Η Αθήνα -κυβέρνηση και αξιωματική αντιπολίτευση- κάλεσαν τη διεθνή κοινότητα, αλλά πρωτίστως την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση, να ακούσουν τη φωνή του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη Βαρθολομαίου και όσα διεκτραγωδεί για τις συνθήκες υπό τις οποίες τελεί το Πατριαρχείο στην Τουρκία.

«Στην Τουρκία μας αντιμετωπίζουν ως δεύτερης κατηγορίας πολίτες, δεν πιστεύουμε ότι έχουμε τα ίδια δικαιώματα με τους άλλους Τούρκους πολίτες», δηλώνει ο κ. Βαρθολομαίος σε συνέντευξή του στο αμερικανικό δίκτυο CBS και η οποία ήταν προγραμματισμένη να μεταδοθεί στις 19.00 ώρα Ν. Υόρκης, χθες, στο πλαίσιο της δημοφιλούς εκπομπής «60 minutes».

Οι δηλώσεις του Οικουμενικού Πατριάρχη έχουν προκαλέσει μείζονα εντύπωση στην Τουρκία, καθώς και την αντίδραση του Υπ.Εξ Αχμέτ Νταβούτογλου, ο οποίος είπε πως «αν ο αξιότιμος κ. Βαρθολομαίος έχει παράπονα, μπορεί να τα διαβιβάσει σε μας, στις αρμόδιες Αρχές. Δεν μπορούμε να αποδεχτούμε συγκρίσεις που δεν τις αξίζουμε».

Σε ό,τι αφορά στο μέλλον του Πατριαρχείου στην Κωνσταντινούπολη, ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης δήλωσε ότι «αυτή η Εκκλησία ιδρύθηκε σε αυτά τα χώματα πριν από 17 αιώνες. Για εμάς εδώ είναι η συνέχεια της Ιερουσαλήμ και εξίσου ιερή γη. Προτιμάμε να παραμείνουμε εδώ, παρά το γεγονός ότι κατά διαστήματα μας σταυρώνουν».

Ο κ. Βαρθολομαίος υπενθυμίζει ότι επισκέφθηκε τον πρωθυπουργό Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν και πολλούς υπουργούς εκθέτοντας τα προβλήματα του Πατριαρχείου και ζητώντας βοήθεια για την επίλυση τους, χωρίς όμως να βρει ανταπόκριση.

Στην Αθήνα, χθες το απόγευμα, ο εκπρόσωπος του υπουργείου Εξωτερικών Γρηγόρης Δελαβέκουρας, κληθείς να σχολιάσει τις δηλώσεις του Τούρκου Υπ.Εξ, σημείωσε ότι ο Οικουμενικός Πατριάρχης είναι ο θρησκευτικός και πνευματικός ηγέτης εκατοντάδων εκατομμυρίων Ορθοδόξων Χριστιανών σε όλο τον κόσμο, «ένας ηγέτης που διακρίνεται για τη σοφία και τη μετριοπάθειά του, αλλά και για την αταλάντευτη υποστήριξη της τουρκικής ένταξης στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση» και πρόσθεσε: «Όταν η απογοήτευση ενός τέτοιου ηγέτη αποτυπώνεται με τόσο ξεκάθαρο τρόπο, όσο στη συνέντευξη, αποσπάσματα της οποίας είδαμε, είναι χρέος όλων και κυρίως αυτών που φέρουν την ευθύνη για την κατάσταση που αντιμετωπίζει το Οικουμενικό Πατριαρχείο και η ελληνική μειονότητα, να τον ακούσουν με προσοχή».

Ο κ. Δελαβέκουρας επεσήμανε ότι «οι υποχρεώσεις της Τουρκίας είναι γνωστές και κανένας δεν μπορεί να προσποιηθεί ότι δεν τις γνωρίζει. Τα προβλήματα, τα εμπόδια και οι ελλείψεις έχουν καταγραφεί αναλυτικά, και στις σχετικές εκθέσεις της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης», υπενθύμισε ότι «μεταξύ των υποχρεώσεών της έναντι της Ε.Ε., πρωταρχική θέση κατέχει ο σεβασμός των θρησκευτικών ελευθεριών και των μειονοτικών δικαιωμάτων, όπως ρητά αναφέρεται στα συμπεράσματα του Συμβουλίου της Ε.Ε που υιοθετήσαμε πριν λίγες ημέρες» και τόνισε: «Πέρα από αυτονόητη υποχρέωση έναντι των πολιτών της, είναι απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση για την πρόοδο της ενταξιακής πορείας της Τουρκίας προς την Ε.Ε.».

Ο κ. Νταβότουγλου, προηγουμένως, είχε χαρακτηρίσει ως «ιδιαίτερα ατυχή την παρομοίωση με τη σταύρωση», η οποία έχει λάβει ιδιαίτερη δημοσιότητα στην Τουρκία, υποστηρίζοντας πως «στην ιστορία μας και στα δικά μας έθιμα δεν υπήρξε ποτέ σταύρωση, ούτε θα υπάρξει». Ο ίδιος απέδωσε «σε παραδρομή» τις δηλώσεις Βαρθολομαίου, υποστηρίζοντας ότι «η Τουρκική Δημοκρατία είναι ένα κοσμικό, δημοκρατικό κράτος δικαίου και δεν αξιολογεί τους πολίτες της βάσει της θρησκευτικής τους ταυτότητας».

Σχετικά άρθρα:

1. Κραυγή αγωνίας Βαρθολομαίου για τη «σταύρωση» από τους Τούρκους

2. The Patriarch Bartholomew

3. Πήρε φωτιά και καίγεται ο … του Νταβούτογλου από τις δηλώσεις Βαρθολομαίου στο 60 min. του CBS

4. Τους τα έχωσε ο Βαρθολομαίος! Ένα μεγάλο BRAVO και από μας.

Το CBS γράφει:

Patriarch Bartholomew Feels “Crucified”

(CBS)  Would it surprise you to learn that one of the world’s most important Christian leaders, second only to the pope, lives in a country where 99 percent of the population is Muslim? His name is Bartholomew, and he is the patriarch of 300 million Orthodox Christians. He lives in Istanbul, Turkey, the latest in a line of patriarchs who have resided there since before there was a Turkey, since the centuries following the death of Jesus Christ.

That’s when Istanbul was called Constantinople and was the most important city in the Christian world.

But times change, and in modern Muslim Turkey the patriarch doesn’t feel very welcome. Turkish authorities have seized Christian properties and closed Christian churches, monasteries and schools. His parishioners are afraid that the authorities want to force Bartholomew and his church – the oldest of all Christian churches – out of Turkey.

His official title is impressive: “His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch.”

“Ecumenical” means “universal,” and worldwide, 300 million Orthodox Christians look to him for spiritual guidance.

60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon first met him in Istanbul. It was Easter, and worshipers from throughout the Orthodox Christian world had come to celebrate Christ’s resurrection on the holiest day of their calendar with the man who they see as their pope.

“My first question is this. How should I refer to you? As your all holiness? As patriarch? As ecumenical patriarch? What is the proper way to address you?” Simon asked the patriarch.

“The official title is ‘your all holiness,’” he replied, laughing. “But for me, Bartholomew is enough.”

For him perhaps, but not for us. And while his all holiness may occupy the Ecumenical throne, his quarters are a far cry from the Vatican.

His office is cramped and relatively austere, his desk littered with papers. No Michelangelos there. All that is left of a Christian empire once ruled from Istanbul is a complex of nine buildings, tightly squeezed onto less than an acre of land.

“Now, is this the Vatican of your church?” Simon asked.

“Well, our headquarters,” the patriarch replied.

It’s called the Phanar, and it has been the heart of Orthodox Christianity since 1599.

His all holiness promotes an informal atmosphere there: there’s none of the ritual that surrounds the pope in Rome. And there is no cathedral – only a modest church. The neighborhood that surrounds it used to be Greek and Christian but today is predominantly Muslim. The Phanar is so small, our tour didn’t take long.

It had just ended when a Turkish policeman informed the patriarch that there was a threat on his life. It turned out to be nothing, but church officials say previous threats have been serious enough that the Phanar is surrounded by barbed wire and cameras and the patriarch has 24-hour protection.

“I think a lot of people would want to know, your all holiness, why the leader of so many millions of Orthodox Christians in the world lives in a country that is 99 percent Muslim?” Simon asked.

“Because we are here before this country becomes a Muslim country, much earlier. Since ever. Since the very beginning,” the patriarch explained.

Asked since the beginning of what, Patriarch Bartholomew said, “Of the foundation of our church, of the Church of Constantinople.”

And in the beginning Istanbul was called Constantinople, the ancient city on the Bosporus where east meets west. The city’s skyline is dominated by minarets; at Friday prayers, the mosques are teeming.

But the city’s richest and most renowned Christian churches are museums today, Meccas for tourists, not for worshipers. There’s the Chora Church, with its fresco of Jesus whose eyes seem to go right through you, and he Hagia Sophia, the first great church in Christendom and an architectural wonder built 1,000 years before Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome, and for centuries the most important church in the Christian world.

Όλη η συνέντευξη Βαρθολομαίου στο 60 minutes (CBS) – Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, feels “crucified” living in Turkey under a government he says would like to see his Patriarchate die out. .

A post-byzantine icon from the collection of the Hellenic Institute of Venice

Διάλεξη με θέμα «Η βενετική περίοδος της ελληνικής ιστορίας – Η βενετοκρατούμενη Κρήτη» έδωσε η Γραμματέας Επικοινωνίας του Γραφείου Τύπου και Επικοινωνίας Βαρσοβίας, Μαρία Μονδέλου, στις 8 Δεκεμβρίου στο Πανεπιστήμιο Βαρσοβίας.
Η διάλεξη πραγματοποιήθηκε ύστερα από πρόσκληση του Ινστιτούτου Διεπιστημονικών Σπουδών (Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies) “Artes Liberales” του Πανεπιστημίου της Βαρσοβίας, με πρωτοβουλία της καθηγήτριας Malgorzata Borowska, διευθύντριας του Τμήματος Νεοελληνικής Φιλολογίας.
Την διάλεξη παρακολούθησαν οι φοιτητές του Β΄ έτους της Νεοελληνικής Φιλολογίας, στο πλαίσιο του μαθήματος «Κρητικά αριστουργήματα της περιόδου της Αναγέννησης».
Παρουσιάστηκαν αρχικά, τα σημαντικότερα ορόσημα της βενετικής ιστορίας και των μακραίωνων ελληνο-βενετικών σχέσεων, με έμφαση στις σχέσεις Βενετίας και Βυζαντίου.
Έγινε αναφορά, σε όψεις της ιστορίας της Βενετοκρατίας στον ελληνικό χώρο και στα χαρακτηριστικά της βενετικής κυριαρχίας, και επισημάνθηκαν ορισμένα από τα συμπεράσματα των σύγχρονων ερευνών, οι οποίες αποδεικνύουν την ύπαρξη ενός κοινού ελληνο-βενετικού πολιτισμού, καρπού της δυτικής και της βυζαντινής παράδοσης. Αναλύθηκαν τα κύρια γνωρίσματα της ιστορίας των βενετοκρατούμενων περιοχών, με έμφαση στις σημαντικότερες βενετικές κτήσεις, όπως η Κωνσταντινούπολη και η Κρήτη. 
Στη βενετοκρατούμενη Κρήτη ήταν αφιερωμένο το δεύτερο μέρος της ομιλίας. Τονίστηκε η σπουδαιότητα της βενετικής αυτής κτήσης και αναλύθηκαν ορισμένοι από τους θεσμούς που εισήγαγε η Βενετία στο νησί, καθώς και τα χαρακτηριστικά των τεσσάρων μεγαλύτερων πόλεων του νησιού κατά την διάρκεια της βενετοκρατίας (Χάνδακας, Χανιά, Ρέθυμνο, Σητεία). Ιδιαίτερη αναφορά έγινε στη λεγόμενη «Κρητική Αναγέννηση» και σε επιτεύγματα του βενετο-κρητικού πολιτισμού της ύστερης περιόδου (ενδεικτικά παραδείγματα  από την λογοτεχνία, την ποίηση, την ζωγραφική).
Τέλος, έγινε αναφορά στο έργο του Ελληνικού Ινστιτούτου Βυζαντινών και Μεταβυζαντινών Βενετίας, του οποίου η ομιλήτρια διετέλεσε υπότροφος- ερευνήτρια.
Επισημάνθηκαν η προσφορά του Ινστιτούτου ως του μοναδικού ερευνητικού ιδρύματος της Ελλάδας στο εξωτερικό και η δράση του σε ποικίλους τομείς (επιστημονική έρευνα, εκδόσεις, διοργάνωση συνεδρίων, βιβλιοθήκη, αρχείο χειρογράφων και παλαιών εγγράφων, μουσείο μεταβυζαντινών εικόνων κ.ά.). Παράλληλα, παρουσιάστηκε συνοπτικά η ιστορία της Ελληνικής Κοινότητας Βενετίας, η οποία υπήρξε η σημαντικότερη ελληνική κοινότητα του εξωτερικού. 

The Hellenic Institute of Venice and the Church of St. George

Lecture “The Venetian Dominion in Greece – Venetian Crete” (University of Warsaw, 8/12)

A lecture about “The Venetian period of Greek history – Crete under venetian rule” was hold by the Press Attache of the Press and Communication Office in Warsaw, Maria Mondelou, on the 8^th December at the University of Warsaw.
The lecturer was invited by the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies “Artes Liberales” of the University of Warsaw and the director at the Department of Modern Greek Philology, Malgorzata Borowska.
A chronology of Venetian history and of the Greek-Venetian relations was initially presented. Main aspects of the Venetian dominion in Greece were described and the results of contemporary researches, that verify the existence of a common Greek-Venetian culture, product of the Latin and the Byzantine traditions, were highlighted. The most important characteristics regarding the history of regions under Venetian rule, such as Constantinople and Crete, were also presented.
The second part of the lecture was dedicated to the Venetian Crete, a most important Venetian territory. The institutions that Venice introduced in the island and the characteristics of the greater towns (Candia, Canea, Rethymnon, Sitia) during the Venetian dominion were, also, analysed. Particular attention was preserved for the so-called “Cretan Rennaissance” and the aspects of the Venetian-Cretan culture (literature, poetry, painting).
Finally, the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies of Venice and its activities were presented by the lecturer, who has been a researcher of the Institute. It was highlighted  the great importance of this foundation, as the only scientific institution of Greece abroad and several types of its activities (scientific research, editions, organization of conferences, library, archive of manuscripts and old documents, post-byzantaine icons etc.) were described.

It was, also, briefly presented the history of the Greek-Orthodox Confraternity of Venice, which for centuries has been the most important Greek Community abroad. 

Day 90 – Ken here (Th)
(DEF v.2, ch.17, pp.590-600)

Emblem of the Instanbul Metropolitan Municipality

On the Name Istanbul
This from Wiki:
“The modern Turkish name İstanbul (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈtanbul]) is attested (in a range of variants) since the 10th century, at first in Armenian and Arabic and then in Turkish sources. It derives from the Greek phrase “εις την Πόλιν” or “στην Πόλη” [(i)stimboli(n)], both meaning “in the city” or “to the city”. It is thus based on the common Greek usage of referring to Constantinople simply as The City (see above). The incorporation of parts of articles and other particles into Greek placenames was common even before the Ottoman period, Navarino for earlier Avarino, Satines for Athines, etc. Similar examples of modern Turkish placenames derived from Greek in this fashion are İzmit, earlier İznikmit, from Greek Nicomedia, İznik from Greek Nicaea ([iz nikea]), Samsun (s’Amison = “se + Amisos”), and İstanköy for the Greek island Kos (from is tin Ko). The occurrence of the initial i- in these names may partly reflect the old Greek form with is-, or it may partly be an effect of secondary epenthesis, resulting from the phonotactic structure of Turkish.
İstanbul was the common name for the city in normal speech in Turkish even since before the conquest of 1453, but in official use by the Ottoman authorities, other names such as Kostantiniyye were preferred in certain contexts. Thus, Kostantiniyye was used on coinage up to the late 17th and then again in the 19th century. The Ottoman chancelery and courts used Kostantiniyye as part of intricate formulae in expressing the place of origin of formal documents, such as be-Makam-ı Darü’s-Saltanat-ı Kostantiniyyetü’l-Mahrusâtü’l-Mahmiyye In 19th century Turkish bookprinting it was also used in the impressum of books, in contrast to the foreign use of Constantinople. At the same time, however, İstanbul too was part of the official language, for instance in the titles of the highest Ottoman military commander (İstanbul ağası) and the highest civil magistrate (İstanbul efendisi) of the city. İstanbul and several other variant forms of the same name were also widely used in Ottoman literature and poetry.
After the creation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the various alternative names besides İstanbul became obsolete in the Turkish language. With the Turkish Postal Service Law of March 28, 1930, the Turkish authorities officially requested foreigners to cease referring to the city with their traditional non-Turkish names (such as Constantinople, Tsarigrad, etc.) and to adopt Istanbul as the sole name also in their own languages. Letters or packages sent to “Constantinople” instead of “Istanbul” were no longer delivered by Turkey’s PTT, which contributed to the eventual worldwide adoption of the new name.
In English the name is usually written “Istanbul”. In modern Turkish the name is written “İstanbul” because in the Turkish alphabet dotted i (capital İ) is a different letter from dotless ı (capital I).”

Nicomedia - Always a bridesmaid, never a bride - modern etching recreating Diocletian's Palace at the old temporary Roman capital of Nicomedia - still used as an imperial palace after Constantinople was built - Constantine died here actually

Why Nicomedia (or poor Chalcedon) was’t Chosen
First – it was Diocletian’s old hangout – definitely NOT a place to make your mark if you want people to remember you. Second – it was at the end of a long bay – defensible, but isolated. Thirdly – Constantine couldn’t readily tear it down and replace it with a NEW TOWN (although he had little difficulty doing that with ancient Greek Byzantium when he razed it to make his own capital).

Follis, Galerius (early 300's) Bronze overlaid with a smidgeon of silver to make it seem like a real coin (Follis = trans. leather bag - ie used in transactions probably in sealed bags)

Why the Late Roman Empire is like California (or vice versa)

One way of looking at the Roman Empire is to compare it to modern populations/budgets that are similar – a state that is a similar size to the late Roman Empire is the current state of California – population approx. 33 million, 2009 Budget approx. 120 billion dollars.

Estimating population for Antiquity is guesswork at best – but many estimates put the empire between 25 and 65 million people. J.B.Bury in History of the Later Roman Empire (see Chapter 1) makes broad estimates as to total revenue inflow/outflow in an average year – maybe at somewhere around 500,000 lbs of gold (nominal, converted often to in-kind/barter for foodstuffs, textiles, etc). This would roughly compare to 75 billion dollars if we use the 150,000 multiplier (The California State Budget was close to 75 billion dollars as recently as 1998/1999).

The cost of building the new city (Constantinople) was budgeted at (per Gibbon) 60,000 lbs of gold, or approximately $9,000,000,000 (billion) in 2009 dollars.

So, how would a strapped, late-Roman economy react to a 10% increase in the budget for a year (to construct a city) – California, in its current economic straits would be hard pressed to fold that sum into its budget.
This is an INCREDIBLY huge number when you begin to multiply out the cost of building/fortifying and running the empire in Constantine’s day. The economy in Diocletian’s day and before had become so chaotic, that money had been pretty much abandoned except in large transactions, and barter and payment in kind was used. Constantine marks the beginning of a return to a money-based economy, but with a switch – it’s now at least a 2-tier economy – one in gold (for mammoth, Mediterranean-wide transactions), and one in kind/in bronze for day to day transactions. The old vibrant trade economy of the Mediterranean world of Antiquity is fading fast, and the new nobility/serf caste economy and local, feudal economic/social relationships are beginning to take their place.

WARNING WARNING WARNING – Lots of Mathematical Details to Follow WARNING WARNING WARNING
 
The Details of the Calculations of the 150,000 multiplier

How did I get that amount, and what does it mean?

I would use a multiplier of $150,000 for a pound of gold (using workers wages – comparing US now and 5th century wages)
(compare to Gibbon, who would use the 1780 exchange rate of $1,200 (416 pounds sterling per pound of gold = approx $1,200 @ 1:3 Lbs Sterling/US$) – money was much more dear in the later empire than under the beginning of the British empire (Gibbon’s day).

$150,000 / lb of gold = $9,375 / ounce of gold (gold is currently selling at just over $1,000 / ounce. Again, this is to be expected as gold was much more scarce in Late Roman Europe than today due greatly to the famous gold-drain to the East (India/China) that had been going on for a thousand years as Europe imported spices and silk and exported precious metals like gold and silver.

Per the Roman Economy page this blog )
(follis = bronze coin)
5th century = 6 folles/day = wage, approx 200 folles = solidi, approx 75 solidi per lb of gold
so… wage per day = .0004 lbs of gold
or 4/100′ths of 1% lb of gold = days wages

(an unskilled person would earn less than 1/10 lb of gold per year, or it would take 10 years to earn a lb of gold)

use 15,000 as low unskilled annual US wage average = 60/day (5 day week, 52 week year)
(NOTE: Obviously a two-tier economy of Gold/Bronze (and probably barter here), unlike the current US economy.
There is a huge disparity in ancient times between the Gold economy and the silver/bronze economy as a lb of gold today would cost 60/.0004 or $150,000 at bronze Constantine prices)

but still, shows the cost in money of ancient projects – a multiplier of approximately 150,000

“Istanbul was Constantinople

Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople

Been a long time gone, Constantinople

Why did Constantinople get the works

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks”

Istanbul (Not Constantinople), They Might Be Giants

Hello. It’s me, Javi. No, call me Javier, we are in serious business here. I’m here to teach you a lesson you will never forget: Istanbul was Constantinople, but now it’s Istanbul. Got it? Right.

And now, to make sure you have paid attention, let’s take a little exam. If you answer correctly the following question, you will win a special prize. Are you ready?

Which is the name of this city?

A – Istanbul

B – Constantinople

C – Javitown

I am looking forward to read your answers. Until then.

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

This is among my favorite picture of Istiklal Caddesi in Istanbul, there are a lot of peoples here, you really can get lost in time here, watching people doing their business along the street or simply watching people just enjoy walking here. Definitely this is a must visit place for any traveler or tourist who come and visit Istanbul apart from most common tourist attraction like Blue Mosque and Aya Sofya at Sultanahmet. People here really doesn’t bother so much of you taking picture of them, maybe most people here are so accustomed with photographers taking their picture, after all, this is among the most popular tourist attraction in Taksim Turkey.

About the editing, I use a light texture to et a vintage kind of feel here. If you like to know a bit about my processing, here it goes, first I do my editing as usual, adjusting colors and contrast, then I choose “Blue Channel”, Red, Green and Blue Channel give different kind of monochromatic image, so in this case I like to use Blue Channel, copy that Channel and paste it on top of the layer, and start working from it. Turn it into sepia image before adding texture. The original texture are a bit hard, I just want a lightly texture, so I play around with the opacity, I mean reduce a bit the opacity of the texture until satisfied. Here I use soft light blending mode, which is always my favorite blending option. So if you have the time, play around, give your picture some artistic touch into it. If you don’t like doing heavy editing, that was fine but for me I like to try new thing, I like my picture to have “feel” when people watch it.

I don’t called this editing as a “manipulation” but an “enhancement”, the story is still there, the people are real, I did not add or remove what’s being there or what’s not being there, well, maybe I add a “texture”, that’s it. Those thing does not in anyway change the content of the picture, the people, the activity and the surrounding, it’s just that with this kind of an “enhancement” you can “feel it”…

We take our first look in Part 1

by dkpatriarch

© 2009 David Hilton

When to next for the Assassin?

With Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed 2 achieving great first-week sales of 1.6 million units worldwide, a 32 percent increase on the original medieval action stealth title, which sold around 1.1 million copies the first week in 2007, I’ve decided to jump the gun a bit and explore where and when the inevitable third Assassin’s Creed game could take place.

Ubisoft have chosen very well for their first two titles and so they must think very carefully (if they have not already decided) [Ed: which they already have, but just haven't let on about] about the setting of the next installment, especially now that they’ve got the game’s mix of free-running action and mission diversity right this time.

Here is Part 1 of my list of possible time periods and settings that I’ve come up with after pondering the possibilities through the filter of my past education in history.  Part 2 is now available HERE. I’d really like to know which one you, as fellow gamers, think would fit the Assassin’s Creed style.

OXCGN’s Assassin’s Creed 2 Review here.

1. The Fourth Crusade: Crusaders Sack Fellow Christian Bastion of Constantinople

The Siege of Constantinople

This would be a bit of a “back to the past” as far as time period goes, but there is no reason why this series needs to stay in chronological order, except if Ubisoft believes gamers want ‘more’ technology (like the gun and flying machine in Assassin’s Creed 2).  I hope that isn’t the case because this period has much to recommend it.

First, the Medieval Crusader period is still a rich setting to explore, and second, the Fourth Crusade wasn’t remotely the same as the one explored in Assassin’s Creed.

Finally, it is a time when the Templars were still active, and they and the Assassins are central to all the games’ overarching plot.

This ‘crusade’ started out with the goal of Christian soldiers fighting the ‘infidel’ Muslims in the Holy Land, but the crusaders were waylaid by the Venetians and used instead to fight Venice’s trading rival and the Greek Orthodox Church in Constantinople (present day Istanbul).

In other words the war was about power, greed and competition between both the merchant cities and the two great Christian Churches: Roman Catholic and Eastern Greek Orthodox.

The Crusader sack of Constantinople in 1204 was largely due to Venice’s manipulation, where you had the Crusaders all ready to recapture Jerusalem only to get into debt with the Venetians who were to transport them there and then instead get pointed toward Constantinople to pay off their debts.

This presents plenty of the betrayals and manipulations found in the first two games.

Present day Zadar

It also presents the gamer with beautiful exotic new settings in Constantinople, which had been the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire full of rich culture and history and extraordinary Byzantine architecture which can still be seen in Istanbul today, and Zadar (in present day Croatia), which is still a beautiful medieval town along the Dalmatian coast.

There is also some familiarity in a setting that has been done just recently in Venice, though the city has not yet reached the Renaissance period.

Ubisoft Montreal have said they want to use historically significant events as settings for their Assassin’s Creed games, so why would this be a good choice?  I found this website summed it up nicely:

Probably the most telling event which displayed the decline of the crusader ideal was the capture and pillage of the Christian bastion of Constantinople by the members of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The subsequent dismemberment of the Byzantine Empire weakened Christendom in the Near East and created an animousity between Catholics and Orthodox which has lasted into the 20th century.

Constantinople could not recover enough to fight off the Turks after this and much of Eastern Europe fell to the Muslims as a result.  Talk about shooting yourself in the foot: go off to expand Christianity and end up losing a whole lot more territory of it.

2. The French Revolution: Vive La Revolution!

Bastille prison attacked in revolution

This is very likely one of the strongest possibilities for the next game as it was rumoured to be the setting for the second game back in December 2008.  I’ve written about this before, and you can find more detail about the time period here,  but I will try and summarise why this setting would be appropriate.

The French Revolution (1789-1799) was a huge historic period of upheaval where the notion of absolute rule by the monarchy and the aristocrats was turned on its head when the downtrodden, starving, smelly, diseased peasants, incited by the intellectuals and merchant class, revolt and start killing off their so-called betters.

When they ran out of them, they followed by killing each other off too during the Reign of Terror. Of course the ideas of freedom, equality, and brotherhood were all dandy but repression was more fun. It was just that repression was now carried out by the lay-people, not just upper crust lords and ladies in wigs.

Off with their heads!

The other monarchies of Europe felt threatened by the French Revolution and so attack. Napoleon fights them and wins. For awhile anyway.

The mayhem of this period and the clash of idealism and power make it another great period for an Assassin’s Creed game.  This would allow Ubisoft to be more chronological as well, though I don’t personally believe this is necessary.

Certainly the French Revolution and the Republic that followed showed the violent transition between the old feudal social model and the new ‘power to the people’ ideal which would be revisited in various forms throughout Europe and the New World.

Paris (before the big wide boulevards, cafes and Eiffel Tower) still has a lot to offer as a setting, even if dirtier and full of narrow alleys, and various other French towns could complement it.

I’m not sure where the Templar and Assassins conflict would come in, but as secret societies now they could be integrated into the upheaval fairly easily.

3. World War 2: Was Hitler A Templar?

Templars are supposed to have beards, not silly mustaches!

I’ll be upfront with my opinion of this option: it stinks!  Yet according to some rumours Ubisoft may be looking at a female protagonist and they may be looking at World War 2 as a time period appropriate for a female assassin.  That means I’d better include it in my list, reluctant though I am.

I have no problem with a female assassin but I don’t believe that female assassins are only appropriate to the 20th Century.  And let’s face it, World War 2, though it still can be an engaging game environment, is not fresh or inspiring for an Assassin’s Creed game.

The female assassin in World War 2 has been done before in a game as well: Velvet Assassin, not to mention that a stealth open-world style game set in WW2 is being done by EA in The Saboteur, out soon.

Assassin's Creed 3: The remake?

Could the Nazis make good neo-Templars with their insignias, swastikas, uniforms, and interest in the occult?  Yes.  Would they make good targets for an assassin?  Yes.  Do I see this time period being exciting and feeling like the historic Assassin’s Creed games so far?  No.

Still, Sebastian Puel, the producer, said:

We don’t want to just decide we want to change and have a female hero as the first inspiration is always the time period, but if you’re talking about, say, World War II the economies in England and France were run by women because the men were off fighting.

Hmmm….the economies, huh?  Factory girl gone assassin….fascinating stuff.

4. The New World: Conquistadors

A New World for a new game?

An intriguing option would be the expansion of the Spanish Empire into the New World with the conquest of Incan and Aztec territories by the gold and land hungry conquistadors from the 15th to the 19th centuries.

These men were explorers, conquerors, adventurers, soldiers, and fortune hunters and invaded the New World for themselves, for Spain, and for the Church.

As far as turning points in history go, this is a big one: the wealth and prestige gained by owning new territories began a colonialism race that only fairly recently has faded and certainly is responsible for the way the world is made up today.

What role the Templars and Assassins would play in this is unclear, but the New World represented a new start to many, and a place where people could build their own society with some degree of independence.

This would appeal to any surviving Templars, as they would see a new place for them to rebuild their wealth and influence (possibly at the Spanish Court using their new riches, but possibly just in new territory away from interference).

The conflict for the Assassins would be to prevent this, while all around them native populations are taking sides, dying of sickness brought by the newcomers, and waring against these smelly pale Europeans who carry advanced weaponry.

Depending on the exact date chosen, there could be Spanish colonial towns and forts,  Incan or Aztec cities with temples, and dangerous jungle in between.

PART 2 can be read HERE.

Our review  is HERE.

You can also catch Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies Assassin’s Creed Lineage films here in full glorious colour -  – all 45 mins of them. Part 1 and Parts 2 – 3.

• Where would you like to see Assassin’s Creed 3?

Remember that David’s prediction of the current location and era was correct, so perhaps his predictions may well be close to the mark for the next iteration. Make your vote count, as we send these articles to Ubisoft, and they can  see your comments and the poll.

©2009 David Hilton

• Other games in genre at discount $’s for ALL OXCGN readers + Bonus Points

By 667 BC, a Greek ruler by name of Byzas, from Megara, established his kingdom here, on the advice of an oracle of Delphi, and named it Byzantium. But it was besieged by the Romans in AD 196, and became part of the Roman Empire. The ravaged city was rebuilt by the Roman Emperor, Septimus Severus, and temporarily given the name of ‘Augusta Antonina’. But in 306 AD, Emperor Constantine the Great made Byzantium the capital of the entire Roman Empire, and from then on, the city was called Constantinople. The Byzantium Empire was more or less influenced by Greek culture, and was also a hub of Greek Orthodox Christianity, which resulted in the construction of several magnificent Christian architectural wonders, the prominent among them being the Hagia Sophia, which remained the world’s largest cathedral till 1850.

The Roman Empire passed through much turmoil due to attack from various sources, especially the Barbarians, not to mention their internal problems, and finally, in 532 AD, during the reign of Justinian I, the city was totally destroyed due to anti government riots. Though much favored for its ideal location, that made trade and transport between continents an easy affair, this very factor also proved to be the doom of Constantinople. For several hundred years hence, it had to face a lot of assault from the Arabs, Nomadic, Persians, as well as the Fourth crusaders, who periodically occupied it.

At last, in 1453, Constantinople was attacked and conquered by the courageous Ottoman Turks led by Sultan Mehmet II, who renamed it Istanbul. It continued to function not just as an important cultural, political and commercial hub, but also as their main centre for military operations too, till World War I, after which it was occupied by the Allies.

Sultan Mehmet II was supposed to have given the city a cosmopolitan social outlook. After deporting the remaining Byzantine population, a great many changes were made to the existing architecture in general. The old world Christian city was gradually transformed into a Muslim conurbation as the Emperor started rebuilding all churches so as to convert them to mosques. The great mosque and the Fatih College were built on the old burial grounds of the erstwhile Byzantine Emperors at the Church of the Holy Apostles. The Hagia Sophia too was converted to a mosque. But to his credit, the Sultan held a cosmopolitan outlook and for the greater part, allowed people of all faiths to settle in the vast city, and made effective use of their varied skills. Tolerance was a great virtue that was practiced by Sultan Mehmet II, and it was reflected all over the empire.Istanbul acquired a status of great importance in the eyes of all Muslims, after the conquest of Egypt, and its glory increased from leaps and bounds in the hands of its various rulers, many of whom were great patrons of art and architecture.

Although the capital of Turkey was changed from Istanbul to Ankara by Kemal Ataturk, in 1923, Istanbul still retained its attractions and continued to expand majestically. But gradually, due to the mass exodus of the various nationalities, especially after the war between Greece and Turkey, it became a prominent Muslim nation.

The many historic monuments of yesteryears, that are to be found there, like the various museums, castles, palaces, mosques, churches, etc contribute greatly to the increase in the tourism industry today. In fact, many of its historic architectures have been added to the UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. Though no more a capital city, Istanbul, which is considered to be Turkey’s cultural and financial center, still retains its old world attraction and continues to generate its own individual history through out the ages.

sumber: http://www.hagia-sophia.net/history.htm

http://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagia_Sophia

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

© 2009 Wazari Wazir

When mention about Istanbul, image of Aya Soyfa, Blue Mosque will come into mind and also all those fairy tail and love stories about Constantinople will become alive. Istanbul is a great place to be and among world favorite travel destination. You can see Europe and Asia in one place living in harmony here. Actually it is not so easy for me to reach here. There were so many procedure to follow and in fact I get the approval the very last minute before the day I depart for istanbul from Kuala Lumpur.

To cut the story short, it was a long flight from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul on 7th November 2009 at 1 am in the early morning our flight Boeng 777 MH30 take off to Istanbul, it is a direct flight, non stop from Kuala Lumpur to Istanbul which take us approximately 11 hours to get there. Alhamdulillah the journey was very smooth and the hospitality of MAS crew members on board make the long haul journey seem shorter. By 7:45am local time we reach Hilton Istanbul not far away from Taksim Square. I’ve a great experience while our vehicle passing through Galata Bridge and watching magnificent mosque along the journey really get me excited.

There were few minor problem when registering for our room at the hotel and thanks to Malaysian Embassy in Turkey, the problem solve quickly and before 9:00 am I’ve already got my room key no 092. We have a brief Media briefing by Ministry of Foreign Affair regarding of coverage of our Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for the COMCEC Economic Meeting at Four Seasons Hotel Bosphorus Istanbul. After that we, a group of eleven local media are eager to tour some part of Istanbul because the very next day when our Deputy Prime Minister arrive, we don’t have so much free time on our hand.

By 2:05pm local Istanbul time we are in the compound of Aya Sofya, it was really big and with my kit lens on my camera won’t fit the grandeur structure of the Aya Sofya. Some of media members wanted to visit Grand Bazaar and for me I’m not interested to shopping but more interested for photo shooting. So we split and will meet at this area of Aya Sofya in two hours time. I was walking alone without any media members with me, from one place to another place, this area called Sultanahmet where a lot of major historical site are within a walking distance, Aya Sofya, Topkapi Museum and Blue Mosque. A lot of people here and from what I can say it is really a photographers haven. Among the place that I really want to visit is Aya Sofya, I’ve to pay 20 Lira to get here or about MYR50 but it really worth the visit since I don’t know when I will be coming here again so the amount is nothing much compare with the experience.

I wish I’ve a wide angle lens, wider than my kit lens 18-70mm, if you guys planning to visit Aya Sofya, please make sure you get a super wide lens, something like 10-20mm or 11-16mm for DX Nikon camera but if you have FX camera like D3 or D700, 24-70 mm will do just fine. It is really big, the dome is massive with great decoration, islamic and also with christian motif. Fast lens really help here since it was dimly lit and this place is pack with tourist. Since I’m alone here I don’t have my personal picture here, pity me. I did not spend much time here simply because I’m running out of time and have few other place to visit.

My next stop is Blue Mosque just a minute of walking distance from Aya Sofya, this is a mosque so you don’t need to pay anything to get inside but you need to take your shoes off and put it in the plastic bag that was made available in the entrance of the Blue Mosque. Once again super wide angle lens really help here and I just have to satisfied with my kit lens. I really enjoy shooting here inside and outside of Blue Mosque and if I’ve more time I’ll definitely looking for much higher place to shoot Blue Mosque from the distance and get the Bosphorus in the frame as well together with the Blue Mosque. By 6:00pm, we finish our tour and get back to our hotel.

About the tram picture and people walking on the street, that was taken in Taksim and the street is famously known as Istiklal Caddesi and according to wikipedia, the street is approximately 3 km long but I did not walk the whole street just part of it because the time constrain. People here are very camera friendly, they really doesn’t bother much about people taking their picture, this street is full of tourist, you might not feel like you were walking on the Turkey street but more like walking in the European country. There were shops on the left and right side of the street, only tram allowed to pass through this street, it is for pedestrian but cars only allowed to pass through to get to the other side of the road. If you guys have plan to visit Istanbul, please make sure you spend a day here in the Istiklal Avenue and have fun watching people going through their lives here, this is really busy street with people from all walk of life and from all over the world.

Before Crossing the Albanian-Macedonian Border

If you are thinking of joining the Caravan as it makes its way through Macedonia, Greece and Turkey (Thrace) to Istanbul, then have a watch of this video, which will give you some impression of the wonderful experience we all had this year in Albania.

You can look at the 2010 Caravan schedule and sign-up at the Via Egnatia Foundation website.

Gregory Palamas was born in Constantinople (?) about 1296. He became a monk of the great community at Mount Athos, near Thessalonika. Here he was one of the formost supporters of a theory of contemplation called Hesychasm (or, after him, Palamism). The Hesychasts claimed that, by suitable spirtual disciplines, those engaged in contemplative prayer could come to see the “uncreated light” of God. Their opponents objected that this doctrine was inconsistent with the unity and the transcendence of God. At first, Hesychasm was condemned as heretical and Gregory was excommunicated.

However, in 1347, thanks chiefly to the unwavering support of the monks of Athos, Gregory was brought back from exile, cleared of heretical charges, and made bishop of Thessalonika. After much controversy, his position was declared orthodox by the church of Constantinople in 1351, but by then he was worn out and an invalid. In recent years, there has been a revival of interest in his ideas.

Here is how his views are described by an Eastern Orthodox writer, Timothy Ware (Bishop Kallistos of Diokleia), in his book, The Orthodox Church, pp. 77-78, published by Penguin Usa. Copyright 1963,1964 by Timothy Ware.

From this, Gregory [Palamas (1296-1359), Archbishop of Thessalonica] turned to the main problem: how to combine the two affirmations, that man knows God and that God is by nature unknowable. Gregory answered: we know the _energies_ of God, but not His _essence_. This distinction between God’s essence (ousia) and His energies goes back to the Cappadocian Fathers. “We know our God from His energies”, wrote Saint Basil, “but we do not claim that we can draw near to His essence.” … But however remote from us in His essence, yet in His energies God has revealed Himself to men. These energies are not something that exists apart from God, not a gift which God confers upon men: they are God Himself in His action and revelation to the world. God exists complete and entire in each of His divine energies. The world, as Gerard Manley Hopkins said, is charged with the grandeur of God; all creation is a gigantic Burning Bush, permeated but not consumed by the ineffable and wondrous fire off God’s energies.

It is through these energies that God enters into a direct and Immediate relationship with mankind. In relation to man, the divine energy is in fact nothing else than the _grace_of_God_; grace is not just a “gift” of God, not just an object which God bestows on men, but a direct manifestation of the living God Himself, a personal confrontation between creature and Creator. “Grace signifies all the abundance of the divine nature, in so far as it is communicated to men.” [V. Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p 162] When we say that the saints have been transformed… by the grace of God, what we mean is that they have a direct experience of God Himself. They Know God–that is to say, God in His energies, not in His essence.

written by James Kiefer

Prayer

O God, who by your Holy Spirit give to some the word of wisdom, To others the word of knowledge, and to others the word of faith: We praise you for the gifts of grace manifested in your servant Gregory, and we pray that your Church may never be destitute of such gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Day 91 – Ken here (F)
(DEF v.2, ch.17, pp.600-610)

I’m starting a little earlier – and trying not to write for hours and hours – although once you get into the research (like looking up ancient sources, or figuring out what ancient prices mean in current dollars), it’s hard not to pursue a thought to its logical conclusion. But I digress…

We finish up today with Gibbon’s description of Constantinople, and start an overview of later (300’s, 400’s) Roman imperial government offices/structures.

Animal Farm by George Orwell - 1st edition book cover - Some animals are more equal than others - the creation of the nobler orders (Illustri, Gloriosi, etc) in Roman society solidified the 2-tier system of justice and society in the later Roman empire - not everyone was a citizen, some were more citizens than others - faint beginnings of feudalism here...

Note: On How the Road to Hell gets Paved with Good Intentions
Remembering that we just got out of the most civil-war-filled century in Roman history (the 200’s, early 300’s), it’s logical that Constantine (who CERTAINLY knew himself how to civil-war it to the top) would solidify governmental changes to make sure that it was very difficult for generals/sons of emperors to make war against HIM. So… the policies of Constantine/Diocletian:

All very good policies -and ones which worked – civil war declined in empire – but the price was ruinous taxation to support the mega-bureaucracy, and an inability to act fast and coordinate attacks on barbarians when invasions occurred. The result? Barbarians eventually overwhelmed a more and more ineffectual military, and the citizen-serfs GLADLY became barbarian subjects when their taxes decreased by 90% under the new barbarian regimes.

Rome was an unloved, un-mourned mistress by the man-in-the-street after her fall. Wait till we get to the Reconquest of Italy (circa mid 500’s) under Justinian (emperor in the East) – how the populace LAMENTED the incredible arrogance, ruthlessness, and efficiency of the imperial tax collectors after nearly a century of peace under the German Ostrogoths. The new Imperials RUINED Italy.

Notitia Dignitatum - bureaucrats painted the shield decorations of each legion so they could remember them during an audit - these are the Praesentalis group

Note on Sources – the Laws and Hierarchies
Where do we get all this information on officials and government posts? Gibbon will rely upon 2 major sources:

These are some of the workhorses of Late Antique Roman historians when writing about society, culture, and everyday life – as they inadvertently reveal to our eyes 1.500 years later, what may have been going through these Late Roman minds when problems like barbarians, hyper-inflation, and constant imperial civil war where the problems of the ONE state controlling the entire Mediterranean basin. A different time, and because it is so different, very important to us to understand ourselves and what humans are capable of/liable to in a world-state.

Notitia Dignitatum - bureaucrats sketches of legion's insignia - to tell them apart in an audit - these are the foot-soldiers - PEDITUM - note the first recorded instance of the YIN-YANG symbol on a shield in the center of this page of the Notitia

 
Constantinople Stolen Art Department: The Long Tale of the Serpent Column
 
This per Wiki:
“The Serpent Column (Turkish, Yılanlı Sütun) — also known as the Serpentine Column, Delphi Tripod or Plataean Tripod — is an ancient bronze column at the Hippodrome of Constantinople (known as Atmeydanı “Horse Square” in the Ottoman period) in what is now Istanbul, Turkey. It is part of an ancient Greek sacrificial tripod, originally in Delphi and relocated to Constantinople by Constantine I the Great in 324. The serpent heads of the 8-meter high column remained intact until the end of the 17th century (one is on display at the nearby Istanbul Archaeology Museums).
Provenance
The Serpentine Column has one of the longest literary histories of any object surviving from Greek and Roman antiquity — its provenance is not in doubt and it is at least 2,487 years old. Together with its original golden tripod and bowl (both long missing), it constituted a trophy, or offering, dedicated to Apollo at Delphi. This offering was made in the spring of 478 BC, several months after the defeat of the Persian army in the Battle of Plataea (August, 479 BC) by those Greek city-states in alliance against the Persian invasion of mainland Greece (see Greco-Persian Wars). Among the writers who allude to the Column in the ancient literature are Herodotus, Thucydides, Demosthenes, Diodorus Siculus, Pausanias the traveller, Cornelius Nepos and Plutarch.The removal of the column by the Emperor Constantine to his new capital, Constantinople, is described by Edward Gibbon, citing the testimony of the Byzantine historians Zosimus, Eusebius, Socrates, and Sozomenus.”

Serpent Column today (2007) - standing in Hippodrome - approximately 2,500 years old - with inscriptions (and saber cuts) still visible

Snake Column - Head of the serpent found later - with lower jaw missing - Gibbon relates (2000 pages from now) how the Turkish conqueror of Constantinople in 1453 lopped off the lower jaw of one of the 3 serpents on the day the city fell - could this be that serpent head?

Snake Column - Ottoman miniature from the Surname-i Vehbi - in a celebration at the Hippodrome in 1582 - 130 years after the falling of the City of Constantinople - Note - the heads are all still attached - and one jaw seems to be missing

Snake Column - This is the stolen column - stolen by Constantine - to adorn his new Hippodrome in Constantinople he just built -reconstruction in Hippodrome - 3D Constantinople1200 Project - Note: the obelisk in the background - its still there - see the 1st photograph of the Snake Column above

Snake Column - reconstruction as at Delphi in 470's BCE - it was an offering of thanks for the Greeks' victory at Plataea over the Persians - note: the golden tripod at the top

SOON THE END …

Read up? At the read end up? at the end:

* Why is it so difficult to tell the truth, while c? Is so easy to lie?
* Why are we so sleepy in mosque but become straight when we were suddenly called to prayer?
* Why is it so difficult to speak of God when it is so easy to talk about the latest releases and sports?
* Why it is so boring to read an article on? Islam, when it is so easy to read celebrity gossip in this world?
* Why it is so easy to delete an email that religious then? It is so faciled? Send a joke?
* Why are mosques are becoming smaller, while dance clubs are becoming bigger?

Think about it …

Just remember that God is watching you. Prayer is Here below the vehicle of all. 1400 years ago, the Prophet (Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) had foreseen these cases:

*
* “People will ride on saddles that are not saddles (cars?)
* “The distance on earth will become short;
* “The horses will not be used in wars
* “Muslims will defeat the Byzantines which will eventually conquer Constantinople (Istanbul);
* “The Jews will gather again to live in the land of Canaan;
* “Very tall buildings will be constructed;
* “The disappearance of knowledge and l? Appearance of? Ignorance, with much killing;
* “The number of men will decrease and the number of women grow up? To what? There is 50 women to seduce a man.
* “Allah will send a no sexual disease? Has no cure;
* “People begin to believe in the stars and reject al-Qadar
* “Men will pass by the graves and say: Ah, if I? Were in his place! (Almost all suicidal deaths?)
*
* “Two large groups of people fight l? A cons l? Another and it will be many dommages.Ils are both the same religion (WWII?)
* “About 30 DAJJALS appear, each claiming to be the Messenger of? ALLAH;
* Earthquakes will increase;
* “The time will pass quickly;
*
* “Killing will increase;
* “The wealth increase;
* “Women will be wearing clothes but not wearing underwear

The Prophet said:? IF MY UMMA BEARS 15 TRAITS, TRIBULATION WILL FOLLOW.? (DAY TRIAL) SOMEONE? A has requested? WHAT ARE THEY O MESSENGER OF? ALLAH? ? HE SAID:

1.When trust becomes a means of? Obtain earnings
2. When the payment of Zakat becomes a burden?
3. Quand voices are raised in mosques!
4. When the leader of a people is the worst d? Them
5. When people treat a man with respect because? Should do?
6. When much wine is drunk?
7. That the wind is red and the return of earth for them, or that men are transformed into animals.
8. The Quran will disappear overnight, even in the hearts of men and any surah will be left on Earth.
9. Some groups of old people will be left and say we’ve heard that said? LAILLAHA ILLA l? ALLAH? and we repeat
10. Appearance of the MAHDI;
11. Appearance of Dajjal (Anti Christ);
12. Appearance of Ya? Juj and Ma? Juj;
13. Issa (Jesus) will come during the time of Dajjal;
14, The sun will rise at? West;
15. destruction of the Ka? Ba and the recovery of its treasures

(bold MOST MAJOR SIGNS OF THE TIME!)

Now you have two options:

1 – leave this message here to rot, and no curse or may not happen to you (Insha-Allah)

2 – Send this message to a number of people you know and by the Grace? Allah you will be blessed for each person for whom you have sent this email

Day 89 – Ken here (W)
(DEF v.2, ch.17, pp.580-590)

Finally! We begin Chapter 17, begin the Second Volume, and begin reviewing the age of Constantine. Constantine began as the un-noteworthy son of one of the lesser powers in the multi-emperor world of Diocletian (285-305). By dogged determination, skillful political maneuvering, unprovoked retreats and attacks, and conversion to a new religion, Constantine became the sole Roman emperor and the consolidator of Diocletian’s reforms, creating and solidifying the new Roman Empire: the Autocracy or the Dominate.

One of his biggest projects was founding and building the new capital in the East – Constantinople (now Istanbul, capital of Turkey) (although Constantine himself named it New Rome). Gibbon loves this stuff – and spends almost 20 pages describing the city (See 3D Reconstruction of Constantinople). Many of the statues, monuments, etc that Constantine (to his shame) sacked from all the ancient cities in Asia and Greece still remain in Turkish Istanbul.

So… we begin a 2 day excursion into ancient, ancient Constantinople – a brand-new frontier city, constructed almost from scratch (on the site of the old small Greek town of Byzantium – thus the incorrect name for the eastern empire – Byzantine Empire) much in the late 19th century American style – a booster town, a Chicago of its times that attracted industry and politicians to its shores. Of course, that was all 1700 years ago, and so the Constantinople of that time is lost, buried under centuries of human occupation, and even buried under a new name (when it was conquered in 1453 – now Istanbul – a Turkish transliteration of the Greek “into the City – eis tein polin).

Maps and views of Constantinople and Environs

From North to South – the journey from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean

Euxine Sea (modern: Black Sea) (Euxine Sea – in Greek it means Hospitable -or good host Sea – the exact opposite of what you get when you get to the Black Sea (it’s a vicious sea) – an example of Greeks naming something to “charm”/compliment its deity into being peaceful and human-friendly)

Bosporus (modern: Turkish Strait or Bosphorus) – narrow straits connecting the Sea of Marmara with the Black Sea – Constantinople lies at the southern end – historic crossroads of Asia and Europe – the smallest distance between Asia and Europe on the sea (narrowest point = 1500 feet, 500 paces)

Propontis (modern: Sea of Marmara) – small sea between the Aegean (Mediterranean) and the Black Sea -Constantinople lies at the northern tip of the Sea

Hellespont (modern: Dardanelles) (narrow strait leading from Sea of Marmara into the Aegean Sea) – on one side lies the famous Gallipoli peninsula of WWI, Australia, and New Zealand fame (see ANZAC day)
 
 
 
Maps and Pictures
 
 
 
Constantinople

Map - Constantinople, Geography

Map - German Map of Constantinople - detailled, exceedingly accurate, and user-friendly, of course

Golden Horn – Port of Constantinople

Golden Horn - painting - Boats on the Golden Horn - 18th century view

Golden Horn - Port of Istanbul - modern panoramic view - from Galata, looking into Istanbul (Constantinople) - the Hagia Sophia is the great domed structure on the left

Black Sea (Euxine Sea)

Map of the Black Sea (Euxine) - Constantinople is the black dot nearly at the center, at the bottom of the Black Sea (but actually south 16 miles from the Black Sea, down a narrow salt water strait - the Bosporus)

Bosporus (tiny straits that connect the huge Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara and the Mediterranean)

Modern Panoramic view of the Bosporus - from the European Side

Map of Bosporus (Turkish Strait)

Bosporus from space (pink areas are Istanbul (Constantinople)) - look how narrow the gap is - as narrow as 1500 feet in places - Darius I invaded Europe over a pontoon bridge over this strait - Xerxes used the wider (and calmer) Hellespont to the south

Propontis (modern: Sea of Marmara)

Sea of Marmara from space - it is the turquoise water in the center of the picture - Constantinople (Istanbul) is at the far right of the turquoise

Map of Propontis (modern: Sea of Marmara) - Constantinople is the orange dot at the top - Black Sea (Euxine) is the water at the very top of the map - that tine line you see between the two is the tiny Bosporus

Hellespont (modern: Dardanelles) and Gallipoli Peninsula

Gallipoli peninsula from space - it is the long finger extending along the narrow strait of water (the strait = Hellespont or Dardanelles)

Map of Hellespont (Dardanelles) - connects Sea of Marmara with the Mediterannean (Aegean Sea) and Greece and all her islands - site of famous WWI battle that helped to form the national identity of Australia and New Zealand

Heroic Greece – Mycenae, Homeric Greece, and the environs of Constantinople

Homeric Greece - Constantinople is up at far upper right