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GTR-DVD-1073- Situated on the shores of the Bosporus, Istanbul is the only city in the world that is located on two continents, Europe and Asia. Within it, a historic and religious symbol rises up into the sky: the Hagia Sophia, for nearly a 1000 years the main church of former Constantinople. Legend has it that Constantine, founder of the New Rome, had previously built a church of 'Holy Wisdom' here in the fourth century A.D. Thus, the name of this church derives from the Greek. Although the first church, as well as a later building, were destroyed by fire, the Emperor Justinian erected a larger church in the year 532 AD, the church known today as Hagia Sophia. Throughout the centuries, Hagia Sophia served both as a church and a mosque but, due to the Turkish leader, Atatürk, it was transformed into a museum in 1935. As a result of Turkish influence and its function as a mosque, four minarets were constructed adding yet another architectural feature in addition to its magnificent dome. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures Hagia...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m14s
Views: 9  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1088 - The tall minarets of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, known also as the Blue Mosque, tower proudly into the heavens and dominate the skyline of Istanbul, the Turkish capital on the Bosporus. At the beginning of the 17th century the young and ambitious sultan, Ahmet The First, decided that an additional building should replace the Hagia Sophia as the city's main mosque. With its graduated cupolas, the building was designed to be as impressive as possible, thus a spacious courtyard was also included. Elegant columned halls surround a square at the centre of which there is an hexagonal fountain where the faithful once cleansed themselves prior to prayer. Today, the faithful wash themselves along the external sidewalls of the courtyard. In the eastern section is the Mederse, the mosque's School of the Koran. Four massive five metre thick pillars known as 'Elephants' Feet' support the incredible weight of the Blue Mosque's massive central cupola. It derived its popular alias of the Blue Mosque due to its internal décor that consists of twenty-one thousand precious blue coloured Fayence wall tiles from Iznik. The Topkapi Palace, which over the years was greatly extended by various sultans, is also located in the historic centre of Istanbul and until 1853 it was the royal residence of the Osmanic royal family. Along the picturesque shoreline of the Bosporus are numerous ancient mosques, palaces and villas and one of the longest and most impressive suspension bridges in the world connects this fascinating European city and its twelve million inhabitants to Asia. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures BLUE...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m18s
Views: 6  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
GTR-DVD-1099 - Cairo's Alabaster Mosque dominates the skyline of the largest city in Africa. The imposing building is situated in the middle of the Citadel, a prominent fortress that was built in the 19th century. In 1830, Egyptian King Mohammad Ali Pasha ordered the construction of a mosque to strict Ottoman design. It is no accident that the external appearance of the Mosque is similar to that of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The minarets of the Alabaster Mosque rise 84 metres into the sky and have become an integral part of Cairo's silhouette. The impressive interior of the building is illuminated by an enormous chandelier, a gift from the French King, Louis Philippe The Fifth. Today, the light of the original three hundred and sixty-five oil lamps is powered by electricity, yet the great building still possesses a sublime atmosphere. The brilliance of the light augments the dimensions of the mosque to a breathtaking degree and the ceiling of the great prayer hall is over fifty metres high. Beneath the central cupola is the dignified tomb of King Mohammed Ali. The royal casket is made of the finest Italian marble and is decorated with Turkish motifs. Today, the Alabaster Mosque is considered to be one of the most beautiful examples of Egyptian Islamic-Ottoman architecture of the 19th century. It has lost none of its former shining magnificence. Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.
Global Treasures...
Categories: Holiday Location and Places 
Added: 114 days ago
By: travel-video
Runtime: 1m32s
Views: 10  | Comments: 0
Rating: Not yet rated
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