Religious Life in Greek Villages
Greek villages are often home to men of fine appearance and excellent manners. Interestingly, there are usually more chapels than priests. Every village must...
The Burden of Military Service
Thousands of able-bodied young Greek men are tied to military service, which prevents them from working in the fields or factories. Even after completing...
A Complex and Evolving Structure
The buildings in this area have gone through many changes over time. There has been so much modification and rebuilding that it is clear...
Hidden Passages Connecting to Tower N
The spiral stairway in the turret was not an isolated structure. It was connected to Tower N by a series of narrow, vaulted passages....
Stairway Turret Structure and Purpose
Section E was a stairway turret, a round tower that contained a spiral ramp instead of steps. This inclined plane wrapped around a central...
The Sultan Reads Everything
While I was in Turkey, I was warned many times that every letter I sent to a newspaper would likely be read by the...
Yildiz a Palace City
Yildiz Park, where the Sultan's palace is located, is like a small city. It has a population of nearly 5,000 people. These include the...
A Simple and Careful Diet
The Sultan follows a very simple diet. He eats small amounts of plain food and never drinks wine or any kind of alcohol. However,...
Provincial Treasuries and Tax Disputes
In Sultan Murad IV’s era, regular remittances of provincial treasuries to Istanbul were commonplace. However, a dispute arose between Algeria and Tunis regarding taxation...
The Reign of Sultan Murad IV
Justice and Retribution
In a display of justice and retribution, Sultan Murad IV ordered the execution of Grand Vizier Kemankeş Ali Pasha, confiscating all his...
