Barbarossa

Barbarossa (red beard in Italian) was an admiral in the Ottoman Navy during the years 1515 to 1544.  He is still considered today one of the outstanding admirals in the country's history.  Hayreddin Barbarossa pirated the Mediterranean before aligning himself with the Ottoman empire.  His campaigns were very successful and under his leadership, Algeria and Tunisia were brought into the Ottoman empire.  A statue in his honor stands in a park named after him just outside of the Naval Museum in Besiktas. 

His mausoleum is also in this park.  He died in Istanbul in 1546.

Inside the Naval Museum, are several portraits of Barbarossa.  The navy was the earliest organization in Turkey to send officers for training in western painting techniques.  Prior to the age of photography, naval officers painted pictures of key figures, the fleet and battles.

This portrait of Barbarossa was done by Refek Aziz in the 20th century.

In addition to many fine paintings, the Naval Museum has ornamental wood carvings that decorated the ships.  These were all created in the ship building workshops.  Here are a couple of lions on display.

In this area of Besiktas, many businesses use Barbarossa's name, showing his continued popularity.  The library of the Bahcesehir Univeristy is named after him, ...

as well as a local cafe.

Ebru at 1200 degrees

Ebru is an old Turkish art form of painting with water on paper and creating a marbling effect.  Glass artist Gulin Algul has used the ebru as inspiration for her work in blown glass.  Her work is on exhibit at the Naval Museum in Besiktas and the title of the exhibit is Ebru at 1200 Degrees.

Many stunning pieces are on display, with the marbling effect.  The following are each about a foot in diameter.

This piece was my favorite.

In addition to the glass art pieces on display, pictures on the walls show the processes used in making the pieces.  Gulin does her work in the studios at the Glass Furnace in Istanbul.  Can you feel the 1200 degree temperature just looking at this glass going into the furnace?

More of Gulin's work can be seen on her website www.asanni.org  The exhibit at the Naval Museum is on until December 15, 2011.  It is worth a visit to see this glass art exhibit and also the Naval Museum.

Anadolu Feneri by the Black Sea

On a fairly sunny day this week, I took the bus up to Anadolu Feneri on the Black Sea.  As the bus departed from the station of origin, I was the only one on the bus.  My own private 30 foot limo.  People did join me along the route, but most departed before the final stop at Anadolu Feneri, where just 4 of us disembarked

 The cats are doing very well in this village.

 The sky and Black Sea merged into the same pale gray color.  To the east of the Bosphorus opening to the Black Sea, there were lots of fishing boats.  Tankers and cargo ships waiting to head down the Bosphorus were to the west of the Bosphorus opening.

 The view to the east from the small park around the lighthouse, ...

 and an up close view of the lighthouse.  The gate to the lighthouse park was closed during my last vista, so I was happy to see it open this time.  The door to the lighthouse was locked, but a sign outside gave some further information. It was built in 1856 by the French, is 75 meters above sea level, is 20 meters in height and has visibility of 20 miles.  Previously, it was powered by a corded kerosene lamb, but now a filament lamb of 1000 watts is used. (Not sure if it was the French or the Turkish who did the translation into English, to generate these very talented lambs!)

 When I left home, the tankers and container ships were heading north from the Bosphorus to the Black Sea.  They travel in only one direction at any given point in time.  By the time I got to Anadolu Feneri, they were still heading north into the Black Sea.

 A little fall color around the houses of the village...

 I was disappointed to see my lavender colored restaurant not only closed, but for rent.  So I purchased some almonds and corn nuts in the little market and started walking back to the beach before the village.  This beach is closed to people, as it is part of the area belonging to the military.  The number of seagulls on this beach is impressive.  They have first shot at the local fish, and the fishing must be great.

By the time I got home, I looked out the window and the flow of traffic on the Bosphorus had changed.  Now all the tankers and container ships were heading south toward the Sea of Marmara.

Fall Colors - Japanese Garden

On a sunny day this week, I decided to visit the Japanese Garden in the Bosphorus village of Baltilimani, on the European side.  From Anadolu Hisari, I jumped on the ferry heading north.

 Along the Bosphorus, there are some golden trees.

 And in the Japanese Garden, there were lots of red maples. In the spring, the garden was so full of cherry trees, that I did not expect to see so many Japanese maples.  But the garden is wonderfully designed to showcase the seasonal changes.

 After my garden visit, I walked south to the Bosphorus villages of Rumeli Hisari and Bebek and caught the ferry back to Anadolu Hisari.  As the ferry was pulling in to the landing, I spotted some red just under the hisari or fort.

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Shopping in Kadikoy

I was off to Kadikoy this week to look for art supplies.  I wasn't the only one out on the streets, this cute crocodile was also out.  I don't recall seeing him before, but he does look like he is part of an important marker in Kadikoy.

 One of the first bead shops I patronized in Istanbul is "bijuland".  They have all sorts of base metal beads and findings as well as beads made of glass, plastic, wood, stone, felt and crystal.  Lots of completed projects are displayed for inspiration.  Beads can be purchased individually or in small packages for seed beads.

 The metal beads come in all sorts of designs, some of which are Turkish designs and Istanbul landmark designs.

 bijuland's original shop is located at Nailbey Sokak No. 40, ...

 and their second shop is just up the same street at number 13.  It is best to stop in both shops to make sure you have seen everything possible.

 A new shop in Kadikoy is "More Than Soap", which has a nice selection of handmade soaps utilizing natural ingredients.  A key is available to help you determine which of the interesting scents meets your needs.  I went for the soap named "Turkish hamam", which is the Turkish bath.  It has a very clean scent.

On their website, www.morethansoap.com you can enter your age, sex and type of skin and receive a list of recommended products.  

 And I did make it to the art supply shop, "Guven Sanat" and found the correct paper for my art class.  They have a great selection of papers, canvases, paint, pastels and anything else artsy that you can think of.  www.guvensanat.com

Stars of Istanbul

All over Istanbul are decorated stars.  Various organizations have sponsored the creation of the stars, which stand just over 5 feet tall.  In December, the stars will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to UNICEF.  Michael jackson and a Turkish man are featured in the Tunel area, ...

 The shopping malls are also displaying stars, ...

 The historic serpentine column  from Sultanahmet area is replicated, ...

 Tchibo sponsored the coffee drinking star, ...

 The fiber optic star was sponsored by a mobile phone operator...

 a cargo ship, ...

 the people of Istanbul, ... I am the girl on the left with the camera, ...

 a decorative deer, 

 "Drive Safe", sponsored by Ford, ... (shouldn't it be "Drive Safely"?), ...

 the red phone sponsored by emergency services, ...

 the only star standing on one point, ...

 the Cartoon Network's contribution, ...

 and the most popular star with the children, featuring a ladder and slide on either side.

Let me know if you want to make a bid on any of the above before December!
P.S. - Just spotted Elvis!!!