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Popularity of the “Unfading Rose” Theme
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Marian icons with themes such as the “Unfading Rose” became widely requested by buyers. Many of these icons...
Cretan and Italian Influence on Marian Icons
From the second half of the fifteenth century, painters from Crete and Italy frequently created images of the Virgin Mary that showed strong late-Gothic...
The Akathistos Hymn and Its Importance
The Akathistos hymn is an important liturgical poem in honor of the Virgin Mary. It consists of 24 stanzas, each corresponding to a letter...
Ottoman Trade and the World Economy
Between 1750 and 1815, the Ottoman Empire became increasingly connected to the world economy. By the second half of the nineteenth century, several factors...
Early Ottoman Documents and Mount Athos
For the earliest Ottoman documents concerning Mount Athos, scholars often refer to the work of G. Salakides. His study, Sultansurkunden des Athos-Klosters Vatoped aus...
Postmortem Lives of Byzantine Images
The icons preserved today in Turkish museum collections do not form a completely homogeneous group. They differ in style, quality, date, and place of...
Valleys Between the Bosporus and the Golden Horn
Between Beşiktaş and Tophane, the coastline of the Bosporus is crossed by four natural valleys that run inland toward the ridge separating the Bosporus...
Transport of the Ottoman Ships Over the Hills
One of the most remarkable events of the siege of Constantinople in 1453 was the decision of Sultan Mehmed II to carry his ships...
Basilike Pyle in Byzantine Historical Sources
The Basilike Pyle, or Imperial Gate, appears many times in Byzantine historical records. These references cover more than a century and show that the...
The Confusion Over the Gate’s Name
Historians do not agree about the true name of a certain entrance in the walls of Constantinople. Some believe that this gate is the...
