. An even more striking example is for instance Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon.

There, as is today fairly well known, the

king applied this principle to the whole vast structure of the famous Ishtar Gate

and the walls of the so called Procession Street behind it. Modem visitors to

the site of Babylon see the walls of these enormous buildings still perfectly

preserved to a height of about thirty feet, and ornamented with heraldic

devices of dragons and bulls, modelled in relief on the brickwork. And it is

difficult for them to realize that these are in fact not the walls at all, but

merely the foundations.

The gateway and walls themselves, which

were identically ornamented but in brilliantly colored glazed brickwork, stood

on top of the present ruins and have now almost completely disappeared. In

order to reach union  contaminated soil,

Nebuchadnezzar had cut deep trenches down through the remains of earlier

cities, and built in them these foundation walls, whose decoration was never

meant to be seen by human eyes. In fact, the relief figures had been carefully

plastered over with a protecting coat of clay before the trenches were filled

in.

Secondary and subsidiary purpose

This then accounts for the primary theme of

the book. However, it has a secondary and subsidiary purpose, which I am also

most anxious to make effective. For, in the category already mentioned, of

handbooks dealing with the subject of archaeological method and sometimes with

the history of its evolution.

Due to the writers’ efforts to draw an

effective contrast between the orderly progress of efficiency in Europe and the

misguided vandalism in the past of untrained diggers in other parts of the

world, less than justice has been done to some of the great figures in Near

Eastern archaeology during our own time.

A secondary purpose of the book then, is to

recall that, in the Near East also, there have been great and methodically

brilliant archaeologists since the time of General Pitt Rivers. 

Mound Formation and Excavation

In the Near East, even a peasant mentality

sees in the familiar aspect of its mounds some dim relationship to the

elementary principles of life and death. Alternatively, their summits may accommodate

the activities of village life or provide dignified isolation for a graveyard.

For more sophisticated western travelers on

the other hand, their silhouettes become the emblems of prolonged human

survival. If their character is to be properly understood, it will be necessary

first to consider how they come to exist at all; and secondly why they are to

be found only in this particular part of the world. For this purpose it is

momentarily essential to adapt one’s mind to the peculiar conditions of life in

these antique lands.

It is of course in the nature of human

habitations that their prolonged occupation results in the accumulation of

debris, and that, particularly if they are repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, an

elevation is gradually created which did not previously exist.

However, the speed and degree of this

process seems to be governed by two regionally distinctive factors. One is the

habits and traditions of the inhabitants and the other the form of building

material which they habitually employ.

Here in England for instance, many dwelling

houses have been occupied without interruption for a score or so of

generations. A large part of my own home was built of stone in the fourteenth

century and remained unchanged for more than four hundred years. But when, in

about eighteen hundred, it was added to and largely rebuilt, as much care was

taken to remove the resulting debris as has been taken ever since to dispose of

domestic refuse.

Empirical Schliemann

In speaking of the system by which this

technique was developed in its early stages, I have used the word “empirical”,

for it would seem to be an appropriate one. The Oxford Dictionary defines it

as—“based or acting on observation and experiment rather than theory”; and that

in this case seems exactly applicable.

One might perhaps alternatively use the

phrase, “trial and error”; but in that case one would claim that

such errors as there were, occurred in the early stages only and were soon

corrected. For it is necessary to bear in mind the general situation in field

archaeology at the end of the second decade of the present century. It was not

possible in those days to leam how to excavate a mound from textbooks or

university courses. One could profit to some extent from the mistakes made by

one’s predecessors in the field, as far back as Schliemann or even Layard.

One could leam something from the

meticulous reports of the German excavators at Babylon and Ashur, (strangely

inarticulate as these were when any explanation of practical expedients was

concerned). One could, in addition to the Germans, visit and see excavations

which had been started since the first German War by British, French and

American archaeologists, each with its own complement of improvised expedients.

American expeditions

There were the American expeditions, with

their multiple card indexes and photographic kite balloons, often seeming to be

involved in trying to apply a kind of prefabricated methodism under obstinately

unsuitable circumstances: British expeditions, usually under subsidised and

dependent on the popular interpretation of their finds to obtain funds for the

continuation of their work and French missions, still curiously intransigent,

inspired by Champollion but clinging to the methodical dogma evolved by de

Morgan at Susa.

There was a limit to the amount one could

leam from all these. Admittedly it was possible at some sites even for an

inexperienced eye to see how the technical inadequacies of the actual digging

could impair the logic of the excavator’s conclusions. But at others, little

could be leamt at all, either about technique or about logic, since both the

strategy and the purpose of the various operations seemed to be an esoteric

mystery, whose understanding was the exclusive prerogative of the mind

directing the excavations. The field staff were then mere acolytes, each with his

appointed routine of practical duties.

Certain rich man

I heard of a certain rich man, who was as

notorious for parsimony as Hatim Tai for liberality. His external form was

adorned with wealth, but the meanness of his disposition was so radiated, that

he never gave even a loaf of bread to any one: he would not have bestowed a

scrap on the cat of Abu Horiera, nor thrown a bone to the dog of companions of

the cave. In short, no one ever saw his door open nor his table spread. A

Durwesh never knew his victuals, excepting by the smell; no bird ever picked up

any crumbs that fell from his table. I heard that he was sailing on the

Mediterranean Sea towards Egypt, with all the pride of Pharaoh in his

imagination, according to the word of God, ‘Until the time that he was

drowned.’ Suddenly a contrary wind assailed the ship, in the manner as they

have said, ‘What can the heart do that it may not record with your sorrowful disposition;

the north wind is not always favourable for the ship.’ He lifted up the hands

of imploration, and uttered ineffectual lamentations. God hath said, ‘“When you

embark on ships offer up your prayers unto the Lord.’

Of what benefit will it be to the servant

in the time of need, to lift up his hands in imploration, which are extended

during prayers, but when any favour is wanted are folded under his arms?

‘Bestow comfort on others with silver and gold, and from thence derive also

benefit yourself. Know thou, that this edifice of yours will remain, use

therefore bricks of gold and bricks of silver.’

They have related, that he had poor

relations in Egypt, who were enriched with the remainder of his wealth. At his

death they rent their old garments and made up silks and damask. In that same

week I saw one of them riding a fleet horse, with an angelic youth running

after him. I said, “Alas if the dead man should return amongst his tribe and

relations, the heirs would feel more sorrow in restoring him his estate than

they suffered on account of his death.” On the strength of the acquaintance

which had formerly subsisted between us, I pulled his sleeve, and said, “Enjoy

thou, 0 good man of happy endowments, that wealth which the late possessor

accumulated to no purpose.”

Debilitated fisherman

A powerful fish fell into the net of a debilitated

fisherman, who not being able to hold it, the fish got the

better of him, snatched the net out of his hand, and escaped. A boy went to

fetch water from the river: the flood tide came in and carried him away. The

net had hitherto always taken the fish, but this time the fish escaped and

carried away the net. The other fisherman grieved at the loss, and reproached

him, that having such a fish in his net, he had not been able to hold it. He

replied, “Alas, my brethren what could be done, seeing it was not my lucky day,

and the fish had yet a day remaining? A fisherman without luck cachet not fish

in the Tigris, neither will the fish without fate expire on the dry ground.

Killed a millipede

One who had neither hands nor feet having killed

a millipede, a pious man passing by said, “Holy God, although

this had a thousand feet, yet when fate overtook him he could not escape from

one destitute of hands and feet. When the enemy who seizes the soul comes

behind, fate ties the feet of the swift man. At that moment when the enemy

attacks us behind, it is needless to draw the Ivianyan bow.”

Fat blockhead clad

I saw a fat blockhead clad in

a rich dress and mounted on an Arab horse, with fine Egyptian linen round his

head. Someone said, “0 Sady, what is your opinion of this notable dress on this

ignorant brute?” I replied, “It is like bad writing executed in water-gold. In

truth, amongst men he is an ass with the form and bleating of a calf. You

cannot say this brute resembles a man excepting in his garment, his turban, and

external form: of all his property, estate, and bodily faculties, it is not

lawful to take anything but his blood. If a man oi noble birth should happen to

be poor, imagine not that his dignity will be thereby lessened; but should a

Jew be so rich as to drive a gold nail into his silver threshold, do not on

that account esteem him noble.”

Obtain a grain of silver

A thief said to a mendicant, “Are you not

ashamed to hold out your hand to every sordid wretch to obtain a grain of silver?”

He replied, “It is better to stretch out the hand for a grain of silver than to

have it cut off for having stolen a dang and a half.”

Certain rich man

I heard of a certain rich man, who was as

notorious for parsimony as Hatim Tai for liberality. His external form was

adorned with wealth, but the meanness of his disposition was so radiated, that

he never gave even a loaf of bread to any one: he would not have bestowed a

scrap on the cat of Abu Horiera, nor thrown a bone to the dog of companions of

the cave. In short, no one ever saw his door open nor his table spread. A

Durwesh never knew his victuals, excepting by the smell; no bird ever picked up

any crumbs that fell from his table. I heard that he was sailing on the

Mediterranean Sea towards Egypt, with all the pride of Pharaoh in his

imagination, according to the word of God, ‘Until the time that he was

drowned.’ Suddenly a contrary wind assailed the ship, in the manner as they

have said, ‘What can the heart do that it may not record with your sorrowful disposition;

the north wind is not always favourable for the ship.’ He lifted up the hands

of imploration, and uttered ineffectual lamentations. God hath said, ‘“When you

embark on ships offer up your prayers unto the Lord.’

Of what benefit will it be to the servant

in the time of need, to lift up his hands in imploration, which are extended

during prayers, but when any favour is wanted are folded under his arms?

‘Bestow comfort on others with silver and gold, and from thence derive also

benefit yourself. Know thou, that this edifice of yours will remain, use

therefore bricks of gold and bricks of silver.’

They have related, that he had poor

relations in Egypt, who were enriched with the remainder of his wealth. At his

death they rent their old garments and made up silks and damask. In that same

week I saw one of them riding a fleet horse, with an angelic youth running

after him. I said, “Alas if the dead man should return amongst his tribe and

relations, the heirs would feel more sorrow in restoring him his estate than

they suffered on account of his death.” On the strength of the acquaintance

which had formerly subsisted between us, I pulled his sleeve, and said, “Enjoy

thou, 0 good man of happy endowments, that wealth which the late possessor

accumulated to no purpose.”

Romania Clayton

Thomas J. Clayton who visited many

countries passed through Bulgaria also. Going from Varna to Ruse and then on to

Romania

Clayton was “surprised” to discover that both Bulgaria and

Romania were “such fertile countries.” He wrote that he “never saw better

pasture lands or wheat fields” anywhere else in the world. These lands reminded

him of the prairie lands of Illinois. He was also surprised to find that there

were no farm houses like in America. The lands, he stated, were “tilled by

peasants who live in miserable little huts, or in villagesOur route lay through

a spur of the Balkan Mountains and was very picturesque very beautiful and

entertainingThe scenery of these mountains is soft and has a soothing rather

than a stirring influence upon the beholder.” The author believed that if peace

prevailed in these parts of the world, Bulgaria and Romania “will soon become

rich and prosperous.”

There are few more accounts by Americans on

Bulgaria. However, they are not much more different than those presented. Many

a time what Americans said about the Bulgarians or for that matter about other

peoples, reflected on their own personal character or how they valued American

culture and way of life. The descriptions presented by these travelers on a

variety of topics, like national character and even the history of Bulgaria are

hardly scientific or correct accounts.

Bulgarian personality

Almost all of these travelers present

nothing but clichés. They did not have the necessary expertise to carefully

analyze the Bulgarian

personality, their ethnic typicalness in terms of common

national cultural values. The frame of reference these travelers used was

founded on their perspective of American history and culture as the

repositories of values of liberty, freedom, democracy, justice, religion,

discipline, industry and progress.

Almost all of the authors sympathized with

the plight of the Bulgarian people under Ottoman domination. They all condemned

the alien system of despotism and many a time showed their preference for

republicanism. The Ottoman system did not permit the development of the

individual, the arts and crafts as well as agriculture and industry. The

authors were aware that the Ottoman state was in its stages of disintegration.

Those who visited Bulgaria before 1878 believed that the Bulgarians would

become free and those who travelled after the liberation of the country praised

the attempts of the Bulgarians to preserve their independence.