Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 12 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

The previous post was of Knossos, the ancient capital of Minoan Crete. This one is on the Heraklion Archaeological Museum includes many of the original items discovered at Knossos, as well as others from other parts of Crete.

Neolithic settlements started at Knossos from 7000BC and the peak of Minoan civilisation, with large cities and “palaces” was from 2000BC to 1450BC. Art included large wall paintings, miniatures, seal-carving, jewellery making, goldsmithing, metalwork, stone carving and vase painting. Minoan seafarers at this time dominated the Eastern Mediterranean. After 1450BC, Mycenaeans arrived from Greece and became the dominant culture.

Item descriptions taken from museum labels.

Clay figurine of squatting woman. 5300-3000BC.

“Teapot” with elongated spout used for “liquids”. 2300-1900BC.

(Note the small snake on top of the spout).

Pithos, flask, fruit-stand, bird-shaped vessel and other elaborate Kamares Ware vessels from Knossos. 1800-1700BC.

Fragment of libation vessel with representation of an octopus. Knossos, 1600-1450BC.

The “Draughtboard”.

A board game inlaid with ivory, blue glass paste and rock crystal, plated with gold and silver. Knossos, 1700-1450BC.

Large jars.

Elaborately decorated large jars from Minoan palaces, urban houses and peripheral centres, used to store liquids such as wine and olive oil. Their decoration with religious symbols, such as double axes and bucrania, and other characteristic themes such as the octopus, inspired by the Marine Style, made these vessels valuable display objects.

Archetypal depiction of an octopus on a vase.

Linear A script, used c.19001450BC. Undeciphered. Used for keeping records of agricultural products (figs, wheat, olives, wine and olive oil), textiles and vessels, humans and animals (sheep, goats, oxen, pigs).

The earlier hieroglyphic script use up to c. 1900BC. Though undeciphered, ninety of its signs represented syllables and others represented objects, products or living creatures.

Large jar with patterns that may represent the suckers of an octopus.

The original of the famous bull-leaping fresco.

Trained athletes of both sexes took part, represented with dark skin for men and white for women. Minoan games were a precursor of the later Greek Olympic Games.

Votive double axe of gold, Arkalochori Cave, 1700-1450BC.

The Harvester Vase.

Black steatite rhyton with relief depiction of twenty-seven men carrying harvesting and winnowing implements. A group of men sings to the accompaniment of the sustrum, a musical instrument with rattles sounded by rhythmical hand movements. The procession may form part of a religious festival for the new harvest. Hagia Triada, 1450BC.

The Harvester Vase (different view).

Offering by worshipper at mountain shrine.

The “Dancer” Fresco.

A goddess is descending from the heavens, as indicated by the locks of hair streaming in the wind, a familiar convention in Minoan inconography for the goddess hovering in mid-air. Her right arm, extended in a gesture of authority and command, indicates she formed part of a larger epiphany scene. Knossos, 1600-1450BC.

The Ring of Minos.

The impression the signet ring would make on a wax seal.

The so-called Ring of Minos is a masterpiece of Minoan jewellery-making and an artwork of paramount importance for understanding religious iconography. The composite image on its bezel summarises the three levels of epiphany. (Epiphany? Say, metaphysical realisation.) The goddess is depicted hovering in the air in miniature form, seated on a stepped platform topped with horns of consecration, and rowing and steering a boat with a seahorse-head prow. Two scenes of tree-cult by a male and a female enrich the composition.

The passage of the goddess through the three natural elements of air, land and sea serves as a symbolic unification of the mortal world and vividly imposes the message of Minoan power over land and sea. Knossos, 1450-1400BC.

Surprisingly, it’s actually a great elaborate jug.

Stone bull’s-head rhyton, left side of head and horns restored. It is a masterpiece of Minoan art, worked with great precision to render the natural features of the real animal. The snout is outlined with an inlay of white seashell, while the preserved right eye is inlaid with rock crystal, with rim and iris of red jasper.

This vessel would have been used for libations, as indicated by the hole in the neck for filling and the corresponding hole for pouring out the liquid. Knossos – Little Palace 1600-1450BC.

Also a jug.

Lioness-head rhyton of translucent limestone with a hole in the muzzle for pouring out the liquid offering. An exquisitely modelled work, a typical example of the specialised stone-carvers’ skill in faithfully rendering the original. The nose and eyes were originally inlaid with materials that have not survived. Knossos 1600-1500BC.

The “Snake Goddess”.

The most important cult objects from the Knossos Temple repositories are the figurines of the “Snake Goddess” named after the two snakes in her upraised hands.

The snakes suggest the chthonic character of the cult of the goddess (ie relating to the underworld), while the feline creature on her head suggests her dominion over wildlife. The goddess wears luxurious garments, consisting of a long flounced skirt, an embroidered apron and a close-fitting bodice that exposes the large breasts, symbolic of the fertility of women, the goddess and by implication, nature itself. Knossos, 1650-1550BC.

. Large conical rhytons, some with elaborate relief surfaces, made of various types of stone such as veined marble, limestone and porphyry. Zakros 1500-1450BC.

Large jars with impressive decorations.

This is one of the 3,400 Linear B tablets recovered from Knossos, accidentally preserved by the fire that destroyed the city. c.1425-1300BC. Written in Greek and able to be read, they are lists of accounts, goods, military equipment, palace officials and dependants, and ritual offerings. They also record the complex taxation system, the land register and the administration of labour. The script includes 89 symbols corresponding to syllables, other symbols corresponding to words, and numbers in decimal format. Names recorded of members of the Knossian hierarchy are usually Greek whereas names of shepherds and other professionals are Minoan. Names for official positions are also Greek, indicating the form of political administration may have changed with the takeover of the Mycenaeans.

Burial in a wide-mouthed Pithos. Wooden coffins were also used. Neopalatial period 1700-1450BC.

Boar’s tusk helmet with cheek-guards, as described in Homer’s Iliad for the helmet of the Cretan hero Meriones. Knossos 1450-1300BC.

The “Poppy Goddess”.

She is crowned with opium poppies, indicating that the goddess relieves pain and heals her worshippers. Gazi, 1300-1200BC.

Chest larnax with gabled lid, decorated with a net pattern. It contains a skeleton in foetal position, with legs bent, indicative of the way the dead were buried. Tylissos-Panikklisia 1370-1300BC.

Panel of the “lily Frescoes” from an upper story room of the “Villa of the Lilies” at Amnisos. It is thought to depict a fenced garden, a place of leisure and pleasure as well as a marker of high social status. Amnissos, Villa, 1600-1500BC.

A female figure with Mediterranean features and vivid make-up, part of the “Camp-Stool Fresco”, which probably mirrored actual banquets held in the upper hall of the West Wing of Knossos. Her size and the “sacral knot” bunched up behind indicate that she was probably a leading priestess. Knossos, 1450-1300BC.

. The “Cup-Bearer”, a figure from the “Procession Fresco”, shows a youth with long black hair, naked torso and a richly decorated kilt carrying a large silver rhyton, a ceremonial vessel. This is the only life-size figure in a Minoan fresco whose head and torso are preserved. 1600-1450BC.

Lekythos (vessel for storing olive oil) depicting Theseus slaying the Minotaur. 5th century BC.

Archaic pithoi from 7th and 6th centuries BC, mostly from central Crete, and with humans for size comparison. Their relief decorations were made individually with a mould-stamp and include imaginary creatures, animals, geometric patterns and occasionally mythological and ritual scenes.

Bronze “drum” from the Idaean Cave.

This is a votive offering that shows strong iconographic and stylistic influences from Assyrian art. Its shape however, and the winged daemons flanking the central figure and beating drums are a direct allusion to the Kouretes, the daemons who beat drums to drown out the infant Zeus’ cries and prevent his father, the child-eating Kronos, from finding him. Similarly, the central figure, treading on a bull and taming a lion, is identified as the Cretan-born Zeus. Geometric period, late 8th century BC.

Bronze shield of the Idaean Cave.

These shield served as lavish votive offerings. Their ornamentation is mostly of Assyrian influence and includes frontal animal heads in high relief in the centre, animals and imaginary oriental creatures in concentric zones or in pairs, and human figures such as archers attacking animals and, kn one case, a female fugure flanked by lions and sphinxes.

They are thought to be the products of a local workshop or of foreign craftsmen versed in eastern iconography, itinerant in or established in Crete. They date from the late 9th or early 9th to the mid 7th century BC.

Bronze helmet of the “Corintian” type with hammered image of two winged horses. Axos-Sanctuary, Archaic period, 7th century BC.

Bronze belly-guards, pieces of armour with winged horses. Axos-Sanctuary, Archaic period, 6th century BC.

Detail of a vase decoration showing a couple of conversing lovers. Arkades-Afrati, Archaic period, 7th century BC.

Frieze made of poros stone from Temple A of Prinias. It is a series of relief plaques depicting a procession of horsemen, shown parading with their shields and spears. The rendering echoes the austere Doric spirit of the Cretan towns of the period. Prinias (possibly ancient Rizenia), Archaic period, 7th century BC.

Knossos

May15

Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 12 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

This is a koulouras, from the West Court of the First “Palace” of Knossos, 2000 to 1700BC. It was used for storing grain and presumably had a cover, probably wooden, perhaps woven.

West Court.

Knossos was first excavated by Sir Arthur Evans, in the first two decades of the twentieth century. He named the Minoan civilisation after the legendary King Minos. If Minos actually existed, he was probably from an earlier period than the “Palace” of Knossos.

West Porch, Corridor of the Procession.

The West Porch (foreground) had a double door and led to the long Corridor of the Procession. That was named after a fresco on an adjoining wall showing a procession of people with gifts and also musicians.

There was a settlement at Knossos as early as 7,000BC. The first “palace” though, dates from around 2000BC. There were also other equivalent “palaces at various sites in Crete with the main other ones been at Phaestos, Malia and Khania. In this period the “palaces” had different styles so they were probably independent. Around 1700BC they were all destroyed by earthquakes and fire and the rebuilt. Knossos was rebuilt to a higher standard and the others now followed the Knossos style, indicating Knossos had now become dominant.

South House

This is from the New Palace Period of 1700 to 1450 BC, and reconstructed with three stories. Evans reconstructions are controversial as they are often based as much on imagination as evidence. A modern archaeologist would not duplicate his approach.

The Minoan civilisation survived tsunamis from the Thira eruption around 1550BC but that eruption and resulting climatic disturbance probably undermined it. The Mycenaeans from the mainland took over in 1450BC. There was widespread devastation at this time and subsequent rebuilding, though in a simpler style with less naturalistic art. The “palace” and outlying buildings were then destroyed by fire around 1300BC. There was little reconstruction after that and the site was abandoned by 1100BC, though it was later occupied by Greeks and Romans. The Cretans were not wiped out by the Mycenaeans because the distinctive pottery pithoi persisted and it is now believed there was a joint culture after 1450BC.

Same place, different viewpoint. Some may wonder at the hyper-realistic sculpture in the open doorway of a young woman in full colour and in modern dress with perhaps a brochure and wearing a wristwatch. It may be difficult at this distance to establish definitively if this is a creation of Evans or an unrestored original work of Minoan art.

The Minoan civilisation had a maritime culture with extensive trade and also colonies or partner states in Rhodes, Thira and the Cyclades. Knossos and the other “palaces” were not fortified, indicating a relatively peaceful society that was not threatened by external invasion. There were weapons and armour though and there was no doubt conflict at times between regional centres. There were also guard posts on main roads, indicating some existence of banditry.

Evans called Knossos and other centres palaces but it is by no means clear exactly how they operated. Functions may have included administration, trade, religion, politics and social activities.

Cup-Bearer Fresco, South Propylæum.

The South Propylæum was originally part of the Corridor of the Procession as shown in this fresco, related to the fresco of the procession mentioned earlier.

There was hieroglyphic script in the First Palatial Period and this was replaced after 1700BC by Linear A script, mainly on clay tablets. Neither of these have been deciphered and the language used is unknown. After 1450BC, there was Linear B script and the language was Greek.

Large pithoi (storage jars), South Propylæum, Postpalatial Period (1450-1100BC).

More is known of activities in Knossos after 1450BC due to writings in Linear B script which can be read. The was a leader called the Wanax and the administration was concerned with land tenure, religion and textiles. There were over 700 shepherds harvesting 50–75 tons of raw wool, woven by nearly 1,000 workers, and producing up to 20,000 textile items. It is not known whether this may have differed before theMycenaeans took over in 1450BC.

Piano Nobile.

The piano nobile is largely Evan’s creation. He thought there would be first floor reception rooms like in a Italian Renaissance palazzo. In the background it the Central Court, where bull-jumping and other activities would have occurred. (I did not think to photograph this more directly).

Bases of columns near the West Magazines, long narrow spaces for storing pithoi.

Les Parisiennes.

When an early archaeologist saw this fresco, impressed by the sophistication of their attire, he exclaimes “But these are les Parisiennes!”. (Sorry about the reflections).

We now see a succession of frescoes from the Hall of the Fresco Copies. So these are not the originals, held in controlled environments in museums. I presume that the originals, usually fragmentary, would have been found in various locations in Knossos.

What is known of Minoan art and religion indicate it was a culture with a much more prominent role for women than later cultures. It is not known whether it was a matriarchal culture but one aspect must have been men going off in ships to trade and leaving women with a large role in running the homeland.

The Bull-Jumping Fresco.

A feature of Minoan culture was bull-jumping, an initiation ritual for young men. The bull would presumably be charging at them and their task was to grab the horns, somersault over the bull and be caught by attendants.

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The fresco represents an octopus, it’s recreated from fragments (as you can see if you click on it for a larger view and look carefully) and the original is 3,500 years old or more but it could almost be modern art.

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This is nearby the Hall of the Fresco Copies, but I’m not sure exactly where.

This shows something of the context.

Prince of the Lillies Fresco.

This is a very fragmentary reconstruction by Evans at the South Entrance. There are various opinions as to how it should appear.

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A set of stairs, now seemingly into the void.

This is the North Entrance, seen from the side.

Moving around, the actual entrance was just to the right.

… and here is a closer view of what remains of the fresco.

This is The Throne Room.

A slightly different viewpoint.

And the “throne”.

This is a wooden copy of a stone “throne” from an adjoining room. The purpose of the room is unknown. It may have been used for religious ceremonies but was unlikely to have been a throne room in the modern sense.

Shrine of the Double Axes.

A stone double axe and votive clay offerings were fond here.

Outside The Hall of Double Axes.

This was named by Evans after double axe signs carved into the walls of the lightwell at the rear. Evans thought it was the King’s residence.

Inside The Queen’s Megaron.

A richly decorated room that Evans though must have belonged to the Queen. A small side-room is named the Queen’s bathroom due to ceramic fragments that he thought were remains of a bath.

Outside The Queen’s Megaron.

Pithoi from The Magazines of the Giant Pithoi.

Pithoi from the Corridor of the Bays.

North Lustral Basin

This leads down to a room at a lower level than the rest of Knossos that Evans thought was something like a cistern, used for purification ceremonies. However, it is unlikely that there was water here and its purpose is unknown.

Theatral Area.

This reminded Evans of later Greek theatres and he thought this may have been used for performances viewed by a standing crowd.

The Royal Road.

So-named by Evans with his usual royalist preoccupation. It continues on (under the modern road) to the Minoan town that eventually became Heraklion.

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References:

Thira to Heraklion

May8

Thira (Santorini), to Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 12 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

We are now on the ferry on our way from Thira to Heraklion (in Crete). Fortuitously, it is just after six o’clock and sunset is approaching so there are some special opportunities for long lens photography as we leave Thira.

Cruise liner probably heading to Athens. I think Oia is in the background.

Picturesque vessel, I think a schooner.

Probably part of Thira township at the top of the cliffs.

Close-up of luxurious tourist accommodation atop the cliffs.

Late light playing on the sea.

It took me a while to work out. At the bottom of the cliffs is not the port we came from, it’s the old port of Thira, with Imerovigli at the top. You might need to click on the image to expand it to see, but there’s a road going down there and also a cablecar.

The light is very different according to the direction you are looking.

Towards the sun, sunset approaching.

Akrotiri lighthouse with people in front of it to watch the sunset.

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These houses may be on Akro Aspronisi Point, near Akrotiri Lighthouse.

The light is slowly fading away.

Last view of Thira with darkness approaching.

Venetian Harbour and the Koules Fortress.

Some hours later and we are now in Heraklion in Crete. This is the view from our hotel room.

We are now in Heraklion and for the next nine days we will be travelling around Crete, especially to remote places and ancient sires.

An ancient building with the roof in need of repair.

This is also taken from the hotel the next day, from the balcony outside the dining room at the time of breakfast. This also applies to the next four images.

An old ruined boat fenced off beside the harbour. I think I may have been told a story about it and I know exactly where it is but I can find no further information.

The Venetian Lion on the side of Koules Fortress.

The Venetian Harbour at Heraklion.

Crete has had a long and varied history. Humans were on Crete as early as 130,000 years ago (though not our subspecies). Prehistoric animals included pygmy hippos, pygmy elephants, dwarf deer and giant mice. Remarkably, there have also been plausible though contested claims that footprints in rock in Crete were from a human relative 5.6 million years ago (which is not consistent with the conventional Out of Africa theory).

The Minoan civilisation was the earliest in Europe and lasted from 3500BC to 1100BC. Crete was then taken over by the Mycenaeans and then the Dorians and became part of ancient Greek civilisation. Rome conquered Crete in 69BC and it later became part of the Byzantine Empire. The Arabs took over in 820 and established a piratical Emirate. They built the town of Candia here which became the new capital of Crete and was later renamed Heraklion. Byzantium took it back in 961 until the time of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 when the Venetians took over, after briefly contesting the island with the Genovese.

The Ottomans took over in 1669 after laying siege to Candia for 21 years and the last Venetian outpost at Spinalonga fell in 1718. Many Cretans participated in the Greek War of Independence from 1821 to 1829 but did not gain independence for Crete. Despite many revolts, this did not happen until 1898, first as an independent state under the Ottomans (though occupied by the Great Powers) and Candia was remaned Heraklion at this time. From 1908 it became part of Greece.

The Moslem minority of Crete was repopulated to Turkey after the treaty of Lausanne in 1923. Germany occupied Crete from 1941 to 1944 and there was fierce guerilla resistance from the locals. There was civil war on Crete from 1947 to 1948, with an attempted Communist insurrection and the last two holdouts surrendered in 1974, 25 years after the last action on the mainland.

El Greco was from Crete (and from Candia) and Eleftherios Venezolos “Maker of Modern Greece”, the dominant Greek politician of the early 20th century, was also from Crete.

After breakfast and taking the preceding images, we headed off to the ancient Minoan city of Knossos (next post).

Returning from Knossos, we left the rental car at the hotel and walked to the Museum of Archaeology (post after next). On the way I paused at a couple of weathered doorways.

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We returned from the museum and later in the early evening went for a walk around the harbour. These shells were for sale and Jools bought one.

Fishing boats.

Fishing nets.

Fishing boats leading up to Koules Fortress (which was closed).

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This is in an area of Venetian dry docks and boat repairs. The water was lapping in in those days.

Later in the evening, a closer look at the mysterious old boat. The name XAPAꓥAMΠOΠ may be a reference to Saint Charalampus, who lived during the reign of Septimus Severus.

We were very fortunate that a band was playing Greek music in a park across from the hotel. I do not know the band’s name. There was also a market at the same time.

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Pyrgos – Bell towers and doors

Apr24

Thira (Santorini), Greece, 12 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

On our last day on Thira, we drove back from Perissa through Emporio to Pyrgos. This was on the way, I think just past Emporio. The structure at the top is obviously old, perhaps Venetian. I couldn’t find it on Google Earth and can’t identify it.

We are now in Megalochori, on the back-street route to Pyrgos.

This image and the following ones are all from Pyrgos.

They are generally aesthetic images rather than historic and need little description.

Pyrgos is a traditional village in the centre of the island, declared a protected settlement since 1995. It was the capital of the island until 1800.

One thing that caught my eye was the old doors.

… or new and old in this case.

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Below is Perissa, where we had come from earlier.

This is a view of Kamari, a bit further north than Perissa.

Agia Theodosia Church, at the highest point on the island. We will see this popping up in several of the images below.

. A different bell tower.

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Looking towards the caldera, I think.

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We are now inside the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

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Looking towards the south end of the island, on the caldera side.

Looking towards Oia.

The centre of the island.

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Some of the ruins of the Venetian castle that once stood here.

I think this is the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from the outside.

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From here, we headed to the port where we dropped off the rental car and caught the ferry to Crete.

National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Feb20

Athens, 10 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC or tablet at least.)

On the morning before our flight out to Thira, we visited the Archaeological museum, near where we were staying. Unfortunately, we missed the mezzanine floor with items from Crete, and by the time we realised this it was too late to turn back. Still, there was a lot to see. They are in the order we walked around the museum, which was roughly chronological for the exhibits. Descriptions are from the labels with the items.

Gold diadem with repoussé circles and rosettes, grave items, 17th to 16th centuries BC, Mycenae.

Elephant or hippopotamus ivory warriors’ head wearing boar’s tusk helmet. From a Mycenaean Chamber Tomb from the palace period of the 14th and 13th centuries BC.

Necklaces made of carnelian beads, Mycenae Chamber tombs, 15th-12th centuries BC.

Three-handled Palace Style amphora with three large octopuses within a marinescape of rocks and seaweed. A Mycenaean imitation of the Minoan Marine Style. 15th century BC.

Gold signet ring, the largest extant Mycenaean ring. It depicts a procession of lion-headed daemons holding libation jugs and moving towards an enthroned goddess. The goddess wears a long chiton and raises a ritual vessel. Behind the throne is an eagle-symbo! of dominion. The sun’s heel and crescent moon appear in the sky. 15th century BC.

The ‘Mycenaean Lady’. The serious and pensive expression of the goddess reveals the solemnity of the moment, as she accepts, slightly smiling, the gift, a necklace, which she holds tightly in her right hand. She wears a short-sleeved bodice over a sheer blouse, which delineates her ample bosom. Her intricate hairstyle and rich jewellery (necklaces and bracelets) are striking. Wall-painting from the Acropolis of Mycenae, 13th century BC.

The art of wail-painting first appeared in the Aegean in Minoan Crete and was closely associated with palatial architecture. Indeed, monumental painting was an official art, undertaken by artists who worked for the king. The iconography is inspired from the natural world or exhibits religious ceremonies from the royal court. The art of wall-painting spread to mainland Greece with the construction of the palaces at Myconae, Tiryns, Thebes and Pylos, after the Mycenaeans established themselves at the palace of Knossos in Crete, at the end of the 15th century BC. The Mycenaean artist used natural earth colours, made mainly of metal oxides, which he applied onto a wet plaster surface.

Fragment of a wall-painting depicting three women looking out of the windows of a festooned house. The scene’s festive character and women’s gestures of veneration and surprise indicate that they are watching a religious spectacle. From the ‘Ramp House’, Mycenae acropolis. 14th century BC.

Gold signet rings depicting religious scenes: ecstatic dances in open air sanctuaries, processions of women approaching sanctuaries, preparations for animal sacrifices and ‘sacred conversation’. Mycenae Chamber tombs, 15th-14th centuries BC. (Also next two images).

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In a landscape of olive trees, a bull is captured by peaceful means: a man ties a thick rope around the bull’s leg, while the beast flirts with a cow. (Though just the flirting shown in this image.)

In a landscape of olive and palm trees, a raging bull attacks and repels two hunters (and on the other side of the object, another bull is caught in a net).

Bronze statue of a horse and young jockey. Retrieved in pieces from the shipwreck off Cape Artemision in Euboea. The young jockey of the galloping horse will have held the reins in his left hand and a whip in his right. The contractions and furrows on his face, especially on the forehead, reveal agony and passion. The work is known as the “Artemision Jockey”. About 140 BC.

Female funerary statue. Marble. Found on Delos. The female figure is rendered in the type of the Small Herculaneum Woman. She wears a full-length chiton and a himation that covers her entire body and arms. Copy made in the 2nd c. BC of a famous original dating from about 300 BC.

Votive relief. Marble. Found to the south of the river Ilissos, Athens. The relief has the form of a naiskos with pilasters, an epistyle and a cornice. Herakles is depicted at the right holding the lion’s pelt and club. In the centre of the scene, a bull is led to sacrifice by a servant. At the left is depicted a family of worshipers with their maidservant, who carries a basket covered with a cloth on her head. The votive inscription on the epistyle mentions: Panis Aigirios to Herakles. The relief probably comes from the sanctuary of Herakles at Kynosarges. 4th c. BC.

Votive relief and base. Marble. Found in the cave of the Nymphs on Mount Penteli, Attica. The relief, in the form of a cave, is set on a tall, rectangular base, on which is carved an inscription stating that the relief was dedicated to the Nymphs by Agathemeros. The dedicator is depicted at the right holding in his right hand a kantharos, which a nude wine-server is filling. In front of them, seated on a rock, the goat-footed god Pan holds the pan-pipe. Next to him is Hermes, holding the caduceus and wearing a chlamys.
Three Nymphs are depicted behind him. About 330 BC.

Part of a marble disk with female head in relief. The goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, is perhaps depicted. Her rich hair is gathered in a sakkos (snood), which curves over the nape of the lean neck. An additional curl would be attached to the temple. The face emits grace and balanced beauty. From Melos. Around 460-450 BC.

Golden bracelets. Two realistically shown snakes, with red precious stones, were wrapped around the arms of a priestess, protecting her from all evil. The bracelet in the form of a coiled snake was the paramount type than predominated in the Hellenistic period. Unknown provenance (from the so-called Karpenissi Treasure). Late 3rd – early 2nd century BC.

Gold chain-net head jewel. A fine chain net, adorned with red gems and blue enamel. The goddess Artemis, wearing her arrow case on her right shoulder, is shown on the medallion. It was perhaps made to fasten the gathered up hair of a priestess. Unknown provenance (from the so-called Karpenissi Treasure). 4th – early 3rd century BC.

Hexagonal wooden pyxis. Wooden box, decorated with rectangular gold plates, ornamented in the repousse technique. Three decorative themes are repeated on the side panels of the pyxis: a lion chase of a deer and a roe in a tropical landscape, and a running spiral pattern. From Mycenaean Grave Circle A, Shaft Grave V. Second half of 16th century BC.

Grave stele of an athlete. The athlete is depicted naked, holding a javelin in the left hand. The treatment of the musculature in the torso and hands follows the archaic conventions but it is marked by plastic contours and soft transitions. The elaborate headdress is tied with a ribbon and combed in twisted braids and tresses with spiral and helicoid terminals. Red paint is preserved in the background of the relief and on the hair. From Athens. 550-540 BC.

From Delos (“Palaestra of Granite”). A distinctively realistic face of an anonymous figure carrying the burden of ephemeral thoughts and evryday concerns. Wrinkles on the forehead, at the edges of the eyes, melancholic expression of a wet look, made more lively by the colour variegation of the eyes, are characteristics that contrast the idealism of the classic rule. Early 1st c. BC.

Bronze helmet of illyrian type and gold funerary mask. From Chalcidice. 530-510 B.C

Goddess on a throne. Attic workshop. Terracotta. End of 6th/beginning of 5th century BC.

Statue of the princess-priestess Takushit. Found on Kom Tourougka, near Lake Mareotis, south of Alexandria, in 1880. The woman’s name means ‘the Ethiopian’ and may refer to her relation or marriage to an Ethiopian. Her father was Akanosh Il, great chief of the Ma tribe from Libya. The figure’s characteristic garment is executed with inlaid decoration, a technique in which the engraved design is inlaid with precious metal wire. The motifs are hieroglyphs and deities of the northeast region of the Nile Delta, Takushit’s homeland. The statue had a ritual, votive, and funerary use. Copper alloy with precious metal inlay. End of 25th Dynasty, approximately 670 BC.

Copper alloy statuette of the god Sarapis Amun Agathodaemon. One of the rare preserved statues of this deity.

Copper alloy statue of Isis with Horus the child.

Copper alloy sarcophagus for a cat.

Helmet of Corinthian type. A fragmentary inscription on the right cheekpiece indicates that it was dedicated by the Athenians. Late 6th-early 5th century BC.

Grave stele. Thespian marble. Found in the outskirts of Thebes. Two figures, a bearded man with a staff on the right and a spinning (?) woman on the left, sit facing each other. Three more figures, two men and a woman, stand in the background. A very small female attendant is represented at far left. Characteristic attributes are the pomegranate and torch (?) held by the standing bearded man in his left hand, as well as the aryballos in the right hand of the beardless youth. The solemnity of the relief, which is emphasized by the rhythmic arrangement of the magnificent figures in two levels, points to the heroization of the dead —a fact that accords with the Boeotian origin of the stele. End of the fifth century BC.

Grave stele. Marble. Found northeast of Athens, in Chalandri (ancient Phlya). A bearded man supported on a staff offers a bird to a young boy standing before him. Both figures are draped. The inscription identifies them as Philokles and his son Dikaios, and also records their patronymics. ca. 410 BC.

Head of a bearded god. Pentelic marble. Found in Piraeus, in a sanctuary of Eetioneia. It represents Zeus or Hermes. This may be the head of the herm dedicated by Python from Abdera in Thrace, a work of the Parian sculptor Euphron. 450 – 440 BC.

Votive relief. Pentelic marble. Found in Sounion, near the Temple of Athena. It represents a self-crowning athlete and was probably dedicated by a victor in local games. His wreath was made of metal and fitted to the drilled holes that are visible around the head. ca. 460 BC.

Statue of a Sphinx. Pentelic marble. Found in Spata, Attica. One of the earliest known Archaic Sphinxes, it was once used as finial of a grave stele. About 570 B.C.

Statue of a kore. Parian marble. Found in Merenda (ancient Myrrhinous), Attica. The fully
preserved statue stood atop the grave of Phrasikleia, as is indicated by the inscription on the pedestal. The expression of the face and the rendering of garment that follows the curves of the body underneath are remarkable. The chiton retains in many places its painted decoration with rosettes, swastikas, stars and meanders. An extraordinary work, one of the most important of the ripe Archaic style. Made by the sculptor Aristion from Paros. 550-540 B.C.

Monumental Attic grave-amphora. From the Kerameikos cemetery. The main scene, shows the prothesis and mourning for the dead. Over the bier is the shroud. Men, women and a child lament with the hands on their heads, in the usual mourning gesture. Work by the «Dipylon Painter». Late Geometric Period. 760-750 BC.

Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern

Dec5

Istanbul, 8 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC at least.)

Looking up at one of the side domes.

In the morning of our second day in Istanbul, we visited the Blue Mosque, constructed between 1609 and 1616.

A wider view.

The Blue Mosque was built on the foundations of the Great Palace of the East Roman Empire, though the palace was massive, much larger than the mosque.

Recent structure inside the mosque.

I actually found the Blue Mosque disappointing, as I was expecting much more and was expecting it to be more spectacular than Hagia Sophia and as impressive as the mosques and mausolea in Uzbekistan. I had earlier seen a spectacular photograph from inside it but I did not see anything like that. I suspect it was taken from he second level, which was closed. While it is a working mosque, I suspect the main shortcomings were due to the extensive renovations scheduled from 2016 to 2020. Probably they are now finished and the experience inside may be now quite different.

Centre of a sub-dome.

Looking up a wall and sub-dome.

Visitors to the Blue Mosque.

Looking up at one of the minor domes.

This shows how spectacular the fully restored mosque could potentially be. The main dome is off to the right but there was no view available from directly underneath it.

The area available for viewing was quite restrictive.

The carpet is obviously recent. I wonder what the original floor coverings were.

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It might have been a seventeenth century statue of a worker with a vaccuum cleaner, but since it was moving it is likely it was a real person.

This shows how extensive the next floor is and how recent, presumably from the last fifty years. Previously the space was probably open below the central dome. I don’t know whether this is a measure to provide more space for worshippers or a temporary part of the renovations, but the view from above it is likely to be much more impressive than the view from below.

At the entrance to the Blue Mosque, looking towards the Hagia Sophia.

Basilica Cistern.

Next we visited the Basilica Cistern, a vast underground water storage, 140 by 70 metres, and contains 336 marble columns (each 9 metres high), not far from Hagia Sophia. Its name comes because it was below the square for the basilica. A basilica is a large Roman administrative building, associated with the forum. The water came from a forest 19 kilometres away.

It was built by Constantine and later rebuilt by Justinian following damage during the Nika Riots. It was also restored several times in the Ottoman period.

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Medusa head.

Two of the columns have Medusa heads at their base. They are said to be sideways or upside down to neutralise their power. Where they came from is unknown.

Medusa head the “right” way up.

So what do they look like the “right” way up? Here you see it. I’ve tested it out and after looking at the image, as far as I can tell, I haven’t turned to stone. If you have a different experience, I take no responsibility (and you’re unlikely to complain anyway).

The other Medusa head, this one is inverted.

… And here it is, the “right” way up.

Topkapi Palace

Nov28

Istanbul, 7 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC at least.)

Altar of the Hagia Irene.

From Hagia Sophia we headed off to the Topkapi Palace. On the way we visited the Hagia Irene, even older than Hagia Sophia.

Inside Hagia Irene.

These days it is little more than a shell, though it does have relatively recent seating and is used for concerts. It apparently has very good acoustics.

It was the first church built in Constantinople and was completed by Constantine before the end of his reign in 337. It was then the prime church of Constantinople until Hagia Sophia opened in 360. It burnt down during the Nika Revolt in 532 and was rebuilt by Justinian by 548. It was later damaged by an earthquake in 740 and restored by Constantine V. It wasn’t converted into a mosque during Ottoman times, but was instead used as an arsenal until the nineteenth century.

Some faint traces of artworks, probably dating to an iconoclastic period in the eighth century.

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Ancient arches.

A section of ceiling.

We are now at the gateway to the Topkapi Palace.

The Topkapi Palace is the Ottoman Palace, not to be confused with the Roman Imperial Palace or Great Palace, which was massive and ajoined both Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome but has now largely disappeared. Construction started on the Topkapi Palace in 1459 and it was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1509 and a fire in 1665. It was the main seat of government and residence of the Sultans in the 15th and 16th centuries and after wards slowly lost importance. It became a museum in 1924.

Unfortunately, photography was not allowed in the Sultan’s residence, harem and political chambers, so I am not able to show you the most spectacular views there.

After passing through those areas, we come out to views of the Bosphorous.

Looking down on the Sultan’s Gardens (no doubt very different in their day) and north in the direction of the Black Sea.

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Kara Mustafa Pasha Pavilion.

The same pavilion, looking in the opposite direction.

Mother of pearl inlay wall decorations.

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A small viewing platform.

Baghdad Kiosk.

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Revan Kiosk.

Looking south, beyond the Bosphorous at the Sea of Marmara.

Chariot relief, Cyzikus (Greek town on the south bank of the Sea of Marmara), 6th century BC.

(We are now visiting the Istanbul Archaeology Museum).

Letter from Hittite King Hattusili III to Akkadian Emperor Kadasman-Enlil II (based in Babylon), proposing war with Egypt.

In 1274BC Hattusli’s father Muwatalli III fought the battle of Kadesh against Egyptian Pharaoh Ramases II. This was the largest chariot battle in history with 5,000 to 6,000 chariots. The result of it is not clear though it did head off an attempted invasion of the Hittite Empire.

This letter would have been early in Hattusli’s reign (which started from 1267BC, though it must have been at least 1263BC, the start of Kadasman-Enlil’s reign) and he probably never went to war with Egypt. Instead, Kadasman-Enlil restored relations with Egypt with a dynastic marriage and Hattusli negotiated the Eternal Treaty or Treaty of Kadesh with Egypt, which Rameses ratified in 1258BC. This is the earliest known peace treaty and also survives in the versions of both sides.

Palmyran funerary reliefs (200-273AD).

Palmyria was a Roman client state based in Syria that at one time stretched from Asia Minor to Egypt. It was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 272 after the unsuccessful revolt of the Empress Xenobia.

Aphrodite removing her sandal.

(Roman 1st to 2nd century but copy of Classical Greek original).

I was impressed by the informality and realism of this statue. Of course, in ancient times it would have been painted.

Personal seal.

These ring-necked parakeets are descended from recent aviary escapees.

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A surviving fragment of Roman-era construction.

Freighter on the Bosphorous.

Ancient walls, don’t know the provenance.

And after dinner, it was time for some shopping….

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Hagia Sophia

Nov21

Istanbul, 7 to 8 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size, if you are on a PC at least.)

(This is a longer post than usual with 44 images. I was going to break it into two but here it is, as one post. This is a very historic building so there’s also a fair amount to read.)

Here it is, Hagia Sophia.

Istanbul was called Constantinople until 1930. Constantine founded Constantinople in 330AD to be the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Before that, there was the city of Byzantium on the site from the 7th century BC. It was mainly a minor independent town but at various times occupied by Athens, Sparta and Persia until the Romans took over, I presume at the same time as the rest of Greece in 146BC. (Ancient Greece included all the islands and shores of the Aegean Sea, including the western edge of what is now Turkey).

The spire and crescent atop the dome, dating from 1577.

The original church on the site, the “Great Church”, was built in 360, or possibly a decade or two earlier. It mainly burnt down in 404 in riots resulting from the banishment of Archbishop Chrysostom by Empress Aelia Eudoxia and Emperor Arcadius. The next church on the site was built by the Emperor Theodosius II in 415 and the name Hagia Sophia (meaning “Holy Wisdom”) came into use around 430. That Hagia Sophia was destroyed by the Nika riots in 532, by the Blue and Green factions in the Hippodrome (chariot racing), protesting high taxation levied by Justinian in a time of war with Persia. Much of Constantinople was also burnt. The current Hagia Sophia was consecrated in 537 and was originally clad in white marble.

Entering the Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia has been affected by many earthquakes requiring subsequent reconstruction. Earthquakes in 553, 557 and 558 caused the main dome to collapse and reconstruction was completed in 562. Among similar events was a fire in 859 and earthquakes in 869, 989, 1344, 1346, 1509 and 1895. There have been many restoration efforts over the years.

Inside now, this is the Mihrab, the focal point of the interior of a mosque, indicating the qibla, or the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, showing the direction to pray.

Its final form dates from the nineteenth century. The stained glass windows appear to have been modified or replaced since the Ottoman takeover. In Byzantine times, this was the apse and housed the altar, so it was also the focus of the Cathedral.

The Hagia Sophia was an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral from 537 to 1204, when Constantinople was conquered by a renegade army from the Fourth Crusade, then a Roman Catholic Cathedral until 1261 when the Byzantines conquered it back. It reverted to an Eastern Orthodox Cathedral until 1453 when the Ottomans took over. It was then a Mosque until 1935 when under Kemal Ataturk’s secular state it was converted to a museum. It was still a museum when I visited but in July 2020, Erdogan controversially converted it back to a Mosque.

Supporting buttresses were added at various times by the Byzantines, Latins and Ottomans and the Ottomans added four minarets around it.

Islamic calligraphic ceiling art.

An ancient passageway to the upper level.

Looking down on the main hall and up to the main dome.

Hagia Sophia was the largest cathedral in the world for around 1,000 years and the dome was the largest in the world for around 900 years. The floor is marble from an island in the Sea of Marmara and it dates to the post-earthquake restoration of 558 under Justinian. As of 2020, it is now covered in carpet.

This is the Deesis Mosaic, from the thirteenth century, showing the Virgin Mary, Christ and John the Baptist. It is thought to have replaced an earlier mosaic.

Hagia Sophia was looted in 1203 and 1204 by the Latin army (which had already been excommunicated by the Pope) and by the Ottomans in 1453. Some of the mosaics are incomplete due to the temptations of gold leaf. The mosaic tiles were glass tesserae, with two small squares of glass and gold leaf between them. Thus looters had to chisel off mosaic tiles to get to the gold leaf. Surviving mosaics are very high up because gold leaf was valuable and surviving ones were difficult to access.

Also, there were two periods of iconoclasm, 726 to 787 and 814 to 842, when religious pictures and statues were removed from the Hagia Sophia.

In the initial period after the Ottoman takeover in 1453, at least some of the mosaics were covered in whitewash.

Closeup of Christ Pantocrator (or the all-powerful).

The Comnenus mosaic, dating from 1122, shows John II Comnenus (Emperor 1118 to 1143), Virgin Mary and Christ Child, and Empress Irene (from Hungary).

Forty-five years before John came to the throne, in the aftermath of the Battle of Manzikert, the Seljuk Turks took over Asian Minor from the Empire. Then at the end of the eleventh century, John’s predecessor, Alexios I Comnenus, inadvertently summoned the First Crusade who won it most of it back for him. John II was a competent Emperor who was able to stabilise the Empire with successful campaigns against the Normans in the Balkans and the Seljuk Turks in Asia Minor, coupled with strategic fortifications.

The Empress Zoe mosaic, from the 11th century, shows Constantine IX Monomarchus (Emperor 1042 to 1055), Christ Pantocrator and Empress Zoe.

Zoe had a curious history. Her father, Constantine VIII had no sons and persuaded her to marry Romanos Agyros in 1028, who became Emperor Romanos III a day later after Constantine died. In 1034, Romanos was found dead in his bath, though to have been murdered by either Zoe or her lover, who married on the same day and he became Emperor Michael IV on the next day. Michael died in 1041 and Zoe became co-regent with his nephew who became Michael V. A few months later, Michael V exiled Zoe for plotting to poison him. However, this lead to a popular revolt and Zoe returned in 1042 as co-Emperor with her sister Theodora. That was not so comfortable so Zoe married a former lover who became Constantine IX (in the mosaic above). Zoe died in 1050 (at the age of 72) and Constantine died in 1055. Although Constantine wanted someone else to succeed him, Theodora then returned as sole Empress for two years.

The heads of Constantine IX and Zoe in the mosaic are believed to have replaced different heads from a somewhat earlier period in family history. Apart from Theodora, this was not one of the more competent periods in Byzantine administration.

Looking up at a Byzantine decoration remnant.

Mysterious inscription just below a marble hand rail.

Various decorations from periods I am unable to determine. However, the marble facings must date to the sixth century.

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This is a seraphim or one of the “six-winged fiery angels that surround God”. There would originally have been a face under the golden metal centre or perhaps it is still there.

One of the round calligraphic panels on each side of the apse wall (also seen in other views of the main chamber).

They date to between 1847 and 1849 and the descriptive panel says “Allah (the God), Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), The four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, Ali. The descendants of the Prophet Muhhammad Hassan and Hussein.” I presume that is the summation of the inscriptions on all the panels (which differ).

Remarkable marble panelling.

Graffiti on a marble hand rail.

There are various examples of graffiti. This one is perhaps Greek, but they include examples of Viking runes from the Varangian Guards, who were originally Vikings from Kievan Rus.

Looking up, probably above the viewing area.

Heading down to the ground level again.

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Evidence of differing building projects in different eras.

Back by the main chamber.

On the right is a large marble jar from Pergamon dating to the Hellenistic Period (post Alexander the Great) and carved from a single block of marble. Pergamon was a major Greek city on what is now the western coast of Turkey. The jar was brought to Hagia Sophia during the reign of Murad III (1574-1585).

Looking up at the main dome.

Although architecture of previous ancient cultures, including Persia, had included domes, none had been of the scale of Hagia Sophia. It was a prime influence of architecture in succeeding cultures, including the Islamic World and the domes I photographed in Uzbekistan. The Hagia Sophia of course predates the Islamic World.

Islamic wall tiles.

Back to near where we started, the Mihrab is in the centre distance at floor level and the Minbar, where the Imam speaks from, is on the right. More generally, this is also the Apse, with a mosaic of the Madonna and child above the windows. We can also see a clearer view of the now-covered marble floor (dating from the sixth century).

Here is a closer view of the mosaic.

It probably dates to the late fourteenth century, though this is not certain. It was covered towards the end of the eighteenth century and rediscovered during the renovations of 1847-48.

This is the Angel Gabriel Mosaic (or what remains of it), from about 867.

Islamic stained glass window.

While the Ottomans conquered Byzantium in 1453, it was really the renegade Latin crusaders of the Fourth Crusade who were more responsible for the fall after they took Constantinople in 1204. At the death of Manuel I Comnenus in 1180, the Byzantine Empire had included the Balkans, Greece, the Aegean Islands, Cyprus and much of Asia Minor. While the Byzantine Empire was restored in 1261 to include Northern Greece and Western Turkey, it did not remain this way for long. For most of the next couple of centuries Constantinople was isolated with hardly any local territory and a few small outposts in Greece. It lacked resources and by the time the Ottomans took over, the Hagia Sophia was in a state of disrepair.

Even then, in 1453 there was a Venetian relief fleet on the way that did not arrive in time. Since it was the sea wall rather than the land walls that were breached, Constantinople would have been able to hold out for at least another few more years.

Constantinople had massive city walls and formidable defences. There were eighteen unsuccessful sieges by external powers prior to 1453. One of the most significant was that of the Sassanian (Persian) Empire in 626. But Emperor Heracles broke free and destroyed the Sassanians in their heartland in 627. After that, both empires were exhausted and the Sassanian Empire fell to the Arabs within the next twenty-seven years. In a different period, the rapid advance of the Arabs may not have been so easy.

Cross faintly visible on the floor under later Islamic patterns.

The Omphalion. The place of East Roman coronations. Unlike the rest of the floor, not now covered in carpet.

Looking up and old Christian and later Islamic decorations.

Polychrome marble revetments, or bracing structures, dating back to the original cathedral opened in 532.

Ancient mosaic under an arch.

Here there appears to be later plastering and painting to the same pattern as the mosaic underneath, perhaps to cover up earthquake damage.

Looking up in the main chamber.

The Vestibule Mosaic, from the 9th century.

The Virgin Mary and Christ Child are in the middle between Justinian I (left), holding a model of the Hagia Sophia, and Constantine (right), holding a model of the city of Constantinople. Justinian is described as “Emperor of Illustrious Memory” whereas Constantine is described as “the great Emperor amongst the saints”.

Madonna and child closeup.

Central part of bronze door from Hellenistic Temple of Tarsus of the second century BC, placed in Hagia Sophia by Emperor Theophilos (829-842).

Next day, students posing outside for Istanbul Autumn Agora 2018, a kind of student conference concerned with sustainability.

An Islamic group in front of the Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia at night.

State Museum of Arts,Tashkent

Sep19

Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 6 October 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size.)

On our last day in Tashkent we had some spare time before catching the plane and chose to visit the State Museum of Arts.

Reconstructed face of Neanderthal boy, Teshiktash Cave, Surkhandaraya region.

There was also a Neanderthal skull, 100,000 years old, from the same location.

Flint tools from 4th Millennium BC, Bukhara region.

Rock carvings, 3rd Millennium BC.

Jar handle in the form of a goat, 5th to 4th millennium BC.

This image and the next two are images of objects from the Amudarya Treasure. The originals are gold but these are replicas. In 1880, Captain F.C. Burton happened upon some Afghan merchants being attacked by bandits in the roads of what is now Northern Pakistan, and drove off the bandits. One of the merchants later showed Burton some items he had and Burton was most intrigued so purchased one. Burton later showed it to Major General Sir Alexander Cunningham, Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India, whose jaw hit the floor. Cunningham correctly identified it as a a fine example of Achæmenid Persian metalwork, from a period when the Achæmenid Emprire stretched from Egypt to the Indus Valley. Together with Sir Augustus Wollaston Franks, a curator of the British Museum, Cunningham scoured the markets of Pakistan and Northern India for several months and succeeded in purchasing 170 items from the hoard. They are now in the British Museum. The treasure had been found on the northern bank of the Amyu Darya River (the Oxus in Classical times), in what is now Tajikistan.

Priest, 5th to 4th millennium BC.

Bracelet with Griffins, , 5th to 4th millennium BC.

Ancient individual with Central Asian headgear (didn’t record the label for this one).

Coins of Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, 3rd to 2nd centuries BC.

Solar Deity, 1st to 2nd centuries AD, Fayaztepa, Old Termez, Southern Uzbekistan.

Buddha with monks, 1st to 3rd century AD.

Cover from reliquary vessel, 3rd to 4th centuries AD, Kara-Tepa, Old Termez, Southern Uzbekistan.

Hunting scene, mural painting, 7th century AD, Varakhsha, Ancient Sogdian city near Bukhara.

This is a copy of one of the world’s oldest Korans. We saw the original at the start of the trip in Barakh-khan Madrasah (in Tashkent). Photography is not permitted of the original one. In either case, it is huge. The original supposedly dates back to the 630s but testing indicates an early 8th to early 9th century date.

Glazed ceramic, Samarkand, 10th century.

Glazed ceramic, Samarkand, 11th century.

Ceramic dish, 10th to 12th Centuries.

Glazed ceramic, Samarkand, 12th century.

Armour of one of Timur’s soldiers, 14th to 15th centuries.

Glazed ceramic, Samarkand, 15th to 16th centuries.

Chain mail armour, shield and sword, Bukhara, 18th to 19th centuries.

Embassy from Khiva, in Tashkent, early 19th century.

Nineteenth century door from Khiva.

Nineteenth century door from Bukhara.

Nineteenth century door from Tashkent.

Military uniform, Bukhara, 1861-1865.

Siege of Samarkand, 1868.

Russia occupied Samarkand in 1868, which had been held by Bukhara. The Russian army then left to pursue the Bukharan army, leaving a small force behind to hold Samarkand. A combined Bukharan/ Kokand force then laid siege to Samarkand. This is what is shown here. The besiegers withdrew when the main Russian force returned.

“Bazaar in Samakand”, 1897.

“Bibikhonum Square”, Samarkand.

(See here for my post on its restored appearance).

“The street of a Central Asian city”, 1896.

Decorative embroidery, late nineteenth century, Tashkent.

Saddle, Namangan, Ferghana Valley, late 19th century.

Emir’s horse-blanket, 1911-1912.

Jewellery, early 20th century.

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Gidjak and Rubab (traditional instruments), 1978.

That was the last post on Uzbekistan, apart from monochrome conversion posts to follow. Particular thanks to Advantour who organised a wonderful custom tour for us at a reasonable price. There have been 22 posts with 600 images and 15,000 words. I have updated the index of posts in the Trip Itinerary.

Arrival, Bukhara

May1

Bukhara, Uzbekistan
29-30 September 2018.

(Click on any image to see it in a larger size.)

A truck on the road between Khiva and Bokhara. Likely advice to any pedestrians on the right side of the road – run!

The sign at the restaurant at the left says “ШАШЛИК СОМСА КЕПСИ ТОВУҚ ЖИЗ”, or as you might have guessed “Shashlik Somsa Kepsi Chicken Jiz”.

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A dome in the late afternoon light in Bukhara.

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This looks like a sunset but the sun is well above the horizon, so it’s an exposure directly into the sun which is shining through the window in the cupola. Rather than a low light exposure, it is actually 200 ISO, 1/8,000 sec, f11.
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A little later with a cloud of birds in the distance. These two were probably taken at dinner.
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An hour later, a wedding group on the streets.
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This is above the main portal of the Nadir Divan-begi Madrasa.

It was built as a caravanserai (prosaically, if you like, a motel with camels instead of cars) but either dedicated as or later converted to a madrassah (or school, often religious) and the architecture more resembles a caravanserai than a madrassah. It was built during the reign of Imam Quli Khan (1611 to 1642, a time of prosperity and peace) and built by his Vizier Nadir Divan-begi, after whom it is named. In the image above, the sun has a face as do the serpents below him. Traditionally, Islam strongly disapproved of depiction of humans and animals but this was relaxed in the Persian-influenced world in the early seventeenth century.

This image and the next eight are also in the Nadir Divan-begi Madrassah.
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Wall and ceiling details…..
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A silk weaver.
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Discussion of potential purchases, perhaps.
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Looking up….
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A variety of textile wonders on offer…..
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This is the ancient Magoki-Attori Mosque.
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This southern entrance dates to the 12th century and you can see the trace of carved blue majolica tiles.
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There was originally a Zoroastrian fire temple and later a Buddhist temple. The Moslem religion arrived about 650AD but its takeover was gradual. At one time both Jews and Moslems were said to have worshiped here concurrently though this may have been at different times of the day. Bukhara burnt down in 927 and the mosque was built or rebuilt at this time. It was rebuilt in the 12th century using the design of the previous mosque and restored in the 14th and 17th centuries and the 1930s and 1970s. It had to be dug out in the 1930s because over the years it had sunk below rising levels of sand.
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It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the oldest mosques in central Asia.
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Carved doorway.
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Looking up in the top level, from the 1930s.
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Not far away is the foundations of an ancient structure but I can’t remember what our guide said and I can not find information on what it was.

(The edge of the Toqi Telpak Furushon Trading Dome is in the background at the far right. We go there in the next post.)
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Murray Foote

Tag Archives: Art

Heraklion Archaeological Museum

Knossos

Thira to Heraklion

Pyrgos – Bell towers and doors

National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern

Topkapi Palace

Hagia Sophia

State Museum of Arts,Tashkent

Arrival, Bukhara