Up one level Turkey, 1 - 10 January 2009 » Chora Church and the Archaeological Museum, Istanbul

Chora Church and the Archaeological Museum, Istanbul

Our two favourite museums in Istanbul are the Chora Church Museum for its mosaics and the Archaeological Museum because we like looking at old historical artifacts.

Because it was raining heavily on the day we visited the archaelogical museum, we waited out the weather by spending our time imitating the posters of sculptures in the museum without the benefit of a tripod or good lighting; all but the last three black and white photos in this gallery are my attempts at replication them. The sarcophagi from Sidon were the most impressive artifacts in the museum.

The Chora Church museum is a little out of the way from the other sights in Istanbul but is well worth the side trip. The mosaics are richly detailed and we thoroughly enjoyed looking at them. Serene also enjoyed playing with the resident cats who are very friendly to visitors.

_mg_9690 Alexander Sarcophagus (4th Century BC), Sidon _mg_9693 Alexander Sarcophagus (4th Century BC), Sidon _mg_9709 Egyptian Sarcophagus with hieroglyphics and ancient Greek (6th Century BC), Sidon _mg_9719 The wrestler _mg_9721 Marble Statue of Melpomene, Baths of Faustina (2nd century AD) _mg_9724 The God Apollo Playing the Cithara, Miletus (2nd century AD) _mg_9727 Marble Statue of Polemeanus, the Proconsul of Asia, Ephesus (AD 106-107) _mg_9730 Marble Statue of Pan, Tirnovo (3rd century AD) _mg_9734 Marble Statue of Artemis, Mytilene Lesbos (copy of 4th century BC type) _mg_9738 Marble Statue of Cornelia Antonia, Antiocheia Ad Pisidium (2nd century AD) _mg_9742 Marble Statue of Athena, Magnesia Ad Maeandrum (1st Century BC - 1st Century AD) _mg_9749 Bronze Statue of a Wild Boar, Mezek (5th century BC) _mg_9755 Alexander Sarcophagus (4th Century BC), Sidon _mg_9758 Sarcophagus of the Mourning Women (4th Century BC), Sidon _mg_9766 Mosaics in Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul _mg_9778 Serene and her favourite cat in the central nave of Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul _mg_9795 Dormition of the Virgin Mosaic in Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul _mg_9800 Jesus Christ Mosaic in Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul _mg_9809 Jesus Christ Mosaic in Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul _mg_9814 Jesus Christ Mosaic in Kariye Müzesi, Istanbul img_0677 Design on the 12th Century Gate of the Grand Mosque of Cizre, Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.