Podcasts about hagia sofia

Kim and Tamara recently visited Istanbul, Türkiye for the first time to attend the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) Annual Conference. In this episode, they share their insights and tips for others planning a trip to Istanbul including where to stay, top sights to visit, safety, and other travel tips. Show Highlights: Turkish Airlines has a lot of direct flights from the USA (including Boston and Seattle) Turkish Airlines business class varies depending on what plane you are on and you need to be strategic about choosing your seat It takes about an hour to get from the airport to the city center and there is a lot of traffic in Istanbul. Tamara used Welcome Pickups and Kim used Sun Transfers for private transfers, which were both affordable and possibly cheaper than taxis. It is best to stay in the Sultanahmet neighborhood for first time visitors near the main attraction, Kim also stayed in the Galata Tower area but it is very hilly and hard to access for cabs. Tamara stayed at the Hagia Sofia Mansions Hotel (a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel) and Kim stayed at the White House boutique hotel. They also stayed at the Conrad Hilton during the convention but wouldn't recommend that area unless you are about to get on or off a cruise. You can ask Google Maps for an accessible route to avoid hills. Kim and Tamara really enjoyed taking a small group tour of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sofia. You can do it on your own but the guide takes care of getting the tickets and plan it so you don't need to figure out what time the mosques are open for visitors. You need to cover your hair when you enter a mosque and take off your shoes so it is helpful to wear slip off shoes and socks. In the Hagia Sofia, visitors can only go to the second level and look down at the main prayer area. You can also see the gold mosaics and Christian imagery from when it was a church. The Basilica Cistern is also nearby and it is very popular with very long lines. We would recommend that you buy skip the line tickets online in advance. Tamara took a guided tour but it was hard to stay together in the crowd and you need to use a listening device to hear the guide. The Sulimaniye Mosque, near the Spice Market, is also well worth a visit for its gorgeous architecture. It is equal or even better than the Blue Mosque. The Rustem Pasha Mosque is also beautiful, but smaller. The Spice Market, also known at the Egyptian Market, has tons of shops selling tea and spices. Just beware that they sell via the kilo and that is a huge amount so you need to request a much smaller amount unless you want to spend an arm and a leg. The sales guys are very good at upselling and aggressive about engaging you to get you into the shop. They also offer free samples. See Tamara's tips on visiting to Istanbul as a solo female traveler: https://yourtimetofly.com/istanbul-solo-female-travel/ The Grand Bazaar is largely gold jewelry and knock off designer goods with just a few more authentic shops with Turkish linens or carpets. Make sure you try simit in the morning, baklava, Turkish Delight, and Turkish coffee and tea. There are some shops or tours that include someone who "reads" your tea leaves or coffee grounds. Turkish cuisine is very beef and lamb centric. A braised beef and eggplant is a popular dish. Let the restaurant bring different types of mezze, as many of these are delicious and things you might not have tried if you picked yourself. Gozleme is a flatbread topped with cheese or cheese and spinach. Credit cards are widely used but you should bring cash (or get cash from an ATM) for taxis and you will be able to spend less if you pay in cash when you go shopping. Be prepared to tip. Make sure the taxi starts the meter and know ahead of time about how much it should cost. And if you use Uber, don't let them tell you that they don't pay via the app. The tram is an easy way to get around and there is a kiosk to purchase tickets with an English option.

What does it mean to sing “Holy holy holy is God” NOT to God, but to one another? Might Isaiah's magnificent and poetic imagery of the seraphim singing their praise of God's holiness TO one another be received as an invitation to do the same?Sermon begins at minute marker 4:11 Scripture: ​​​​Isaiah 6.1-8 ResourcesBibleWorm podcast: Episode 612 – Here I Am Send Me!, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.“Before I Was a Gazan,” Naomi Shihab Nye, from Everything Comes Next: Collected & New Poems (2020), 100.“A Few Rules For Predicting the Future,” Octavia E. Butler (2000), 7-15.“Schrödinger's Seraphim,” Vija Merrill.Releasing friend of SMC met through the One Parish One Prisoner program of Underground Ministries.Image: Seraphim in Hagia Sofia, in Istanbul Türkiye, photo by Pastor Megan Ramer.Hymn: Voices Together 156 - There's a Wideness in God's Mercy. Text: Frederick W. Faber (England), Hymns, 1861. Music: Lizzie S. Tourjee (USA), Hymnal of the Methodist Church with Tunes, 1878. Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE, license #A-726929. All rights reserved.

Hagia Sofia. El templo icono de Estambul es algo sorprendente, juntos lo recorremos.

Dissension in the capitolBased on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“My guards were out in the city last night,” the Empress said. “They can confirm some of the captain’s reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters.”“Traitors,” Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general’s cheeks were red with anger. “Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset.”The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren’t our enemy.”“They’re burning the city down around us!”“Captain,” Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. “We’ve had riots before. Why haven’t you been able to keep the peace these past few days?”The guardsman bowed low. “Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they’ve done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however,” He trailed off into a grimace."Now, they’re the bastards doing all the damage,” Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.Belisarius’ wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.“You cannot control the city, then?” The Empress said.“Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I’ve lost dozens already in the attempt.”“Then let me bring in the legions,” Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. “We’re letting the mob run us over!”“Enough!” The Emperor snapped. “I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood.”The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.Belisarius looked away. “Of course, Augustus.”The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.Justinian slumped back. “The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?”Theodora kissed him on the cheek. “We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don’t lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.”The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife’s scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.“Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?”“Seems like the minimum,” Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. “They’ve already escaped, so what’s the harm?”“The harm,” Belisarius said. “Is that they were condemned to die.”“Bel is right, my love,” the Empress said. “You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?”I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress’ seat.They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor’s office. They’d been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch’s residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.The scorching summer temperature, not at all helped by the pall of smoke that hung over the capital’s streets.The planned chariot races were due to begin soon, when there was a loud knock at the door. One of the Excubitors on duty poked his head in.“Senator Hypatius is here, Augustus,” the man said.“What?” The Emperor responded. “This is a closed meeting. Send him away.”The guard hesitated. “Of course, sire. He says that he’s come from the city, however. And that he holds a list of the people’s demands.Justinian and his wife exchanged a glance. "Very well. Send him in.”“You Imperial Majesties,” the senator said, sweeping his robes out in a deep bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”“Out with it, Hypatius,” Belisarius growled. “We don’t have time for your pretty words.”“Of course, general,” the senator said. He approached after a nod from the Emperor, pulling a roll of parchment from somewhere on his person. “I’ll speak plainly. Representatives from the Blues and Greens approached me earlier today. We sat down together to speak of their grievances. This is the result of that meeting.”He set the parchment down. The Emperor, Belisarius, and Antonina set upon it like wolves; ripping it open and devouring its content. The Empress, however, watched the senator.“You’re uninterested in the people’s demands, Augusta?” Hypatius asked.“I have a good idea as to what they are already, senator,” she said. “I’m more interested in what role you play in all this.”The man smoothed his robes. “That of simple messenger, Augusta.”“But why you?” She said. “And who were these ‘representatives’ you met with.”Hypatius shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’ve worked hard to cultivate a reputation as a fair man who is much agreeable to reason. So, perhaps it is for that.”“Indeed,” the Empress said. “It must be your, reputation.”The senator bristled, but the Emperor chose that moment to speak. “This is absurd! The dismissal of my prefect, John, and of my quaestor? The full pardon of the prisoners and the repeal of my new laws?”“Not every single one of your new laws, Augustus,” Hypatius said, smoothly. “I believe those changes most desired are spelled out.”“No,” the Emperor said. “Not all. Mainly those towards women and the change in the aristocracy’s share of tax.”“The people are aggrieved, your Majesty,” Hypatius said. “You’ve stripped the Blues and Greens of power and have changed many of the basic tenants of our laws. Add to this, the ruinous cost of our campaigns in the east; surely you must understand some of the people’s plight?”“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” the Emperor growled.“Augustus, please. There is wisdom in giving a little to gain a lot.”Theodora snorted. “Explain to me the wisdom of completely folding over?”They continued in this vein for the rest of the time they had, arguing back and forth until we left for the Hippodrome. Hypatius accompanied us through the halls of the Imperial Palace, one of several that had been invited to watch that afternoon’s races in the presence of the Emperor.The stadium was full when we arrived, the crowd a roiling mass of anger. They roared when Justinian stepped into view, drunk on wine and the victories they’d already had against the city.The Emperor called for quiet, biding them to let him answer their resentments. It was several long minutes before the mob was still enough for his voice to be heard. He began his speech, and on the sands, the first of the charioteers emerged.Theodora had not yet taken her seat, remaining back by Helena and me while her husband spoke. There were a dozen or so Excubitors in the box as well, there to make sure no harm came to the Imperial family and their guests.Hypatius approached while Justinian was halfway through his prepared words.“The Emperor is wise to give into these demands.”The Empress didn’t let any of her anger show. She’d argued hard against any sort of concession. “There are some things that he will not bend on. No matter how much of your wisdom that you share.”The senator’s eyes moved about, making sure that none but we were within earshot. Disdain flooded his tone.“You mean the repeal of your laws?” He smirked. “I fear that it is only a matter of time, Empress.”“Victory is an ugly color on you, Hypatius. But it is a bit premature, is it not?”“Premature?” The senator swept his arm out. “Look at this. The people cry for change! Will you really try to keep forcing your unwanted beliefs onto so many who want nothing of them?”“Unwanted?” The Empress said. “The elevation of women is good for the Empire as a whole, senator. Are we too, not God’s creatures.”“Of course, though none other possess such delusions of grandeur.”The Empress snorted. “Only those born to privilege see equality as a loss.”“A privilege,” Hypatius said, “that was granted to us by God. And how wise a decision it was. Did a woman’s choice not already cost us the paradise of Eden?”“Ah, of course,” Theodora said. “That old tale. What a stupid girl she was, to listen to the serpent and hide her naked perfection. As if clothing herself against a man’s crawling eyes could ever bring some sort of comfort.”“A wholly false interpretation.” The senator sneered. “But I suppose that we should trust a whore’s mind to see lust as the root of all things.”I tensed, my anger flaring. I made to step forward, but the Empress flicked her open palm towards me.“I was a whore, senator,” she said. “And so, you may trust me when I say that it wasn’t women that came to me with minds full of lust.”“As you well know,” Hypatius said, face reddening. “Eve’s sin was disobedience; her refusal to submit herself to man and God. A sin which you seek to drive us back into.”“Was it not God who made me Empress?” Theodora said. “It is by His divine authority I rule.”“Your authority,” he spat, “comes from trapping a powerful enough man between your legs. You would determine the course of our Empire through the ungodly use of your sex!”“Does my husband’s love and respect for me somehow cloud his mind?”“Love,” he said. “Or is it your flesh that you use to steer him towards your ends?”“My husband is no slave to his desires, Hypatius. Great men do not possess the flaws of the majority.”Hypatius’ eyes flashed, but the Empress wasn’t finished.“And surely, senator, a man like you can come up with something other than the same fearful lamentations? God has granted gifts to all his creations. Is it not the most pathetic sort of weakness; that the man who lords over his family with the strength of his arm, suddenly cries sin when his own base lust is used against him?”“Our laws are clear,” Hypatius said through gritted teeth. “Do not expect us to sit quietly by as you trample over nature and tradition.”“Ah, so it is 'us’ now?” Theodora said. “How easy you speak of disobedience when it is the sin of another. Your Emperor, the one who you have sworn to obey as your master, has commanded that you cease this insurrection.”The Empress’ expression was hard, looking down towards the senator from an eagle’s height. “Do you too, as Eve once did, refuse to submit yourself?”Hypatius didn’t respond, glaring at the Empress with barely-held fury. But she wasn’t finished speaking, leaning forward.“You cannot see past your own failings. You’re weak, and your insecurities disgust me. Men like you make us out to be frail, simple creatures that are good for nothing more than venting your lust and bearing your children. Your fragile egos cannot bear the thought that a woman might, in truth, be a stronger, more intelligent, more capable being than you will ever be.”The Empress moved towards him; the deadly grace of the raptor’s dive. Her words, filled with the eagle’s unshakable pride, pinned him like talons.“But I will liberate us. I will show all of you what a woman can really be.”She reached out to run a finger along Hypatius’ jaw. He flinched back at the sudden contact, looking away from the Empress’ languid smile.“And be sure,” she purred, her silken chest so near to his. “That I will use every weapon in my arsenal.”“Vile woman,” he hissed. His face blazed. “You don’t know what’s coming, you stupid whore. I’ll,”The mob’s rising roar swallowed his next words. I turned in time to see the crowd flooding onto the sands of the Hippodrome.”Nika! Nika! “They crashed against the palace walls; swords and axes and pitchforks flashing in the summer sun. The Emperor shouted, but the mob didn’t hear. They pounded against the walls, flames rising from where men held torches to the stadium’s wooden stands.The Hippodrome was burning, smoke rising with the thunder of the crowd’s battle cry.”Nika! Nika! Nika! Nika! “We were under siege. And when I looked back towards the Empress, Hypatius was gone.Act 3An Empress besieged."Have you ever been under siege, my Leontius?”I turned at the sound of the Empress’ voice, stiffening into a salute. “Augusta! ”She rolled her eyes. “And a good morning to you too. Has three days of confinement truly done nothing to ease your sense of property?”“That’s like asking whether the sight of the sun makes the fish want to fly,” Helena called from where she stood by the door.“Oh?” Theodora said. “And what does this fish have in common with our Leontius?”Helena grinned. “Neither of them can actually comprehend the question.”The Empress laughed, and I leveled my best glare toward my shield mate. This, of course, had the unfortunate result of drawing laughter from her as well.“We’re under siege,” I reminded both women.The Empress came to stand beside me at the window. She lay a warm palm against my forearm and gazed out.Beneath us, Constantinople burned.The sky was choked with a haze of smoke and ash. The mid-morning sun appeared dark, hanging there like a disk of smudged bronze. The fog was noxious, cloying; it blocked the sun’s light though it did nothing to shield us from the summer heat. Rather, it seemed to trap it like some great oven; magnifying it so that the already thick air turned positively suffocating.“So much destruction,” she said. Her palm flexed on my forearm. “The labor of decades and centuries gone, just like that.”“Augusta." Then, after a moment’s hesitation, I added. "I caught a few glimpses through the smoke. It looks like there’s a lot less damage further out.”She squeezed my arm, smiling without feeling. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s not their own homes they wish to burn, after all.”I followed the Empress’ gaze as she took in the shattered villas, pavilions, and monuments that now surrounded the Imperial Palace. Many of the ruins still smoldered, adding the stench of their own unique blend of char to the air.The Praetorium, the military headquarters of the Empire, had been gutted. A centuries-old courthouse had been torn down; its statues shattered. And in the distance, where great Hagia Sofia had once stood, there was nothing more than an empty patch of sky.Theodora stared at that empty place for several long moments, eventually pulling the heavy golden cross out from between her breasts to press it against her lips.Last was the Hippodrome. We could see the edge of it from the Empress’ window. And though its venerable stones were scarred by fire and rage, it still rose high above the city. It was at once a reassuring reminder of the Empire’s might and the cradle from which its destruction might have been birthed.“You never answered my question,” the Empress said.“Augusta?”Theodora smiled. “Have you ever been besieged?”“Your pardon, Augusta,” I said, flushing. “No, I was never garrisoned along the border. I’ve only ever been on the attacking side.”“Hmm,” she said. “And what do you think our chances are here?”“They’re good, Augusta. In a lot of ways, it’s harder to sit around outside the walls than within. It takes a lot of will, discipline, and organization to properly besiege a fortress.”“Things that you don’t believe our citizens have?”I shrugged. “They’re focused now, Augusta. But that becomes more difficult as days become weeks.”“Hmm,” she said. “Perhaps.”We could see them from up here; the mob. They swirled through the streets below, stained with soot and fueled by wine and victory. They were not so much an organized force as a writhing mass of blue and green with iron in their hands and cries of war on their lips.Nika! Nika! Nika!I could hear them now, the crowd pulsing with their chant of conquest and fury. They were swirling about the Hippodrome’s entrance, keeping clear, as of yet, of the palace’s walls. They seemed to be going into the arena, funneling into the still-smoking interior.“It’s hard to believe,” the Empress said. “That so few of my husband’s guards can keep out so many.”“Three hundred Excubitors is not so small a number, Augusta, when put behind strong walls.”“Neither are those extra few hundred that Belisarius called in, I suppose.” She squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. “I shall defer to your judgment then, my Leontius. Now, trapped nobles and dignitaries will soon begin to pester my husband. Before I go to help him, however, I wish to see what the

Dissension in the capitolBased on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“My guards were out in the city last night,” the Empress said. “They can confirm some of the captain’s reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters.”“Traitors,” Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general’s cheeks were red with anger. “Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset.”The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren’t our enemy.”“They’re burning the city down around us!”“Captain,” Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. “We’ve had riots before. Why haven’t you been able to keep the peace these past few days?”The guardsman bowed low. “Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they’ve done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however,” He trailed off into a grimace."Now, they’re the bastards doing all the damage,” Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.Belisarius’ wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.“You cannot control the city, then?” The Empress said.“Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I’ve lost dozens already in the attempt.”“Then let me bring in the legions,” Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. “We’re letting the mob run us over!”“Enough!” The Emperor snapped. “I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood.”The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.Belisarius looked away. “Of course, Augustus.”The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.Justinian slumped back. “The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?”Theodora kissed him on the cheek. “We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don’t lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.”The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife’s scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.“Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?”“Seems like the minimum,” Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. “They’ve already escaped, so what’s the harm?”“The harm,” Belisarius said. “Is that they were condemned to die.”“Bel is right, my love,” the Empress said. “You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?”I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress’ seat.They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor’s office. They’d been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch’s residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.The scorching summer temperature, not at all helped by the pall of smoke that hung over the capital’s streets.The planned chariot races were due to begin soon, when there was a loud knock at the door. One of the Excubitors on duty poked his head in.“Senator Hypatius is here, Augustus,” the man said.“What?” The Emperor responded. “This is a closed meeting. Send him away.”The guard hesitated. “Of course, sire. He says that he’s come from the city, however. And that he holds a list of the people’s demands.Justinian and his wife exchanged a glance. "Very well. Send him in.”“You Imperial Majesties,” the senator said, sweeping his robes out in a deep bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”“Out with it, Hypatius,” Belisarius growled. “We don’t have time for your pretty words.”“Of course, general,” the senator said. He approached after a nod from the Emperor, pulling a roll of parchment from somewhere on his person. “I’ll speak plainly. Representatives from the Blues and Greens approached me earlier today. We sat down together to speak of their grievances. This is the result of that meeting.”He set the parchment down. The Emperor, Belisarius, and Antonina set upon it like wolves; ripping it open and devouring its content. The Empress, however, watched the senator.“You’re uninterested in the people’s demands, Augusta?” Hypatius asked.“I have a good idea as to what they are already, senator,” she said. “I’m more interested in what role you play in all this.”The man smoothed his robes. “That of simple messenger, Augusta.”“But why you?” She said. “And who were these ‘representatives’ you met with.”Hypatius shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’ve worked hard to cultivate a reputation as a fair man who is much agreeable to reason. So, perhaps it is for that.”“Indeed,” the Empress said. “It must be your, reputation.”The senator bristled, but the Emperor chose that moment to speak. “This is absurd! The dismissal of my prefect, John, and of my quaestor? The full pardon of the prisoners and the repeal of my new laws?”“Not every single one of your new laws, Augustus,” Hypatius said, smoothly. “I believe those changes most desired are spelled out.”“No,” the Emperor said. “Not all. Mainly those towards women and the change in the aristocracy’s share of tax.”“The people are aggrieved, your Majesty,” Hypatius said. “You’ve stripped the Blues and Greens of power and have changed many of the basic tenants of our laws. Add to this, the ruinous cost of our campaigns in the east; surely you must understand some of the people’s plight?”“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” the Emperor growled.“Augustus, please. There is wisdom in giving a little to gain a lot.”Theodora snorted. “Explain to me the wisdom of completely folding over?”They continued in this vein for the rest of the time they had, arguing back and forth until we left for the Hippodrome. Hypatius accompanied us through the halls of the Imperial Palace, one of several that had been invited to watch that afternoon’s races in the presence of the Emperor.The stadium was full when we arrived, the crowd a roiling mass of anger. They roared when Justinian stepped into view, drunk on wine and the victories they’d already had against the city.The Emperor called for quiet, biding them to let him answer their resentments. It was several long minutes before the mob was still enough for his voice to be heard. He began his speech, and on the sands, the first of the charioteers emerged.Theodora had not yet taken her seat, remaining back by Helena and me while her husband spoke. There were a dozen or so Excubitors in the box as well, there to make sure no harm came to the Imperial family and their guests.Hypatius approached while Justinian was halfway through his prepared words.“The Emperor is wise to give into these demands.”The Empress didn’t let any of her anger show. She’d argued hard against any sort of concession. “There are some things that he will not bend on. No matter how much of your wisdom that you share.”The senator’s eyes moved about, making sure that none but we were within earshot. Disdain flooded his tone.“You mean the repeal of your laws?” He smirked. “I fear that it is only a matter of time, Empress.”“Victory is an ugly color on you, Hypatius. But it is a bit premature, is it not?”“Premature?” The senator swept his arm out. “Look at this. The people cry for change! Will you really try to keep forcing your unwanted beliefs onto so many who want nothing of them?”“Unwanted?” The Empress said. “The elevation of women is good for the Empire as a whole, senator. Are we too, not God’s creatures.”“Of course, though none other possess such delusions of grandeur.”The Empress snorted. “Only those born to privilege see equality as a loss.”“A privilege,” Hypatius said, “that was granted to us by God. And how wise a decision it was. Did a woman’s choice not already cost us the paradise of Eden?”“Ah, of course,” Theodora said. “That old tale. What a stupid girl she was, to listen to the serpent and hide her naked perfection. As if clothing herself against a man’s crawling eyes could ever bring some sort of comfort.”“A wholly false interpretation.” The senator sneered. “But I suppose that we should trust a whore’s mind to see lust as the root of all things.”I tensed, my anger flaring. I made to step forward, but the Empress flicked her open palm towards me.“I was a whore, senator,” she said. “And so, you may trust me when I say that it wasn’t women that came to me with minds full of lust.”“As you well know,” Hypatius said, face reddening. “Eve’s sin was disobedience; her refusal to submit herself to man and God. A sin which you seek to drive us back into.”“Was it not God who made me Empress?” Theodora said. “It is by His divine authority I rule.”“Your authority,” he spat, “comes from trapping a powerful enough man between your legs. You would determine the course of our Empire through the ungodly use of your sex!”“Does my husband’s love and respect for me somehow cloud his mind?”“Love,” he said. “Or is it your flesh that you use to steer him towards your ends?”“My husband is no slave to his desires, Hypatius. Great men do not possess the flaws of the majority.”Hypatius’ eyes flashed, but the Empress wasn’t finished.“And surely, senator, a man like you can come up with something other than the same fearful lamentations? God has granted gifts to all his creations. Is it not the most pathetic sort of weakness; that the man who lords over his family with the strength of his arm, suddenly cries sin when his own base lust is used against him?”“Our laws are clear,” Hypatius said through gritted teeth. “Do not expect us to sit quietly by as you trample over nature and tradition.”“Ah, so it is 'us’ now?” Theodora said. “How easy you speak of disobedience when it is the sin of another. Your Emperor, the one who you have sworn to obey as your master, has commanded that you cease this insurrection.”The Empress’ expression was hard, looking down towards the senator from an eagle’s height. “Do you too, as Eve once did, refuse to submit yourself?”Hypatius didn’t respond, glaring at the Empress with barely-held fury. But she wasn’t finished speaking, leaning forward.“You cannot see past your own failings. You’re weak, and your insecurities disgust me. Men like you make us out to be frail, simple creatures that are good for nothing more than venting your lust and bearing your children. Your fragile egos cannot bear the thought that a woman might, in truth, be a stronger, more intelligent, more capable being than you will ever be.”The Empress moved towards him; the deadly grace of the raptor’s dive. Her words, filled with the eagle’s unshakable pride, pinned him like talons.“But I will liberate us. I will show all of you what a woman can really be.”She reached out to run a finger along Hypatius’ jaw. He flinched back at the sudden contact, looking away from the Empress’ languid smile.“And be sure,” she purred, her silken chest so near to his. “That I will use every weapon in my arsenal.”“Vile woman,” he hissed. His face blazed. “You don’t know what’s coming, you stupid whore. I’ll,”The mob’s rising roar swallowed his next words. I turned in time to see the crowd flooding onto the sands of the Hippodrome.”Nika! Nika! “They crashed against the palace walls; swords and axes and pitchforks flashing in the summer sun. The Emperor shouted, but the mob didn’t hear. They pounded against the walls, flames rising from where men held torches to the stadium’s wooden stands.The Hippodrome was burning, smoke rising with the thunder of the crowd’s battle cry.”Nika! Nika! Nika! Nika! “We were under siege. And when I looked back towards the Empress, Hypatius was gone.Act 3An Empress besieged."Have you ever been under siege, my Leontius?”I turned at the sound of the Empress’ voice, stiffening into a salute. “Augusta! ”She rolled her eyes. “And a good morning to you too. Has three days of confinement truly done nothing to ease your sense of property?”“That’s like asking whether the sight of the sun makes the fish want to fly,” Helena called from where she stood by the door.“Oh?” Theodora said. “And what does this fish have in common with our Leontius?”Helena grinned. “Neither of them can actually comprehend the question.”The Empress laughed, and I leveled my best glare toward my shield mate. This, of course, had the unfortunate result of drawing laughter from her as well.“We’re under siege,” I reminded both women.The Empress came to stand beside me at the window. She lay a warm palm against my forearm and gazed out.Beneath us, Constantinople burned.The sky was choked with a haze of smoke and ash. The mid-morning sun appeared dark, hanging there like a disk of smudged bronze. The fog was noxious, cloying; it blocked the sun’s light though it did nothing to shield us from the summer heat. Rather, it seemed to trap it like some great oven; magnifying it so that the already thick air turned positively suffocating.“So much destruction,” she said. Her palm flexed on my forearm. “The labor of decades and centuries gone, just like that.”“Augusta." Then, after a moment’s hesitation, I added. "I caught a few glimpses through the smoke. It looks like there’s a lot less damage further out.”She squeezed my arm, smiling without feeling. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s not their own homes they wish to burn, after all.”I followed the Empress’ gaze as she took in the shattered villas, pavilions, and monuments that now surrounded the Imperial Palace. Many of the ruins still smoldered, adding the stench of their own unique blend of char to the air.The Praetorium, the military headquarters of the Empire, had been gutted. A centuries-old courthouse had been torn down; its statues shattered. And in the distance, where great Hagia Sofia had once stood, there was nothing more than an empty patch of sky.Theodora stared at that empty place for several long moments, eventually pulling the heavy golden cross out from between her breasts to press it against her lips.Last was the Hippodrome. We could see the edge of it from the Empress’ window. And though its venerable stones were scarred by fire and rage, it still rose high above the city. It was at once a reassuring reminder of the Empire’s might and the cradle from which its destruction might have been birthed.“You never answered my question,” the Empress said.“Augusta?”Theodora smiled. “Have you ever been besieged?”“Your pardon, Augusta,” I said, flushing. “No, I was never garrisoned along the border. I’ve only ever been on the attacking side.”“Hmm,” she said. “And what do you think our chances are here?”“They’re good, Augusta. In a lot of ways, it’s harder to sit around outside the walls than within. It takes a lot of will, discipline, and organization to properly besiege a fortress.”“Things that you don’t believe our citizens have?”I shrugged. “They’re focused now, Augusta. But that becomes more difficult as days become weeks.”“Hmm,” she said. “Perhaps.”We could see them from up here; the mob. They swirled through the streets below, stained with soot and fueled by wine and victory. They were not so much an organized force as a writhing mass of blue and green with iron in their hands and cries of war on their lips.Nika! Nika! Nika!I could hear them now, the crowd pulsing with their chant of conquest and fury. They were swirling about the Hippodrome’s entrance, keeping clear, as of yet, of the palace’s walls. They seemed to be going into the arena, funneling into the still-smoking interior.“It’s hard to believe,” the Empress said. “That so few of my husband’s guards can keep out so many.”“Three hundred Excubitors is not so small a number, Augusta, when put behind strong walls.”“Neither are those extra few hundred that Belisarius called in, I suppose.” She squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. “I shall defer to your judgment then, my Leontius. Now, trapped nobles and dignitaries will soon begin to pester my husband. Before I go to help him, however, I wish to see what the

Dissension in the capitolBased on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“My guards were out in the city last night,” the Empress said. “They can confirm some of the captain’s reports. There is real wealth, real organization behind some of these dissenters.”“Traitors,” Belisarius growled. The dark-haired general’s cheeks were red with anger. “Augustus, let me bring my legions into the city. I can have the worst of the factions hanged by sunset.”The Emperor, Justinian, massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m not going to let stratiotai loose in my own capital, Bel. The people aren’t our enemy.”“They’re burning the city down around us!”“Captain,” Theodora said before her husband could speak. She addressed the nervous-looking commander of the city guard. “We’ve had riots before. Why haven’t you been able to keep the peace these past few days?”The guardsman bowed low. “Your pardon, Augusta. I have few men under my command, and the Blues and Greens are well entrenched in most parts of the city. In the past, they’ve done a lot of the work in keeping their own neighborhoods orderly. Now, however,” He trailed off into a grimace."Now, they’re the bastards doing all the damage,” Antonina said from where she sat beside her husband.Belisarius’ wife had swept her blonde hair back from her face, sifting through a stack of reports on the table in front of her. Antonina accompanied the general nearly every time he went out on campaign. She was well used to helping him untangle the mess of paperwork that taking any sort of decision inevitably produced.“You cannot control the city, then?” The Empress said.“Forgive me, Augusta, but I cannot. Not on my own. I’ve lost dozens already in the attempt.”“Then let me bring in the legions,” Belisarius said, his fist slamming against the table. “We’re letting the mob run us over!”“Enough!” The Emperor snapped. “I am not slaughtering hundreds because a few nobles are stirring up discontent! We are an Empire of laws, and I will not taint our efforts with the senseless spilling of blood.”The two men glared at each other. They were men of power, both used to getting their own way. But of course, only one was Emperor.Belisarius looked away. “Of course, Augustus.”The Empress let out a breath. She dismissed the captain with a few words of thanks, before going to her husband. She leaned into him from behind his chair, wrapping her arms around his chest.Justinian slumped back. “The Blues and the Greens; why did my damned predecessors have to cede so much to them?”Theodora kissed him on the cheek. “We always knew that curtailing them would be difficult, love. Don’t lose sight of what we are trying to accomplish.”The Emperor breathed deeply of his wife’s scent, leaning into her touch. He let out a long sigh and straightened.“Okay. They want me to pardon the escaped prisoners, right? Will satisfy them?”“Seems like the minimum,” Antonina said, fanning her summer-reddened face. “They’ve already escaped, so what’s the harm?”“The harm,” Belisarius said. “Is that they were condemned to die.”“Bel is right, my love,” the Empress said. “You spoke of upholding our laws; what message does it send to those watching us for weakness if we capitulate on this now?”I shifted in my place against one of the walls. Helena and I were the only other ones in the room now, our post only a protective lunge from the Empress’ seat.They had been at this for an hour and more, a series of officials, titled aristocrats and soldiers streaming in and out of the Emperor’s office. They’d been summoned to give their official opinions, testimonies, and reports; the mass of information intended to aid the Emperor in handling the developing crisis.Or not handling it, as seemed to be the case.I turned away, looking towards the open window. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. I could see the sloping roofs of the Hagia Sofia and the Patriarch’s residence. The city stretched beyond, baking in the afternoon heat.The scorching summer temperature, not at all helped by the pall of smoke that hung over the capital’s streets.The planned chariot races were due to begin soon, when there was a loud knock at the door. One of the Excubitors on duty poked his head in.“Senator Hypatius is here, Augustus,” the man said.“What?” The Emperor responded. “This is a closed meeting. Send him away.”The guard hesitated. “Of course, sire. He says that he’s come from the city, however. And that he holds a list of the people’s demands.Justinian and his wife exchanged a glance. "Very well. Send him in.”“You Imperial Majesties,” the senator said, sweeping his robes out in a deep bow. “Thank you for seeing me.”“Out with it, Hypatius,” Belisarius growled. “We don’t have time for your pretty words.”“Of course, general,” the senator said. He approached after a nod from the Emperor, pulling a roll of parchment from somewhere on his person. “I’ll speak plainly. Representatives from the Blues and Greens approached me earlier today. We sat down together to speak of their grievances. This is the result of that meeting.”He set the parchment down. The Emperor, Belisarius, and Antonina set upon it like wolves; ripping it open and devouring its content. The Empress, however, watched the senator.“You’re uninterested in the people’s demands, Augusta?” Hypatius asked.“I have a good idea as to what they are already, senator,” she said. “I’m more interested in what role you play in all this.”The man smoothed his robes. “That of simple messenger, Augusta.”“But why you?” She said. “And who were these ‘representatives’ you met with.”Hypatius shrugged. “I’m not sure. But I’ve worked hard to cultivate a reputation as a fair man who is much agreeable to reason. So, perhaps it is for that.”“Indeed,” the Empress said. “It must be your, reputation.”The senator bristled, but the Emperor chose that moment to speak. “This is absurd! The dismissal of my prefect, John, and of my quaestor? The full pardon of the prisoners and the repeal of my new laws?”“Not every single one of your new laws, Augustus,” Hypatius said, smoothly. “I believe those changes most desired are spelled out.”“No,” the Emperor said. “Not all. Mainly those towards women and the change in the aristocracy’s share of tax.”“The people are aggrieved, your Majesty,” Hypatius said. “You’ve stripped the Blues and Greens of power and have changed many of the basic tenants of our laws. Add to this, the ruinous cost of our campaigns in the east; surely you must understand some of the people’s plight?”“I’m not agreeing to any of this,” the Emperor growled.“Augustus, please. There is wisdom in giving a little to gain a lot.”Theodora snorted. “Explain to me the wisdom of completely folding over?”They continued in this vein for the rest of the time they had, arguing back and forth until we left for the Hippodrome. Hypatius accompanied us through the halls of the Imperial Palace, one of several that had been invited to watch that afternoon’s races in the presence of the Emperor.The stadium was full when we arrived, the crowd a roiling mass of anger. They roared when Justinian stepped into view, drunk on wine and the victories they’d already had against the city.The Emperor called for quiet, biding them to let him answer their resentments. It was several long minutes before the mob was still enough for his voice to be heard. He began his speech, and on the sands, the first of the charioteers emerged.Theodora had not yet taken her seat, remaining back by Helena and me while her husband spoke. There were a dozen or so Excubitors in the box as well, there to make sure no harm came to the Imperial family and their guests.Hypatius approached while Justinian was halfway through his prepared words.“The Emperor is wise to give into these demands.”The Empress didn’t let any of her anger show. She’d argued hard against any sort of concession. “There are some things that he will not bend on. No matter how much of your wisdom that you share.”The senator’s eyes moved about, making sure that none but we were within earshot. Disdain flooded his tone.“You mean the repeal of your laws?” He smirked. “I fear that it is only a matter of time, Empress.”“Victory is an ugly color on you, Hypatius. But it is a bit premature, is it not?”“Premature?” The senator swept his arm out. “Look at this. The people cry for change! Will you really try to keep forcing your unwanted beliefs onto so many who want nothing of them?”“Unwanted?” The Empress said. “The elevation of women is good for the Empire as a whole, senator. Are we too, not God’s creatures.”“Of course, though none other possess such delusions of grandeur.”The Empress snorted. “Only those born to privilege see equality as a loss.”“A privilege,” Hypatius said, “that was granted to us by God. And how wise a decision it was. Did a woman’s choice not already cost us the paradise of Eden?”“Ah, of course,” Theodora said. “That old tale. What a stupid girl she was, to listen to the serpent and hide her naked perfection. As if clothing herself against a man’s crawling eyes could ever bring some sort of comfort.”“A wholly false interpretation.” The senator sneered. “But I suppose that we should trust a whore’s mind to see lust as the root of all things.”I tensed, my anger flaring. I made to step forward, but the Empress flicked her open palm towards me.“I was a whore, senator,” she said. “And so, you may trust me when I say that it wasn’t women that came to me with minds full of lust.”“As you well know,” Hypatius said, face reddening. “Eve’s sin was disobedience; her refusal to submit herself to man and God. A sin which you seek to drive us back into.”“Was it not God who made me Empress?” Theodora said. “It is by His divine authority I rule.”“Your authority,” he spat, “comes from trapping a powerful enough man between your legs. You would determine the course of our Empire through the ungodly use of your sex!”“Does my husband’s love and respect for me somehow cloud his mind?”“Love,” he said. “Or is it your flesh that you use to steer him towards your ends?”“My husband is no slave to his desires, Hypatius. Great men do not possess the flaws of the majority.”Hypatius’ eyes flashed, but the Empress wasn’t finished.“And surely, senator, a man like you can come up with something other than the same fearful lamentations? God has granted gifts to all his creations. Is it not the most pathetic sort of weakness; that the man who lords over his family with the strength of his arm, suddenly cries sin when his own base lust is used against him?”“Our laws are clear,” Hypatius said through gritted teeth. “Do not expect us to sit quietly by as you trample over nature and tradition.”“Ah, so it is 'us’ now?” Theodora said. “How easy you speak of disobedience when it is the sin of another. Your Emperor, the one who you have sworn to obey as your master, has commanded that you cease this insurrection.”The Empress’ expression was hard, looking down towards the senator from an eagle’s height. “Do you too, as Eve once did, refuse to submit yourself?”Hypatius didn’t respond, glaring at the Empress with barely-held fury. But she wasn’t finished speaking, leaning forward.“You cannot see past your own failings. You’re weak, and your insecurities disgust me. Men like you make us out to be frail, simple creatures that are good for nothing more than venting your lust and bearing your children. Your fragile egos cannot bear the thought that a woman might, in truth, be a stronger, more intelligent, more capable being than you will ever be.”The Empress moved towards him; the deadly grace of the raptor’s dive. Her words, filled with the eagle’s unshakable pride, pinned him like talons.“But I will liberate us. I will show all of you what a woman can really be.”She reached out to run a finger along Hypatius’ jaw. He flinched back at the sudden contact, looking away from the Empress’ languid smile.“And be sure,” she purred, her silken chest so near to his. “That I will use every weapon in my arsenal.”“Vile woman,” he hissed. His face blazed. “You don’t know what’s coming, you stupid whore. I’ll,”The mob’s rising roar swallowed his next words. I turned in time to see the crowd flooding onto the sands of the Hippodrome.”Nika! Nika! “They crashed against the palace walls; swords and axes and pitchforks flashing in the summer sun. The Emperor shouted, but the mob didn’t hear. They pounded against the walls, flames rising from where men held torches to the stadium’s wooden stands.The Hippodrome was burning, smoke rising with the thunder of the crowd’s battle cry.”Nika! Nika! Nika! Nika! “We were under siege. And when I looked back towards the Empress, Hypatius was gone.Act 3An Empress besieged."Have you ever been under siege, my Leontius?”I turned at the sound of the Empress’ voice, stiffening into a salute. “Augusta! ”She rolled her eyes. “And a good morning to you too. Has three days of confinement truly done nothing to ease your sense of property?”“That’s like asking whether the sight of the sun makes the fish want to fly,” Helena called from where she stood by the door.“Oh?” Theodora said. “And what does this fish have in common with our Leontius?”Helena grinned. “Neither of them can actually comprehend the question.”The Empress laughed, and I leveled my best glare toward my shield mate. This, of course, had the unfortunate result of drawing laughter from her as well.“We’re under siege,” I reminded both women.The Empress came to stand beside me at the window. She lay a warm palm against my forearm and gazed out.Beneath us, Constantinople burned.The sky was choked with a haze of smoke and ash. The mid-morning sun appeared dark, hanging there like a disk of smudged bronze. The fog was noxious, cloying; it blocked the sun’s light though it did nothing to shield us from the summer heat. Rather, it seemed to trap it like some great oven; magnifying it so that the already thick air turned positively suffocating.“So much destruction,” she said. Her palm flexed on my forearm. “The labor of decades and centuries gone, just like that.”“Augusta." Then, after a moment’s hesitation, I added. "I caught a few glimpses through the smoke. It looks like there’s a lot less damage further out.”She squeezed my arm, smiling without feeling. “I suppose that makes sense. It’s not their own homes they wish to burn, after all.”I followed the Empress’ gaze as she took in the shattered villas, pavilions, and monuments that now surrounded the Imperial Palace. Many of the ruins still smoldered, adding the stench of their own unique blend of char to the air.The Praetorium, the military headquarters of the Empire, had been gutted. A centuries-old courthouse had been torn down; its statues shattered. And in the distance, where great Hagia Sofia had once stood, there was nothing more than an empty patch of sky.Theodora stared at that empty place for several long moments, eventually pulling the heavy golden cross out from between her breasts to press it against her lips.Last was the Hippodrome. We could see the edge of it from the Empress’ window. And though its venerable stones were scarred by fire and rage, it still rose high above the city. It was at once a reassuring reminder of the Empire’s might and the cradle from which its destruction might have been birthed.“You never answered my question,” the Empress said.“Augusta?”Theodora smiled. “Have you ever been besieged?”“Your pardon, Augusta,” I said, flushing. “No, I was never garrisoned along the border. I’ve only ever been on the attacking side.”“Hmm,” she said. “And what do you think our chances are here?”“They’re good, Augusta. In a lot of ways, it’s harder to sit around outside the walls than within. It takes a lot of will, discipline, and organization to properly besiege a fortress.”“Things that you don’t believe our citizens have?”I shrugged. “They’re focused now, Augusta. But that becomes more difficult as days become weeks.”“Hmm,” she said. “Perhaps.”We could see them from up here; the mob. They swirled through the streets below, stained with soot and fueled by wine and victory. They were not so much an organized force as a writhing mass of blue and green with iron in their hands and cries of war on their lips.Nika! Nika! Nika!I could hear them now, the crowd pulsing with their chant of conquest and fury. They were swirling about the Hippodrome’s entrance, keeping clear, as of yet, of the palace’s walls. They seemed to be going into the arena, funneling into the still-smoking interior.“It’s hard to believe,” the Empress said. “That so few of my husband’s guards can keep out so many.”“Three hundred Excubitors is not so small a number, Augusta, when put behind strong walls.”“Neither are those extra few hundred that Belisarius called in, I suppose.” She squeezed my arm one more time before letting go. “I shall defer to your judgment then, my Leontius. Now, trapped nobles and dignitaries will soon begin to pester my husband. Before I go to help him, however, I wish to see what the

We're in Istanbul, Turkey, with Pinar Tarhan, the author of “A Change Would Do You Good.” Pinar and I talk about visiting Dolmabahce Palace, swimming at Prince's Islands, and exploring the historic Hagia Sofia, which was completed in 537 A.D.  Show notes & our 1-page guide are at https://WeTravelThere.com/istanbul Bluffworks' stylish clothing is designed with the modern traveler in mind. It is wrinkle-resistant, machine washable, and very comfortable with hidden pockets to protect your valuables. Save 10% with our promo code at WeTravelThere.com/bluffworks

#117 Silný výber – PRVÝ POVĎAČNÝ DIEL!  Ani nám sa to už nechce veriť, ale vyzerá, že je to tak: Silný výber je s vami už päť rokov! No teda! A čo všetko sme spolu preskákali… Ničmenej - nejdeme bilancovať - na to tu máte náš bohatý archív… Radšej sa pekne za tú našu pjatiletku poďakujeme - a prebehneme aj aktuálne dianie - lebo ako sa zdá - Silný výber nikdy nebol potrebnejší… Silný výber. Prvá pomoc v časoch triumfujúceho bodrého *okotizmu! Váš obľúbený podcast môžete teraz podporiť aj cez náš Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/silnyvyber/membership  Pripíjame a pripomíname: V pietnej spomienke na obete 2 roky trvajúcej vojny na Ukrajine a na Jána Kuciaka a Martinu Kušnírovú, od úkladnej vraždy ktorých uplynulo 6 rokov, RIP Aľjoša Navaľnyj, Marcel Nemec, Boris Nemcov… Myslíme na politzekov Ilju Jašina a Vladimira Kara-Murzu…  Pripíjame na zdravie spoluzakladateľky SV Romany Olexovej pri príležitosti jej menín, ako aj narodenín zakladajúceho poslucháča SV Radovana Cholevu… No a v neposlednom rade - aj pri príležitosti 5. narodenín vášho najobľúbenejšieho podcastu! Historický kalendár Jána Žideka (výber) Pred 76 rokmi prebehol v Československu komunistický prevrat. Pred 91 rokmi skončila v USA prohibícia. Pred 1492 rokmi začala výstavba chrámu Hagia Sofia. Pred 16 rokmi Fidel Castro po 32 rokoch odstúpil z postu prezidenta Kuby . Pripili sme si s:  https://www.amazon.de/pentaphyllum-handgelesen-kontrolliert-Deutschland-Puraveda/dp/B07B3TN1NQ/ Endorse:  https://www.donio.sk/slobodni-v-neslobode-piesen-a-videoklip?fbclid=IwAR1e002uKN4w0KemiBfdARw_F-hMkjTnJz45SKL4-cuEf7x3xInOJj0-miM Hudba v podcaste:  George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue Odporúčaná hudba:  Adam Ďurica & Peter Lipa - Chcel by som vedieť https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qi1rcNaVeM  Para – Čas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOeJOnu3OLg

Support the show! https://ko-fi.com/attemptadventure In Season 3 Episode 16 of the Attempt Adventure Podcast, Michael takes a stopover in Istanbul, joins an amazing food tour, and tours the Hagia Sofia. James shares his stories of his nearly 2-day layover in a Chinese airport. We talk about tips to survive layovers, how to get the most out of your short visits, and even how to score free hotels and tours on your stopovers. We also discuss game night, getting ready for Christmas, and the best holiday albums of all time. Visit attemptadventure.com for show notes and more!

In this episode, Xavier Bonilla has a dialogue with Peter Sarris about the Roman emperor, Justinian. They give an overview of Justinian, provide the context of the Roman Empire, discuss the rise of Justin and him adopting Justinian and Justinian's succession. They talk about the lessons Justinian learned from Justin's reign, urgency and energy early in Justinian's reign and his emphasis on religious law. They discuss the importance of Armenia, zealous nature of Justinian with his religious laws, the Hagia Sofia and other religious sites, military campaigns, and the impact of his religious laws. They talk about the relationship dynamics with his wife, how he handled pandemics and disease, the legacy of Justinian, and many other topics.Peter Sarris is Professor of Late Antique, Medieval, and Byzantine studies and Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. He has been Visiting Fellow at Rice University and Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, Washington, DC (Harvard University). His research has focused on the social, economic and legal history of Late Antiquity, the Early Middle Ages and Byzantium, with a particular focus on the political economy of the East Roman Empire from the fourth to sixth centuries. He is the author of many publications, including the most recent book, Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint. Twitter: @peter_sarris Get full access to Converging Dialogues at convergingdialogues.substack.com/subscribe

Den tidiga medeltiden ligger mer än ett millennium bakom oss, och för många nutidsmänniskor är det en svårgripbar era, men än idag finns det gott om museer och platser där vi kan komma epoken nära. Oavsett om vi håller oss till Sverige eller om vi söker oss mot kontinenten eller brittiska öarna är det lättare än vi tror att komma perioden mellan romarrikets fall och vikingatiden in på livet. I detta highlights-avsnitt rör vi oss från Hagia Sofia och Yerebatan Saray i Istanbul över de mosaikklädda kyrkorna i italienska Ravenna och de visigotiska votivkronorna i Spanien till fascinerande platser i Nordeuropa, som irländska Skellig Michael, Björketorpsmonumentet i Blekinge och bildstenshallen i Gotlands museum. Vi bekantar oss med intakta verktygslådor från södra Norrland, en Buddhaskulptur från Helgö i Mälardalen, den karolingiska klosterporten i tyska Lorsch, Sutton Hoo-fynden från England och de undersköna bokilluminationer som kan beskådas i montrar i Dublin och London.I detta avsnitt av podden Harrisons dramatiska historia samtalar Dick Harrison, professor i historia vid Lunds universitet, och fackboksförfattaren Katarina Harrison Lindbergh om lämningar efter tidig medeltid och järnålder i dagens Europa, med djupdykningar om många föremål och platser.Bild: Yerebatan saray, eller Basilikacisternen, efter restaurering. Fotografi av Kurmanbek (2022). Wikipedia, Public Domain. Klippare: Aron SchuurmanProducent: Urban Lindstedt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

På söndag genomförs den andra valomgången i Turkiet, ett val som beskrivits som en folkomröstning om demokratin. Vid sidan om de politiska diskussionerna pågår en ideologisk kamp om vilket land Turkiet ska vara och hur landet ska orientera sig mellan väst och öst, mellan Europa och Asien och mellan islam och sekularism.Åsa Furuhagen har besökt den stora moskén Hagia Sofia, men också en helt nybyggd syrisk-ortodox kyrka i Istanbul."Att en kristen minoritet får bygga en ny kyrka i ett muslimsk land, det är unikt" säger projektledaren Kenan Gürdal.Åsa har också besökt Hrant Dink Foundation, där projektledaren Asli Yolcu visar hur de vill värna yttrandefriheten i Turkiet och berättar om hur de bland annat arbetar med att övervaka hatretorik i turkisk media.Olof Heilo, föreståndare för Svenska forskningsinstitutet i Istanbul medverkar i programmet, på plats från Turkiet.programledare: Åsa Furuhagenproducent: Anders Diamant

PRÍBEHY UMENIA V tejto epizóde Martin Jakubčo a Jana Tenczer Juránková pokračujú v  rozprávaní o zaujímavom obdoby Neskorej antiky. Pokračujú v popise vyvoja umenia v stredomorskej oblasti na územi obrovskej rímskej ríše a o postupnom prerode antického sveta do sveta stredovekého a taktiež. V podcaste sa dozviete okrem iného aj to akú úlohu v zohral cisár Justianián. Kunstkameru môžete sledovať na Instagrame:  https://www.instagram.com/kunstkamerapodcast/ alebo na Facebooku: https://www.facebook.com/Kunstkamera/ alebo na Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaNbO_M_Cz_l8XZ5lOWzPeA   Taktiež môžete sledovať naše ďalšie podcasty: Silný výber  https://silnyvyber.podbean.com/ Hybadlo: https://hybadlo.podbean.com/

Ne najpomembnejša, vsekakor pa zanimiva dejstva za zvedave poslušalce, ki morajo izmed petih trditev izbrati napačno. Tokrat zanimivosti o Turčiji. Izmed spodnjih trditev poiščite tisto, ki ne drži. 1. Batman je ime mestu na vzhodu Turčije. Vasica ob reki Batman je eksplodirala po odkritju nafte v regiji, danes je to že univerzitetno mesto. Študirate lahko na Univerzi Batman. Trditev je resnična 2. Turčija je izrazito nasprotovala spremembi armenskega grba, na katerem je bila upodobljena gora Ararat, ker ta uradno leži na turškem ozemlju. Nikita Hruščov je takrat Turkom odgovoril: "Kolikor vem, imate vi na svoji zastavi Luno." Trditev je resnična 3. Leta 1930 je Turčija začela pošiljati nazaj vso pošto, ki je bila naslovljena za Konstantinopel. S tem so hoteli spodbuditi svet, da bi začel končno uporabljati ime Istanbul. Trditev je resnična 4. Istanbul je edino mesto na svetu, ki leži na dveh kontinentih. Trditev je izmišljena 5. Hagia Sofia je eden največjih najpomembnejših sakralnih objektov na svetu. Znana je tudi po tem, da je še danes na njej mogoče videti zapise v vikinških runah. Trditev je resnična

Hakan Karen o historii Hagia Sofia - meczecie, a w przeszłości świątyni chrześcijańskiej. Uważana jest za najważniejsze dzieło architektury bizantyńskiej. Odegrała ważną rolę w historii chrześcijaństwa. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radiownet/message

Arkeologer vädjar om hjälp för Hagia Sofia efter skadegörelse, recension av Jonas Hassen Khemiris nyskrivna pjäs "Eld"och klart med ny vd på Storytel. Programledare: Nina Sjöman Producent: Andrea Valderrama

37. epizóda: Saudská Arábia... Vystúpiš v Rijáde a máš pocit chudoby. Prečo v Turecku nemôžu zakázať fajčenie v reštauráciách a prečo Hagia Sofia zrazu v lete smrdí. NEXT? MYŠLIENKY TISÍCROČIA https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Q1LCC5spwqFATuFHYZS0u  Vidíme sa v sobotu, 18. júna, na ZAPO NAŽIVO tu  https://demanovarezort.sk/  Produkcia by @zapoofficial  https://www.instagram.com/zapoofficial/?hl=sk 

Em meu itinerário de peregrino chego até Istambul na Turquia, trazendo você comigo na mente e no coração. Aqui, em meio a tantas cores e encantos, encontramos sinais de fé que, embora diferentes, igualmente nos apontam para a eternidade. Venha comigo conhecer dois grandes monumentos, criados nesta terra de Cultura riquíssima e de grandes contrastes: vamos juntos contemplar a beleza da mesquita Azul e da Hagia Sofia.

Tridimensi Aktivasi Hagia Sofia dalam Kontestasi Kaum Nasionalis-Sekuler di Turki Oleh. Iranti Mantasari, BA.IR, M.Si (Kontributor Tetap NarasiPost.Com) Voice over talent: Giriyani SS NarasiPost.Com-Ramadan adalah bulan yang paling dinantikan oleh kaum muslimin di belahan bumi mana pun. Statusnya yang begitu spesial di antara bulan-bulan lainnya menjadikannya selalu memiliki tempat khusus di hati umat. Salat tarawih yang menjadi satu-satunya ibadah yang hanya dilakukan saat bulan ini pun menambah nilai lebih Ramadan. Sebagaimana sabda baginda Rasulullah saw. yang artinya, “Barang siapa melakukan qiyam Ramadan karena iman dan mencari pahala, maka dosa-dosanya yang telah lalu diampuni” (HR. Bukhari). Imam Nawawi menjelaskan bahwa makna ‘ qiyam Ramadan' spesifik ditujukan kepada salat tarawih. Dengan demikian, ganjaran pahala bagi yang total beribadah di dalamnya pun menanti untuk dipanen kelak di yaumil hisab. Ramadan tahun ini bertambah spesial dengan sampainya kabar menggembirakan dari negeri ‘pewaris Khilafah' sana. Turki menyimpan banyak sekali jejak sejarah kemilau peradaban Islam, salah satunya masjid Hagia Sofia. Masjid ikonis di Istambul ini pasalnya mulai aktif kembali digunakan untuk menggelar salat tarawih. Salat tarawihnya sendiri tentu sudah lumrah bagi kaum muslimin, namun beda ceritanya jika salat ini akhirnya digelar lagi di Hagia Sofia setelah 88 tahun lamanya berfungsi sebagai museum (Daily Sabah, 01/04/2022). Nama Hagia Sofia mungkin sudah tak asing lagi di telinga kaum muslimin. Bahkan, tak sedikit yang ingin mengunjunginya setelah 3 masjid suci di Makkah, Madinah, dan Palestina. Diubahnya status Hagia Sofia menjadi masjid pada tahun 2020 lalu, memberikan angin segar di tengah gempuran pandemi Covid-19 yang sedang mengganas kala itu. Naskah selengkapnya: https://narasipost.com/2022/04/10/tridimensi-aktivasi-hagia-sofia-dalam-kontestasi-kaum-nasionalis-sekuler-di-turki/ Terimakasih buat kalian yang sudah mendengarkan podcast ini, Follow us on: instagram: http://instagram.com/narasipost Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narasi.post.9 Fanpage: Https://www.facebook.com/pg/narasipostmedia/posts/ Twitter: Http://twitter.com/narasipost

Angels are often portrayed as messengers, yet the prophet Isaiah describes a very different type of "angelic" encounter with 6-winged flying creatures bathing in smoke.  Isaiah doesn't even seem that surprised to see them - perhaps there's a reason for that?  Oh, and we'll talk about the Angel of Death.  Not his real name, but he's kind of a big deal. Books: 1.  "Sarapu."  In The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.  Chicago:  Oriental Institute, 1962.  Pgs. 102-5. 2.  John Walton.  "Demons in Mesopotamia and Israel."  In Windows to the Ancient World of the Hebrew Bible.  Bill Arnold, Nancy Erickson, and John Walton, eds.  Winona Lake, IN:  Eisenbrauns, 2014.  Pgs. 229-45. 3.  T.N.D. Mettinger.  "Seraphim."  In Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible.  Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter van Horst, eds.  Leiden: Brill, 1999.  Pgs. 742-4. Music: Clip from The Ten Commandments.  Paramount Pictures, 1956. Clip from Evan Almighty.  Universal Pictures, 2007. Alexander Nakarada.  "Vopna."  Creative Commons license.  www.serpentsoundstudios.com Artwork: Seraphim, from the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul.  Unknown date and artist.

What would you ransack from from Constantinople? Tune in and learn about the history of the Hagia Sofia and the formation of Constantinople! Laura leads our discussion this week, going through the formation of Constantinople and explaining why this historical landmark demands the attention and awe of all who see it. Citations for this episode: Pentcheva, Bissera V. 2018. Hagia Sophia: Sound, Space, and Spirit in Byzantium. Pennsylvania State University Press. Nicolle, David, John F. Haldon, and Stephen R. Turnbull. 2007. The Fall of Constantinople: The Ottoman Conquest of Byzantium. Oxford: Osprey.

★ Support the show by becoming a patron: https://www.patreon.com/atpercussion ★ Follow us on:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atperc Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atpercussion/ PodBean: https://atpercussion.podbean.com/ Hosts: Casey Cangelosi, Ben Charles, Karli Vina, and Ksenija Komljenović Intro music by Luigi Morello www.morleoeditore.com  Watch here  Listen below  0:00 Intro and hello.  Teaching online  2:15 Ben: March 11 in music history.  Hal Blaine   6:00 Welcome, Marta Klimasara 6:55 Some background 9:15 Your move from Poland to Germany? 11:10 What makes music interesting to you?  What makes a good performance good?  14:35 Working with Keiko Abe?  Producing such wonderful students.   19:10 Your journey and pivotal moments?  21:30 Understanding pieces of music - Corporal 25:44 Overcoming fear in performance?  26:57 Rupert Kettle's "Tambourines"?  32:20 When can we see you perform online?!  Little parent detour   39:30 What are you looking forward to getting back to after COVID?  44:25 What's keeping you going through COVID?  46:15 So nice to see you!!  Casey late to Italy..  49:20 Casey: convolution and the Hagia Sofia  1:00:10 Your thoughts on the state of the repertoire?   1:03:30 Penderecki?   1:06:15 Female percussionist struggles?  

Today we’re discussing the country of Turkey - a land that has been at the crossroads of ideals both Eastern and Western, for thousands of years. While the country is known for its historical sites in Istanbul like the Hagia Sofia, and it’s Instagram perfect photos of hot air balloons in Cappadocia - there is so much more depth to explore. From enjoying the Aegean Sea by Gulet, to sipping on world class wines, to taking a roadtrip through tiny villages, or getting off the beaten path to visit the ancient ruins of Troy - Turkey will surprise you at every turn. Our guest today is my friend Karen Fedorko Sefer who by a turn of fate moved to Turkey 25 years ago and has assembled and trained some of the best guides in the country. Karen’s company, Sea Song Tours, gets our clients access to behind the scenes experiences at some of Turkey’s most famous landmarks. Karen and I discuss Turkish culture, up and coming destinations, and of course the mind-blowing history of this fantastic destination. Learn more at www.luxtravelinsider.com Connect with me on Social: Instagram LinkedIn

In a new feature for the podcast, this week we explore 'Pakistan: Through the lens'. Matthew Martin, our Digital Media Manager and podcast regular, recounts his experiences as a photographer in Pakistan on behalf of Barnabas Fund. We also touch briefly on news in Turkey as the Hagia Sofia goes from Cathedral, to Mosque to Museum and back to Mosque, and finally a painfully sad story from Nigeria on the brutal murder of a minister. https://youtu.be/NfKrNVEmIrI Host: Andrew Carey Guest: Matthew Martin Produced by: Andrew Carey & Richard Breukel for Barnabas Fund Questions: andrew.carey@barnabasfund.org Find us at: www.barnabasfund.org

Turkin presidentti Erdoğan päätti heinäkuussa 2020 muuttaa vuosikymmeniä museona toimineen, alun perin kirkoksi rakennetun, Istanbulissa sijaitsevan Hagia Sofian moskeijaksi. Muutos aiheutti vastalauseiden vyöryn. Mikä Hagia Sofia on ja miksi se on tärkeä? 1500-vuotisen historiansa aikana rakennus on toiminut paitsi ortodoksien pääkirkkona myös katolisena kirkkona ja moskeijana. Siitä on lumouduttu ja taisteltu, siellä on eletty historian tärkeitä hetkiä. Paitsi poliittisesti ja uskonnollisesti merkittävä, on Hagia Sofia huikea arkkitehtuurin ja taiteen taidonnäyte. Haastateltavina historiantutkija Mika Hakkarainen ja taidehistorian tutkija Hanna-Riitta Toivanen-Kola, toimittajana Ilona Ikonen.

Die Spaltung der Kirche in eine des Westens und eine des Ostens vollzog sich nicht an einem Tag. Eine jahrhundertelange Entwicklung hatte die beiden Kirchentraditionen einander entfremdet. Dennoch setzte der 16. Juli 1054 eine Zäsur, einen Wendepunkt. An diesem Tag legte der päpstliche Legat Kardinal Humbert da Silva Candida auf dem Altar der Hagia Sofia in Konstantinopel eine Exkommunikationsbulle nieder – es war der Auftakt zum sogenannten „Morgenländischen Schisma“. Was war diesem Akt vorausgegangen? Und warum glaubte man damals trotz dieses dramatischen Geschehens noch nicht daran, dass damit eine Trennung auf Dauer vollzogen sein sollte?Darüber spricht Robert Rauhut mit dem Historiker Ulrich Nersinger in Folge 4.--Eine EWTN.TV Produktion 2020www.ewtn.tv

We currently live in a world of masks. Be it a shop, office or even a wedding, we all need to wear a face covering. Jonathan Thomas asks whether there are unintended implications from wearing a mask in a religious setting, and we hear from Muslim Azim Ahmed about how wearing a mask has presented theological challenges to worship. He discusses why some Muslim women choose to veil their faces, and the opposition to this in some secular countries. We ask whether new light might be shed on this discussion now we are all covering our faces in some way. Radhika Kadaba explains the importance of the face to Hindu worship, and how applying KumKuma to the forehead opens up a connection to the divine. We explore how different religions approach the face of God, and whether this has any meaning or message for us today. Father James Siemens explains the importance of icons to the Eastern Orthodox faith, and the wonders of the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. Art historian Professor John Harvey from Aberystwyth University discusses how artists over the centuries have grappled with whether they can depict God at all. For Muslims Allah and the Prophet Muhammad are beyond human comprehension so are not depicted visually, but instead artists and architects have used design and geometric patterns to express the heights of their faith.

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 Hagia Sofia har under historiens gång haft många olika uppgifter sedan den stod klar år 537. Denna magnifika kupol har både varit moské, kyrka och museum. Om detta diskuterar Historiemajjen i detta avsnitt. länk

From Basilica to Cathedral to Mosque to Museum, this episode’s monument spans across 1,600 years, multiple empires, and centuries upon centuries of dedicated engineers and architects keeping it in proper repair: The Hagia SofiaIn the city that today is known as Istanbul, the first iteration of the Hagia Sofia was built in 360AD, at a time when the city was still known as Byzantium. Constructed out of wood, it was burned to the ground during riots, then rebuilt once again out of wood in 415AD only to be once again burned during riots. Then in 537AD under Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I, and supervised by engineer Anthemius of Tralles the Hagia Sofia was rebuilt out of stone, and has stood to this day.Under the Eastern Roman Empire, each new Emperor would add to, repair or extend the Hagia Sofia, up until the 13th century when the city and the Hagia Sofia itself were looted by the Venetian Crusaders. All the gold and silver were stripped from the building and it would be converted in purpose from a Byzantine Orthodox Basilica to a Roman Catholic Cathedral as the city changed from Byzantium to Constantinople. The now Cathedral would change hands again when Constantinople was conquered by Mehmed II and renamed to Istanbul, this time changing from a Catholic Cathedral to an Islamic Mosque. Under Mehmed II additions would be made such as wooden minarets, it’s famous giant chandelier, and some additional parts to facilitate Islamic prayer traditions. Painting of Jesus and other Christian iconography was covered with plaster rather than removed or destroyed, which allowed for these icons to later be restored prior to the Turkish president secularizing the building in 1934 and turning it into a Museum. History for the monument is still being written, as just this year Turkish President Erdogan has covered it back to a Mosque, with Christian imagery this time concealed behind curtains.Beyond the monument’s changing hands, the Hagia Sofia provides us an opportunity to learn about the Eastern Roman building techniques the allowed for the monument’s iconic and surprisingly thing dome, 6th century fireproofing methodology, and some theorizing around how Pi would have been approximated at this time in history.— Image GalleryMary & Jesus Mosaic | Dome and Pendentives | Interior with crowd | Islamic Symbols and Christian Mosaic side by side | Exterior view of Hagia Sofia | A very young Vivian & John— Learn more at: MeasuredInMetric.com | Facebook | InstagramMusic by: John Julius - Bandcamp.comEdited by: Astronomic Audio

Veckans Människor och tro program handlar om religiösa byggnader som politiskt verktyg. Den grekisk-ortodoxa kyrkan från 500-talet omvandlades efter erövringen av Konstantinopel 1453 till moské. År 1934, under Kemal Atatürk, sekulariserades Hagia Sofia och blev ett museum. I somras lät Turkiets president Erdogan omvandlades Hagia Sofia ännu en gång till moské. I Indien i heliga staden Ayodyha har premiärminister Modi lagt den första stenen till ett nytt tempel tillägnat guden Rama, på den plats där det tidigare varit en moské i hundratals år. Vad ligger bakom besluten att omvandla heliga byggnader i Indien och Turkiet - vad är religion och vad är politik? Medverkar i programmet gör Olof Heilo vid Svenska forskningsinstitutet i Istanbul, Joakim Kreutz docent i statsvetenskap vid Uppsala Universitet och Naila Saleem reporter på Sveriges Radio som följer utvecklingen i Indien. I programmet pratar vi också med troende Malmöbor som berättar om sitt förhållande till de religiösa byggnader de besöker. Programledare: Åsa Furuhagen Reporter: Natacha Lopez Producent: Antonio de la Cruz

The conversion of Hagia Sofia back to a mosque and the growing interest in Turkey's Ottoman roots has stirred the imagination of Muslims across the globe. In this Podcast we had the pleasure of discussing the significance of the growing Islamic sentiment in a Turkey led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with Dr Yakoob Ahmed (PhD graduate from SOAS, University of London, Ottoman historian, teaching Islamic history at Istanbul University).

W programie rozmawiamy o znaczeniu przywrócenia funkcji meczetu muzeum Hagia Sofia i reakcjach, jakie decyzja tureckich władz w tej sprawie wywołała na całym świecie. Gościem programu jest dr Kinga Smoleń z Katedry Stosunków Międzynarodowych Wydziału Politologii i Dziennikarstwa UMCS. Zaprasza Tomasz Nieśpiał.

Pláště pro ženy, zouvání a vstup jen mimo modlitby. Takový je nový režim pro turisty, kteří si chtějí prohlédnout světoznámý chrám Boží moudrosti v Istanbulu. Hagia Sofia přestala být muzeem a skoro po devadesáti letech slouží znovu jako mešita. Návštěvníci, kteří se nejdou pomodlit, si tak musí zvykat na nové podmínky pro její prohlídku.

Zmiana statusu Hagii Sofii, dawniej Kościoła Mądrości Bożej, potem meczetu, a do 24 lipca tego roku muzeum, może być odebrane jako wydarzenie symboliczne w dziejach Turcji. Decyzja o przywróceniu możliwości sprawowania kultu wyznawcom islamu jest krokiem obliczonym na poprawę pogarszających się notowań tureckiego przywódcy – Recepa Erdogana. O przekształceniu Hagii Sofii z muzeum w meczet i obecnej sytuacji w Turcji mówi dr Paweł Średziński w najnowszym #PodcastNK w cyklu "Nowy Dziwny Świat. Dr Paweł Średziński – historyk i dziennikarz, autor książki "Syria. Przewodnik po kraju, którego nie ma", stały współpracownik Nowej Konfederacji. Zapraszamy do śledzenia NK na pozostałych kanałach społecznościowych: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NowaKonfederacja Twitter: https://twitter.com/NKonfederacja Wesprzyj Nową Konfederację: https://nowakonfederacja.pl/wesprzyj-nas/ Materiał sfinansowano przez Narodowy Instytut Wolności ze środków Programu Rozwoju Organizacji Obywatelskich na lata 2018-2030.

Också i dagens program: Salvini åtalas för att ha försökt stoppa illegal migration, Krav på sänkt lön för Löfven, SSU svänger om invandringen och nya brutala farmarmord i SydafrikaNyhetsdygnet är Exakt24:s dagliga nyhetssändning. Vill du höra mer? Prenumerera på vår premiumtjänst Exakt24 insikt: https://www.exakt24.se/stod-exakt24/

Listen to news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule under 10 minutes.Apart from Turkey converting Hagia Sophia back to a mosque, a major confrontation between the executive and Church in Philippines also made news headlines. Amid all these, Covid-19 pandemic continued its mayhem.  Presented by John Laurenson, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using his decision to turn Hagia Sofia from museum to working mosque as a way to boost his flagging popularity in Turkey and the Muslim world.  And, why the Catholic Church only has to look to its history – and a forgotten part of its law – to empower women with real authority. Also, it’s a Jewish version of crossing the Rubicon. One of its most prominent intellectuals says it’s time for a single state, shared equally by Israelis and Palestinians.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is using his decision to turn Hagia Sofia from museum to working mosque as a way to boost his flagging popularity in Turkey and the Muslim world.  And, why the Catholic Church only has to look to its history – and a forgotten part of its law – to empower women with real authority. Also, it’s a Jewish version of crossing the Rubicon. One of its most prominent intellectuals says it’s time for a single state, shared equally by Israelis and Palestinians.

Det er mange som er spente på de nye reiserådene regjeringen kommer med i dag - svenskene forbereder seg på storinnrykk av nordmenn, mens nordmenn på ferie i Spania er redde for at de nå kanskje må i karantene når de kommer hjem igjen. I dag klokken 14:00 kommer svaret. Det som en gang var verdens mest berømte kirke - nemlig Hagia Sofia i Istanbul - innvies som moské igjen i dag - president Erdogan skal selv lede en stor delegasjon til fredagsbønn i dag Equinor har akkurat lagt frem resultater fra andre kvartal. Selskapet endte opp med et justert driftsresultat i andre kvartal på 646 millioner dollar, tilsvarenede rundt 5,96 milliarder kroner. Det er langt svakere enn samme kvartal i fjor, men bedre enn hva analytikerne ventet på forhånd.

Den första muslimska fredagsbönen hålls i Hagia Sofia i Istanbul. Busschaufförer är oroade över användandet av alkolås under pandemin. Succéförfattaren Karin Smirnoff kommer förbi och pratar om livet innan och efter genomslaget.

Världsarvet Hagia Sofia har återinvigts som moské - vår utsände var på plats. Kalis Loyd, basketproffs i Spanien, satte karriären på paus för att hjälpa sjukvården under coronapandemin. Programledare: Marika Griehsel

Emily and Andy are joined by Dr. Kenisha Linton as they discuss the representation of women and people of color in police forces. This representation creates a feeling of ownership and community in minority groups. Hagia Sofia https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/01/hagia-sophia-erdogan-erase-turkeys-christian-past/ Russia: https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/07/god-and-man-in-moscow/ Hong Kong https://thechinacollection.org/article-38-hong-kongs-national-security-law-yes-want-get/ Dr Kenisha Linton: https://vimeo.com/297695131 https://www.gre.ac.uk/people/rep/faculty-of-business/dr-kenisha-linton

FROM CHURCH TO MOSQUE‘For the Orthodox Church, Hagia Sofia is as important as St Peter's Basilica in Rome is for Catholics. The church was built in the 6th Century and was devoted to Christ the Saviour. For us, it has been and will always remain the Church devoted to Christ’, says Metropolitan Hilarion, spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate according to Breaking Christian News. Moments after Turkish President Erdogan's controversial decision to convert Istanbul's Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the Muslim call to prayer sounded from the UNESCO World Heritage site. Once the largest church in Christendom, the Hagia Sophia was first converted into a mosque more than 500 years ago during the Islamic Ottoman Empire, then turned into a museum by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey.“HOPE” IN PRISONAnglican News reports that the Church of England broadcast its first online prison church service on Sunday 12 July on prison television and radio as well as on the church's website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. The service, with the theme of Hope, included contributions from prison staff and chaplains as well as prayers, reflections and artwork written and created by prisoners. COLIN BUCHANAN ONLINEA night of song with Colin Buchanan will be held via Facebook Live on Colin’s Facebook page on Thursday 23 July, from 7.30pm. Anyone may tune in online and listen to the songs. The concert is free, and no registration is required. Just turn up on Colin’s Facebook page by the commencement time.

FROM CHURCH TO MOSQUE‘For the Orthodox Church, Hagia Sofia is as important as St Peter's Basilica in Rome is for Catholics. The church was built in the 6th Century and was devoted to Christ the Saviour. For us, it has been and will always remain the Church devoted to Christ’, says Metropolitan Hilarion, spokesman of the Moscow Patriarchate according to Breaking Christian News. Moments after Turkish President Erdogan's controversial decision to convert Istanbul's Hagia Sophia into a mosque, the Muslim call to prayer sounded from the UNESCO World Heritage site. Once the largest church in Christendom, the Hagia Sophia was first converted into a mosque more than 500 years ago during the Islamic Ottoman Empire, then turned into a museum by Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern-day Turkey.“HOPE” IN PRISONAnglican News reports that the Church of England broadcast its first online prison church service on Sunday 12 July on prison television and radio as well as on the church's website, Facebook page and YouTube channel. The service, with the theme of Hope, included contributions from prison staff and chaplains as well as prayers, reflections and artwork written and created by prisoners. COLIN BUCHANAN ONLINEA night of song with Colin Buchanan will be held via Facebook Live on Colin’s Facebook page on Thursday 23 July, from 7.30pm. Anyone may tune in online and listen to the songs. The concert is free, and no registration is required. Just turn up on Colin’s Facebook page by the commencement time.

The post Conversion of Hagia Sofia appeared first on Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Centre - We came to give, not to take..

The post Conversion of Hagia Sofia appeared first on Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Centre - We came to give, not to take..

This week we've covered topics relating to places of worship, their symbolism, and their significance to society. Hagia Sofia's conversion from a museum back to a mosque (7:07), and the building of a temple in Islamabad (42:02), we approach the subject from a non-apologetic stance. Email us at thepodcastchowk@gmail.com with your comments, feedback, critique, topic recommendations, etc. You can also post your feedback and comments on our weekly pinned thread in r/Overseas_Pakistani on Reddit. Follow us on Twitter: @PodcastChowk Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podcastchowk/

Al-Monitor columnist and author Cengiz Candar discusses Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodgan, the Hagia Sofia, the Kurds, Turkey’s Syria Quagmire, his new book, and more.

Turkey has recently made headlines for transforming Hagia Sofia museum into a mosque. Taking this as a point of departure, we talk about religions in this episode.

Italienisches Ambiente in der deutschen Radiolandschaft. "Radio Colonia" sendet jeden Abend von Montag bis Freitag für Italienerinnen und Italiener in Deutschland und für Italienfans. Aktuelles aus Politik, Kultur und Gesellschaft. Wir widmen uns insbesondere der italienischen Community in Deutschland. Radio Colonia, la finestra italiana nel panorama radiofonico tedesco, va in onda tutti i giorni dal lunedì al venerdì per gli italiani in Germania e per tutti gli amanti del Belpaese. Al centro del programma anche l'attualità dal mondo politico, culturale e sociale tedesco, il tutto con un occhio di riguardo per la comunità italiana in Germania, per le sue storie e i suoi problemi.

Det är dags att sätta ned foten och trampa på några ömma tår igen. Marcus "The Golden One" Follin ersätter Björn Björkqvist i Kväll med Svegot den här veckan, och vi kommer bland annat att prata om abort; ett ämne som lätt blir infekterat och som det i Sverige i stort sett råder debattstopp om. Men vi breddar även ämnet och talar om kaos och sexualitet; om HBTQ som den rådande religionen och om familjebildningen som en aktiv motståndshandling. Dan Eriksson och Magnus Söderman är med som vanligt, och kommer även kommentera det turkiska beslutet om att återigen göra Hagia Sofia till fullfjädrad moské, och där till om rättegången mot nationalister i Spanien.Länkar:Svegot Plus: https://www.svegot.se/plusDet fria Sverige: https://www.detfriasverige.seEuropa Terra Nostra: https://www.etnostra.comJotunheim Nutrition: https://jotunheimnutrition.com/Legio Gloria: https://legiogloria.com/

Die Hagia Sofia in Istanbul soll vom Museum wieder zur Moschee werden. Welche Geschichte sie durch Christentum, Islam, Architektur und Kunst vereint und was ein Wechsel bedeuten würde, erläutert Historiker Malte Fuhrmann in der Redezeit mit Sabine Brandi.

Stormsterk winde rig groot skade in die Wes-Kaap aan, en sommige Moslems in Suid-Afrika glo die Hagia Sofia in Turkye moet 'n museum bly.

I denne episoden er vi innom debatten om Hagia Sofia, videre snakker vi om sidedebattene til BLM, og både Usman og Shan har vært i media med sine meninger. Til slutt har vi en overraskelse til lytterne. (1:53) Abid Raja på ferie. (3:35) Lansering av Stiftelsen 10 august. (5:10) Paragraf 12 i gruppen Samfunnsengasjerte Norsk-Pakistanere. (8:05) Hagia Sofia diskusjonen. (14:12) Fitna og husn al-Dhan - muslimsk debattkultur. (25:20) Hasan Minhaj sin bønn og Gud's kjønn. (28:00) SIAN demonstrasjonen og bøter. Siv Jensen, (31:56) profilering og FrP. (36:17) Hakekors-dommen og sørstatsflagg. (41:11) Cancel culture. (51:33) Hva er Karen?. (54:12) Tilsvar til Arbeidsminister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen. (61:00) Halalspalten: Halalguiden.no. Håper dere liker episoden! Følg oss gjerne på Instagram og Twitter (@minareten på begge), og bli med i Facebook-gruppen vår (Minaretens diskusjonsforum).

Nyhetssändning från kulturredaktionen P1, med reportage, nyheter och recensioner.

Erdogan quer ser otomano e transforma Hagia Sofia em mesquita. Há infeções a mais, critérios a menos e tentativas de definir campeões industriais europeus. E a derrota de Espanha no Eurogrupo. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

13 juli. I dagens avsnitt av Ledarredaktionen diskuteras hur Erdogan använder Hagia Sofia som ett vapen mot väst.Med Ivar Arpi. Som gäst deltar Joel Halldorf.

Die EU fühlt sich von der Türkei provoziert. Mit den Ölbohrungen vor Zypern und Griechenland, der Umwandlung der Hagia Sofia in eine Moschee und der Rolle Ankaras in Syrien und Libyen gibt es gleich mehrere Konfliktfelder. Andererseits ist die Union wegen des Flüchtlingsdeals auf die Zusammenarbeit mit dem Land angewiesen. Deshalb ist die Türkei heute Thema beim Treffen der EU-Außenminister in Brüssel. Wo ist sich die EU einig und wo nicht? Darüber haben Außenpolitik-Redakteurin Karoline Krause-Sandner und Brüssel-Korrespondentin Ingrid Steiner-Gashi gesprochen. Außerdem: Wie sich Studenten in Alabama auf Corona-Parties absichtlich mit dem Virus angesteckt haben. Das erfahrt ihr in unserem Podcast. Abonniert unseren Podcast auch auf Apple Podcasts, Spotify oder Google Podcasts und hinterlasst uns eine Bewertung, wenn euch der Podcast gefällt. Mehr Podcasts gibt es unter www.kurier.at/podcasts

I dagens avsnitt bland annat: Världens största katedral Hagia Sofia omvandlas återigen till moské, mor envarsgriper somalier som försökte våldta 11-årig son, Tucker Carlsons toppredaktör avgår efter det framgått att han under pseudonym skrivit påstått rasistiska kommentarer på juridikforum, Donald Trump benådar Roger Stone och upphäver flerårigt fängelsestraff, rapparen Kanye Wests kandidatur till amerikanska presidentposten, USA:s högsta domstol avgör fall om indianer i Oklahoma, Trumps skattedeklarationer, DACA-programmet och abortlagar samt Jair Bolsonaro drabbad av Wuhansjukan https://radio.bubb.la/sondag-12-juli-2020/ Länkar som diskuterades i dagens sändning: Hagia Sofia blir återigen moské efter att domstol annullerat dess museistatus, fördöms av patriarken och av Greklands kulturminister, världens största katedral byggdes år 537 och konverterades till moské år 1453 av Mehmet II efter Konstantinopels fall, gjordes till museum 1934 av Kemal Atatürk Mor som grep 16-årig somalier som våldtog 12-åring och försökte våldta 11-åring berättar om hur hon, maken och sonen körde runt och letade efter förövaren och hur hon sprang ifatt och höll fast honom medan hennes nyopererade make pratade med polisen i telefon Tucker Carlsons toppredaktör Blake Neff avgår sedan det framgått att han under pseudonymen CharlesXII vid flera tillfällen under fyra år skrivit påstått rasistiska, sexistiska och homofoba kommentarer på juridikorienterade forumet AutoAdmit, enligt anonymt tips till CNN, ska bland annat ha skrivit att en av de främsta faktorer som håller brottsligheten nere är att svarta män stannar hemma och spelar Call of Duty och beskrivit någon som en asiatisk megaragata Donald Trump upphäver straff för Roger Stone dagar innan hans drygt tre år långa fängelsevistelse skulle inledas, Vita huset säger att Stone är ett offer för Rysslandsbluffen vänstern och dess allierade inom media skapat för att undergräva Trumpadministrationen Roger Stone portad från Facebook och Instagram en vecka innan han ska infinna sig i fängelse, har sedan domen kämpat för att undvika straff och hoppas på att benådas av Donald Trump Elon Musk tycks dra tillbaka sitt stöd för Kanye Wests presidentkandidatur då han på Twitter skriver att deras åsikter kanske skiljer sig mer än han tidigare trott, följer på familjens oro över att rapparen är mitt i en allvarlig bipolärepisod USA:s högsta domstol bedömer att Donald Trumps avveckling av DACA-programmet gjordes på ett olagligt sätt, programmet som kom till genom exekutiv order under Barack Obama gav 700 000 illegala invandrare uppskov med utvisning och möjlighet att bli behöriga att få arbetsvisum, konservative John Roberts röstar med de liberala domarna Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana abortion law Högsta domstolen beslutar att Donald Trump måste lämna över information om sina privata finanser till åklagare i New York, sju av nio domare instämde inklusive Gorsuch och Kavanaugh som tillsattes av Trump Supreme Court Rules That About Half Of Oklahoma Is Native American Land Jair Bolsonaro testar positivt för covid-19, uppges ha mild feber och behandlas med hydroxiklorokin och azitromycin

O Bate-Papo 180 saiu e está recheado dos temas fundamentais para a política internacional e a economia ao longo dessa semana. Os professores Tanguy Baghdadi e Daniel Sousa comentaram sobre as tensões na Etiópia, a alta das bolsas de valores, a recuperação econômica da China, a intenção do governo de Erdogan de converter a Hagia Sofia em uma mesquita e as ações do Facebook na restrição a contas fake. Ao longo do episódio, os professores indicaram o documentário "Get Me Roger Stone", de Dylan Bank As inscrições para o novo curso do Petit Journal estão abertas, olha aí: https://talks.clippingcacd.com.br/cursopetitjournal02 E pra se tornar um apoiador do nosso projeto, acesse apoia.se/petit

I denne episoden snakker vi om (7:24) Aya/Hagia Sofia og om Erdogans planer om å gjøre om dette bygget til en moske - (15:11) vi snakker også om Srebrenica massakren mot bosniske muslimer og er innom andre massakre og folkemord som mot armenerne og algerierne. (25:00) Valget i USA, (3:15) Vi snakker også om episoden med gravskjending i Haugesund, og visste du at de fra Haugesund blir kalt for arabere? Håper dere liker episoden! Følg oss gjerne på Instagram og Twitter (@minareten på begge), og bli med i Facebook-gruppen vår (Minaretens diskusjonsforum).

Especially in modern textbooks and broad historical surveys, the Mongol withdrawal from Europe in 1242 is presented as the Mongols ‘disappearing into the mists of the east,’ as far as the Europeans were concerned. But in the immediate wake of the 1242 withdrawal, Europeans needed to know more about this new foe. Rather than a ‘Mongol disappearance’ from the European mind, European diplomats and representatives made the trip to the Mongol Empire on behalf of Kings and Popes- even to distant Mongolia. A number of these travellers wrote down accounts of their journeys, providing us yet another viewpoint to events within the Mongol Empire. In this episode, we will discuss three of these accounts from the 1240s and 1250s- that of John de Plano Carpini, Simon of St. Quentin and William of Rubruck. I’m your host David, and this is Kings and Generals: Ages of Conquest.   Our first journey is that of John of Plano Carpini, or Giovanni da Pian del Carpine. Like today’s other accounts, Plano Carpini was a member of a religious order, in this case the Franciscans, an influential group of Christian mendicants founded in the early 13th century by St. Francis of Assisi. Known for their rejections of wealth, simple brown habits, or robes, and often going about barefoot, since the lifetime of St. Francis they had worked closely with the Catholic Church in Rome. John of Plano Carpini was a leading figure among the Franciscans, having been at the forefront of their expansion into Germany. The impetus for Plano Carpini’s journey could not have come from a higher authority, that of Pope Innocent IV. This Pope had in 1245 organized the First Council of Lyons, one of those great ecclesiatical gatherings held every few years in the High Middle Ages to determine church doctrine and how to react to temporal matters. At Lyons in 1245, the biggest topics on the menu were two great foes of the Pope: Frederick II Hohenstaufen, the Holy Roman Emperor and the Mongols. While Innocent’s main concern was the Kaiser, there was great worry over the mysterious horsemen. On the initiative to learn more about them and establish diplomatic ties to avert a repeat of the horrors in Hungary, Pope Innocent sent the 65 year old John of Plano Carpini on the long road east in late 1245.   Aided along the way by the King of Bohemia and the High Duke of Poland, Carpini soon reached the Prince of Volhynia, Vasilko. Vasilko and his brother, Daniel of Galicia, were the westernmost princes of Rus’, and who escaped most of the destruction suffered by the other Rus’ principalities. With Vasilko, Carpini was provided the most up-to-date information on the Mongols one could have in Europe. Passing the ruins of Kiev and an emptied countryside, only at Kaniv did Carpini reach territory under direct Mongol rule. As official envoys of the monarch the Mongols dubbed “the great Pope,” Carpini and his small company were provided escorts and use of the yam system, the great continental messenger route.     Once on the yam, Carpini’s route picked up speed. They rode day and night over the steppe, changing horses three or four times a day as they reached yam stations. By April 4th 1246, they were in the camp of Batu. Batu did not return to Mongolia after the invasion of Europe, instead setting up his camp in the great swath of grassland along the Volga River which made up the middle of his territory, where he held immense power.  Carpini saw that Batu used King Bela IV’s linen tents as his own, taken as booty after the victory at Mohi. At Batu’s camp their letters from the Pope were translated into Russian, Persian and Mongolian, and then they were sent on their way. This stage of the journey is one Carpini had little love for. They rode their horses day and night, sometimes eating nothing except millet with water and salt, or only drinking snow melted in kettles.  They passed the ruins of the cities of the Khwarezmian Empire, the names of which Carpini had no chance to learn before they had moved on.    By July 1246, they were in Mongolia. The hard ride had a purpose, for Carpini arrived in in time for the election of the new Great Khan, Guyuk. As messengers of the Pope they were treated well, provided their own tent and provisions. Carpini gives a fantastic description of Guyuk’s enthronement and the accompanying ceremonies- one detail is a sudden hailstorm postponing Guyuk’s official enthronement until August 24th.  He noticed representatives of powers from across Asia: the Rus’ Prince Yaroslav of Suzdal’, Chinese and Korean representatives, princes from the Kingdom of Georgia and the ambassador of the Caliph of Baghdad, among many others. Carpini’s embassy spent little time with the new Great Khan, offering only a brief description of him: quote, “The present Emperor may be forty or forty-five years old or more; he is of medium height, very intelligent and extremely shrewd, and most serious and grave in his manner. He is never seen to laugh for a slight cause nor to indulge in any frivolity, so we were told by the Christians who are constantly with him.”   On the matter of Chrisitianity, Carpini shares rumours that Guyuk was on the verge of converting. Guyuk did have affinity for the religion, as some of his closest advisers were Christians of the Nestorian flavour. No such baptism for Guyuk was forthcoming, however. As for Carpini’s actual mission to Guyuk, it proved less successful. Guyuk explained that the slaughter wrought in Hungary and Poland was due to the failure of the Europeans to submit to Heaven’s will and Mongol authority. Further, more would come, and when Carpini departed Guyuk’s camp for Europe in November 1246, he left utterly convinced that Guyuk was intent on marching on Europe.    With this fear in mind, Carpini tailored his work as a manual to prepare for the Mongol return. He wrote a very accurate description of the appearance of the Mongols, their culture and society, to detailed descriptions of their armour, tactics, and strategy. He follows this with recommendations on how they should be countered. His solution is that European armies needed to copy the organization of the Mongols and their discipline: literally, they should adopt the decimal organization system and instil the same punishment for desertion or failure to advance. The importance of crossbows were emphasized; the need to not allow themselves to be flanked and to watch for feigned retreats; maintain reserve units to assist the line and always have the army covered by scouts to alert to Mongol movements. If relying on fortifications, they needed to be built in places inaccessible to siege weapons. Care should be shown to captured prisoners: using the descriptions he provides, he argues that Europeans needed to learn to identify the Mongols from those subject peoples forced to fight for the Khan. These peoples, Carpini says, would fight against the Mongols if provided the chance.   When Carpini is describing things he did not directly observe, he falls easily into accepting myths and rumours. In his account Jesus Christ and the scriptures are honoured in China (which he never visited), there are literal monsters under Mongol control, and the Mongols were repulsed from Greater India by its Christian King, Prester John. However, he provides a keen eye at Mongol politics at the start of Guyuk’s reign, listing the top chiefs and mentions Mongke and his mother Sorqaqtani, who he says “among the Tartars this lady is the most renowned, with the exception of the Emperor’s mother [Torogene], and more powerful than anyone else except Batu.”  On his return journey, Carpini remet with Vasilko of Volhynia and Daniel of Galicia, who sent with Carpini letters and envoys to Pope Innocent for cooperation, leading to Pope Innocent crowning Daniel King of Ruthenia, or Galicia-Volhynia, a brief flirtation of Orthodox and Catholic unity. Innocent provided no support for the newly independent monarch beyond this, and Daniel saw his autonomy crushed at the end of the 1250s with a major Mongol attack.   Carpini’s account, written on his return to Europe, was hugely disseminated through Carpini’s own efforts and its inclusion in one of the most popular medieval encyclopedias, Vincent of Beauvais’ Speculum Historiale. It's clear, detailed descriptions of the Mongols, based entirely on observation, was hugely influential on the writings of other travellers. Some have even argued it spurned the beginnings to more analytic, scientific descriptions of the world, in part as it brought a detailed presentation on a world outside of Europe. It was not exactly a friendly world, mind you. Carpini returned with a letter from Guyuk demanding the submission of the Pope and all the monarchs of Europe, immediately, and in person- with the direct threat of horrific consequences if they failed to do so.   As Carpini returned from the Mongol Empire in 1247, another embassy reached the Mongols in what is now Armenia. Pope Innocent ordered a party of Dominican friars from the Crusader states to bear a letter to the Mongols, opening a second diplomatic front in the event Plano Carpini did not return. The Dominicans were another mendicant order founded in the 13th century, famous both as preachers and inquisitors, and visually distinctive in their black cloaks over white habits.  This group of Dominicans was led by a Friar Ascelin, but the account was written by another member of the embassy, Friar Simon of St. Quentin. An online translation has been made accessible online by our friend of the podcast Dr. Stephen Pow- check out www.simonofstquentin.org to read the full account, with maps!    The Dominican embassy arrived in the camp of the Mongol commander of the Caucasus- Baiju Noyan, on the 24th May, 1247. Learning of their arrival, Baiju sent a representative to enquire as to their purpose, and things immediately got off to a poor start. Upon being asked who they were the representatives of, Friar Ascelin replied, “I am the envoy of the Lord Pope, who among Christians is considered superior in dignity to all men and to whom they show reverence as to their father and lord.”   To which Baiju’s representative became immediately annoyed and responded, “How, speaking with such proud words, do you say that your lord pope is the greatest of all men? Does he not know that Khan is the son of God and that Baiju Noyan and Batu are his princes and thus their names are made known and exalted everywhere?” To which Friar Ascelin replied that the Pope knew none of these names, and that they were simply instructed to find the nearest Mongol army -wherever that might be- and to present a letter from the Pope urging a cessation to the slaughter of Christians.   From here, the meeting devolved. The representative returned to Baiju with the message, and returning in a new set of clothes, asked what gifts the Pope had sent for Baiju. The embassy had failed to provide any, stating that in fact, people sent gifts to the Pope! When he returned from Baiju, again in a new set of clothes, he scolded them for failing to show up with gifts- then inquired if they were at the head of any European armies being sent into Syria.  Before allowing the embassy to meet Baiju, they were then ordered to genuflect before him- which the Friars refused to do, fearing it was idolatry. One in their party who had some experience with Mongol customs informed them it wasn’t idolatry they were asking for- just a sign of the submission of the Pope and Catholic Church to the Khan. On this, the Friars proudly stated they’d rather be decapitated than imply the submission of the Church. They would genuflect and even kiss the soles of Baiju’s feet on the condition that he became a Christian. The response was… not ideal.   “You advise us that we become Christians and be dogs like you. Isn’t your pope a dog and aren’t all you Christians dogs?” the Mongols shouted at the party, and upon learning of this insolence Baiju ordered them all to be killed. Baiju’s advisers urged mercy- don’t kill all four of the friars, only two! Another suggested it would be better to skin the lead friar and send him back to Rome stuffed with straw. Or, have two of them beaten by sticks by the whole Mongol army! Another voice said the wisest course was to place them at the front of the army during a siege, and allow them to be killed by enemy missiles. Murder was only abandoned when one of Baiju’s wives talked him down from it- reminding him quite rightly it was poor conduct to kill envoys, and it would bring him into trouble with the imperial court.    Brought back from the brink- and this was still only the first day, mind you- Baiju’s representative inquired what would be an appropriate way for them to worship Baiju. No solution could be reached. The Mongols could not understand the stubbornness of the Christians in this regard: from their point of view, the Christians worshipped wood crosses and stone churches, and could not comprehend why the same respect could not be shown to Baiju, chosen by the Great Khan who was chosen by Heaven itself! The Friars’ explanations turned to theology, how St. Peter granted the keys to the Pope and so on. Lost in translation, the arguments went nowhere, until it was decided that Acelin would hand over the Pope’s letters but not appear before Baiju. The letter then needed to be translated for Baiju, which required Friar Ascelin explaining it word by word to Greek and Turk translators, who then explained it to Persian translators, who then translated it into Mongol, who then read it out for Baiju.   Annoyed by the initial proceedings, Baiju showed them disrespect after that. Left waiting in the hot sun, they were initially told they would be allowed to leave on the 12th of June, 1247, but this was rescinded when Baiju learned of the approach of Eljigidei to be his new superior. Eljigidei was a close ally of Great Khan Guyuk, sent west to resume military operations in the region.  Given only minimal bread and water, they could only wait. And wait. And wait. With no sign of Eljigidei and Ascelin fretting over continued delay, he finally got a councillor to plead on their behalf with promises of gifts. Baiju prepared a letter to send to the Pope, and things looked just about ready for the Dominicans to depart… when Eljigidei finally arrived. Then followed 7 straight days of feasting, drinking and celebrating before finally, some nine weeks after their initial arrival, on the 25th of July 1247 the Friars left Baiju’s camp.    Like Plano Carpini, Ascelin returned with a letter from the Mongols, this time from Baiju, and within it were only the strictest of demands. The Pope was to come himself, in person, and submit to the Mongols. Failure to do so meant he was an enemy to the Great Khan, and only one fate awaited the enemies of the Great Khan. By the end of the 1240s Pope Innocent IV had at least two letters from top Mongol leaders- one of them the Great Khan, Guyuk- demanding his immediate submission.  That’s a fairly strong indication that the Mongol high command was intent on the subjugation of Europe. Much like Carpini, Ascelin’s colleague Simon recorded considerable detail on the customs, habits and warfare of the Mongols, with information on the strategies and tactics they used in their expansion over Iran, the Caucasus and Anatolia- much of it from first hand sources. As much as they were failed conversion and diplomatic efforts, they were valuable sources of intelligence on a foe they had frustratingly little information on. The impression garnered over the 1240s was of an immensely antagonistic power interested in nothing less than mastery of the world.   Our final traveller for today is William of Rubruck, a Franciscan friar who also made the long trip to Mongolia carrying a letter from the King of France Louis IX- though insisting the entire time he was not a diplomat, merely holding the letter for a friend.  Rubruck’s mission both in structure and situation differed from his predecessors. There is no indication he ever met John de Plano Carpini: he was familiar with his work, but not enough that he could get Carpini’s name correct in his own account, referring to him as John of Policarpo. Rubruck provides one detail about himself in his own account: that he was rather on the large side. Stationed in the Holy Land, he joined  the crusading King Louis IX in Cyprus in winter 1248, and went with him on his disastrous Egyptian campaign of 1250- the Seventh Crusade. This campaign was a catalyst to the usurpation of the Mamluks in Egypt over the Ayyubids, something to have major consequences for the Mongols in a few years. Rubruck’s accounts do not indicate he was among them during the debacles further down the Nile in 1250, during which Louis was captured by the Mamluks, held for ransom and released. The following years the French King spent restoring local fortifications in Palestine, humbled and penitent. It seems in this period Rubruck spent quite some time with the King and Queen. Louis had already been in contact with the Mongols, having sent the Dominican friar Andrew of Longjumeau to the Great Khan’s court in the 1240s, and received envoys from Eljigidei in early 1249. This led to nothing: Guyuk was dead before the Dominican reached his court, and Eljigidei, as a close ally of Guyuk, was soon to follow him on Mongke’s orders.   Rubruck, as a good Fransciscan, was keen to spread the word of God among the heathens and had learned from Andrew of Longjumeau’s report of German miners carried east as slaves by the Chagatai prince Buri during the invasion of Hungary.  Keen to bring salvation to the Mongols, and peace to these slaves, it was Rubruck’s own initiative to travel to the Mongol Empire in 1253. Before he left King Louis provided Rubruck a letter to the Khan, as a sort of “while you’re going that way,” rather than an official embassy.. Learning that a Jochid prince, Sartaq son of Batu, was a Christian, Rubruck decided to make a stop at his court first, perhaps hoping to seek his assistance for the long trek. Taking his leave of King Louis likely at Jaffa, Rubruck set out north and reached Constantinople in April 1253, there getting a chance to preach in St. Sophia, the modern Hagia Sofia; he spoke with other men who had gone as envoys to the Mongols; and there picked up a companion, another Franciscan named Bartholomew of Cremona. Sailing across the Black Sea to Crimea, he travelled north into the steppes to the camp of Sartaq.    Sartaq was the first of many disappointments for Rubruck. His Chrisitanity Rubruck found lacking, and his secretaries admonished Rubruck for calling him a Christian, telling him “Do not say that our master is a Christian. He is not a Christian; he is a Mongol.” The customary gift giving resulted in much of his possessions being taken or outright stolen. In the four days they were there, they were not even provided food, only airag, fermented mare’s milk, though Rubruck took a liking to it. Rubruck stressed he was not an envoy, merely carrying a letter of friendly intent from King Louis. This made a real mess. This was not an area in Mongol diplomacy their world view accounted for. To quote historian Peter Jackson in his translation of Rubruck’s account, “the Mongols were in fact unable to comprehend why representatives of independent peoples should trouble to visit the imperial court if not to bring submission.” Sartaq, not understanding the purpose of Rubruck’s letter, decided this was a matter for his father Batu to settle. So Rubruck, at this time in his mid forties and trying to travel barefoot as in Franciscan tradition, was forced to follow Plano Carpini’s route over the Volga Steppe to the court of Batu.   He was amazed at the size of Batu’s camp, comparing it to a large city. Taken before the tent of Batu, he gazed upon the second most powerful man in Asia. Sitting upon a golden throne with a wife at his side, Rubruck provides us our only physical description of Batu Khan: “He regarded us with a keen gaze, as we did him. He struck me as being of the same build as the lord John of Beaumont, and his face was covered at this time with reddish blotches.” As numerous commentators have stated, it is a deep shame that we do not know what build John of Beaumont was. Through his interpreter, Rubruck spoke to Batu and the audience, in which he urged Batu to be baptized. Batu gave a slight smile, and the audience began laughing at Rubruck.    Batu interrogated Rubruck, having learned through spies of King Louis’ military expedition to Egypt. Telling the Khan that the purpose was to recapture Jerusalem, Rubruck was given airag and sent to the side. Batu decided it was best to send this representative of the French King right to the highest authority: Mongke Khaan, quite without Rubruck’s consent and with no choice in the matter. “There is no counting the times we were famished, thirsty, frozen and exhausted,” Rubruck says of the lengthy voyage in winter 1253 over Central Asia to Mongolia. Rubruck’s account, unlike that of Carpini, is full of personal opinions on matters: mainly in the form of how much he hated everything. Their hygiene and personal habits, such as relieving themselves in the middle of the open steppe right beside him he found ‘excessively tiresome.’   By the end of December 1253 William of Rubruck was in the camp of Mongke Khaan, some ten days journey from Karakorum. Unlike with Ascelin and Baiju, Rubruck was asked how he would like to make his obeisance to the Khan, per European custom or Mongolian. Rubruck would sing praises to God, then do as Mongke wished. Inside a tent Rubruck describes as covered in gold, the friar provides a brief description of Mongke. The Khan was seated on a golden couch with a wife, dressed in spotted fur, snub nosed, of medium build and about 45 years old. One of Mongke’s daughters was seated on the steps before him: Rubruck says she was very ugly. The initial meeting did not go very far. Alcohol was offered, and Rubruck’s interpreter helped himself. After Mongke’s first statement, “Just as the sun spreads its rays in all directions, so my power and that of Batu are spread to every quarter,” Rubruck’s interpreter was too drunk to translate, and the friar was quickly pushed to the side.   Rubruck did not have a good time in the Mongol court. Provided lodging and food, he found himself interrogated and often mistreated. The Mongols sought information on Europe, on what and how many goods and animals the French possessed, and if the Pope was really 500 years old. Rubruck had gone to convert the heathens and bring salvation to the captured German miners: he succeeded in converting only six people during his stay and learned the Germans were beyond his reach in Central Asia. Rubruck was stuck with Nestorian and Greek Orthodox Christians which he did not take a great liking too, there only to enrich themselves. The priests, among many others, were convinced Mongke was on the verge of converting to their creed. Rubruck saw that the Khan didn’t care for any of them, content to utilize all their prayers. Spending several months in Mongke’s camp and Karakorum, the imperial capital, Rubruck met persons from all over Asia. From ambassadors from the Nicaean Empire, the Delhi Sultanate, Baghdad and China to Europeans brought as captives to Mongolia. He met Hungarians, Germans, Russians and French. One was William Buchier of Paris, a goldsmith highly prized by the Mongols. He designed and built the famous silver tree of Karakorum: literally, a tree made from silver with conduits running through it, at the base through four silver lions and higher up coming down as spouts shaped as snakes. From the lions came airag, fermented mare’s milk; from the gilded mouths of four snakes poured grape wine; qaraqumiss, refined mare’s milk; bal, a honey drink, and a rice wine. At the top of the tree was a silver angel with a trumpet. On command, a man inside the tree would sound the trumpet, alerting stewards in another room to feed the alcoholic beverages through their respectives conduits. Below each animal was a vessel to collect the drinks, and when filled they were carried to the cheery guests, applauding at the show. Aside from this and the Khan’s palace in Karakorum, Rubruck found the city terribly unimpressive, likening it to a small town in France but with a very diverse population.    Rubruck endured a number of almost sitcom-like vignettes during his time there. On one occasion he joined with a Nestorian priest to ‘save’ one of Mongke’s sickly wives through a decoction of rhubarb and holy water. Most notable was a religious debate he took part in, sparked by a conflict between Rubruck and the Buddhist priests at Karakorum. While Rubruck gives a detailed and accurate description of the Buddhist customs he saw, he had little care for the Buddhists themselves. This spat turned into the Mongols hosting a religious debate- on one side, Rubruck representing the Catholic Church, with Nestorian Christians, Greek Orthodox Christians and Muslims, and on the other Buddhists lamas. Three umpires - a Buddhist, Christian and Muslim- judged. Mongke, in typical fashion, called for a respectful debate forbidding insulting remarks to opponents, on pain of death.   Rubruck’s version is that he was the star player, deftly disarming the arguments of the Buddhists while his own teammates proved incompetent. We lack any other accounts of this debate, so we should perhaps take it with a grain of salt. He does remark that even though his arguments were like, totally 100% awesome and really effective, no one was convinced to become a Christian because of it, and the debate ended with everyone drinking heavily with half his team singing loudly and presumably, off-key.    The most interesting portion of Rubruck’s narrative is his brief interview with Mongke Khaan, albeit through an interpreter. In this discussion, Mongke provides a fascinating explanation for his religious view:   “We Mongols believe that there is only one God, through whom we have life and through whom we die, and towards him we direct our hearts. But just as God has given the hand several fingers, so he has given mankind several paths. To you God has given the Scriptures and you Christians do not observe them. You do not find in the scriptures, that one man ought to abuse another, do you? And likewise you do not find that a man ought to deviate from the path of justice for financial gain. So, then, God has given you the Scriptures, and you do not observe them; whereas to us he has given soothsayers, and we do as they tell us and live in peace.”   After this, Rubruck was instructed to return to the west with a letter for King Louis, upon which he lamented he had no chance to attempt to convert the Khan. Mongke’s letter to Louis is preserved in Rubruck’s account, and it’s somewhat more cordial compared to the demands of Guyuk. I mean, it still has demands that the Kings of Europe come and submit to him, and that it would be foolish to trust in distance and mountains to protect them.  But it offered something of an apology- well, not quite an apology-  for inconsistent messaging by the envoys of Eljigidei, and for Andrew of Longjumeau’s journey which met not Guyuk Khan, but his widow Oghul Qaimish. On Oghul Qaimish, Mongke stated his opinion on her rather bluntly in his letter: “But as for knowing the business of war and the affairs of peace, subduing the wide world and discerning how to act for the best- what could that worthless woman, lower than a bitch, have known of this?” That he would so openly write this in an official channel- a letter to another monarch- is indicative of the malice he felt to her, and partially explains some of the violence Mongke ordered against the house of Ogedai.   Alas for William of Rubruck, but well for us, was that he was unable to return to King Louis to deliver the message in person. Believing Louis had remained in the Crusader States, after reaching the court of Batu in the Volga steppe, Rubruck cut south through the Caucasus- briefly staying in Baiju Noyan’s camp, where he heard of the approach of Hulegu, Mongke’s younger brother, and a massive army marching through Iran. Learning that Louis had returned to France, Rubruck’s Franciscan superiors ordered him to remain in Acre, forced to send Mongke’s letters alongside a written account of his journey, which luckily for us survives. Unlike Carpini’s account, Rubruck writes little on the warfare of the Mongols, spending more time on their customs and character, with remarkably astute, though not compassionate, descriptions of the cultures and religions he saw throughout his journey. It’s also a detailed geographical and observational survey, challenging views set out by ancient writers. For instance, noting that the Caspian Sea was not an ocean but a lake;  noting the proper courses of the Don and Volga Rivers; connecting the Chinese to the Seres mentioned in antiquity; noted linguistic connections between various groups and, upon finding no evidence for popular medieval monsters like the dog-headed people, argued against their existence. One of the few people to read Rubruck’s account in the 13th century was the English Franciscan Roger Bacon, who met Rubruck in Paris in 1257. Bacon was the first European to record the mixture for gunpowder in 1267. It’s sometimes suggested that Rubruck provided it to Bacon, but as Rubruck mentions nothing of the sort in his account, this is unlikely.    And that is a brief overview of three early European journeys to the Mongol Empire. Not as famous as the slightly later journey of one Messer Marco Polo, but fascinating nonetheless. Our next episode will be an overview of the reign of Great Khan Mongke, so be sure to subscribe to the Kings and Generals podcast and to continue helping us bring you more outstanding content, please visit our patreon at www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. Thank you for listening, I am your host David and we will catch you on the next one!

As America mourns the death of George Floyd - with memorial services and protests across the country - we ask what impact his death has had on the black community in the UK and what changes they would like to see. Edward Stourton discusses the issues with Aliyah Hasinah from Black Lives Matter UK and Ruth Yimika Afolabi founder of Magnify magazine. The pictures of President Trump standing outside St John's Episcopal Church just across the road from the White House, bible in hand , have been interpreted as a direct appeal to his religious base. Donald Trump has long enjoyed the support of American Christians, especially white evangelicals, and it’s this relationship that journalist and author Sarah Posner discusses on the programme. Is Turkey’s President Erdogan planning to allow the Hagia Sofia - one of Christianity’s greatest churches - to be converted into a mosque? Dorian Jones reports. Producers: Helen Lee Amanda Hancox

Happy Mother's Day!! Worship for May the 10th, 2020 Proverbs 8:12-21, 32-36, Wisdom Produced by: Becky K., Christopher K., & Andrew W. Music by: Bev B., Olivia E., and Janice M.

Daniel Scheffler shares travel moments where the silence was all consuming - heli snowboarding in Canada, a ten day silent meditation retreat in South Africa, hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Turkey, surviving a scorpion bite on the border of Namibia and Angola, and sitting in prayer on a floating temple in Cambodia. Turkish tour guide Anka Benli weighs in on the silence at Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Genevieve Morton shares her moments of stillness on the road. #travel Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

Healing a Negative Mother Complex As the mother is the generator of life and usual primary attachment figure, the mother complex is universal. As the image of a “personified affect” fueled by an archetypal core, the mother complex is especially powerful. In its negative aspect, it may arise from a mother who was experienced as uncaring, attacking, possessive, withholding, absent, or wounded. It is likely to show up in relationships with others and in the relationship with oneself. Fairy tales like The Raven and Six Swans teach us that healing a negative mother complex takes time and perseverance—and that we may be aided by an animus prince or an anima princess, images of the autonomous unconscious. By responding to the turmoil of the mother complex one can embrace the task of finding the mother within.                                                                                                                                                                                        Dream "Last night I had a dream I was in a cave that had mosaic designs all over the walls. They were old ancient ruins like from Ancient Greece or Turkey. The first one was of some type of fertility goddess-like Ishtar or Lilith, but I can’t remember the details exactly. But the image frightened me, and I was afraid to go inside. Then above the ruins, there was a church. It was an Eastern Orthodox Church. It sort of reminded me of the Hagia Sofia. A painting of the Black Madonna was hanging on the wall. All the church members were women and the pastor was a woman as well. I don’t recall what we were talking about or what the pastor was saying, but I was transfixed upon that painting. That’s all I can remember." References Book: Elinor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman YouTube: Clay Weiner (“Videos”: Mothers Day) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAxfh8ukosQ  

Den byzantinske kejserinstitution overlevede den vestromerske med næsten 1000 år. Konstantinopel var en nærmest uindtagelig fæstning, der blev flittigt vedligeholdt af lokalbefolkningen og derfor formåede man gang på gang at holde fjenden på afstand, mens man opførte storslåede bygningsværker som kristenhedens største kirke, Hagia Sofia. Med tiden svandt imperiet dog ind, og da nogen glemte at lukke bagdøren blev byen indtaget af osmannerne i 1453. Kejseren i Byzans forsvandt, men den russiske tsar så i eftertiden sig selv som kejserdømmets arvtager.

Ett marmorlejon i Venedig med runskrift från 1000-talet på sidan vad är det för märklig historia som döljer sig bakom det? Tor Billgren gräver i Pireuslejonets historia. ESSÄ: Detta är en text där skribenten reflekterar över ett ämne eller ett verk. Åsikter som uttrycks är skribentens egna. Venedig, senhösten 1799. Det är en orolig period i stadens historia. Den elvahundraåriga venetianska staten har nyligen fallit i Frankrikes italienska krig och Venedig styrs nu av den österrikiske kejsaren. En svensk befinner sig i staden vid den här tiden: Tolken och språkkännaren Johan David Åkerblad, idag mest känd för sin banbrytande tolkning av Rosettastenen. Men det skedde några år senare. Här i Venedig kommer han att upptäcka något annat. Johan David Åkerblad är 36 år och ute på en forsknings- och studieresa när han besöker staden. Han har en bakgrund som tolk och tjänsteman vid den svenska beskickningen i Konstantinopel, som på den tiden var det Osmanska Imperiets huvudstad. Förutom turkiska behärskar Åkerblad arabiska, persiska, koptiska och flera andra språk. Som alla besökare i Venedig beger han sig ut på långa promenader och besöker stadens många monument och historiska byggnader. Det är på en sån promenad, han gör sin upptäckt. På ett av marmorlejonen som står utanför entrén till stadens marinbas, Arsenale, noterar han något välbekant. Han går närmare, känner med handen, och jo, mycket riktigt: Runor. Två slingor, en på vardera sida av det tre meter höga lejonet. Historikern Fredrik Thomasson berättar mer om upptäckten i sin Åkerbladbiografi Rosettastenens förste tolkare. I den artikel där Åkerblad presenterar sitt fynd förundras han över att ingen tagit notis av runorna tidigare. Lejonet har ju stått där på samma plats i mer än hundra år när han hittar dem. De är visserligen slitna, men syns ändå tydligt, även på avstånd. Han raljerar över de Italienske lärde: hvad som ej är latin eller grekiska är dem merendels obekant eller ovigtigt. I artikeln slår han fast att inskrifterna är oläsliga, men av de skisser han har gjort, är det tydligt att hans kunskaper om runsvenska inte var lika goda som dem i arabiska, turkiska och koptiska. För visst är texterna läsbara, i alla fall delvis. Dessutom finns en tredje ristning som Åkerblad missade. Men hur kom det sig att nordbor reste till Venedig för tusen år sen för att rista runor på ett stort marmorlejon? Svaret är: Det gjorde de inte. Inte i Venedig i alla fall. För lejonet stod ursprungligen i den grekiska hamnstaden Pireus. Det kan dateras till 300-talet före Kristus och var ett så prominent inslag i staden, att den på medeltiden kom att kallas Porto Leone - Lejonets hamn. På tiohundratalet var det vanligt att nordbor tog sig till det Östromerska riket för att tjänstgöra som legosoldater hos den bysantinske kejsaren. De kallades väringar. Det fanns stora rikedomar att hämta i form av krigsbyten. Många runstenar i Sverige, särskilt i Svealand, har uppförts till minne av väringar som omkommit österut, i Grekland, som nordborna kallade det Bysantiska, Östromerska riket. Och i de nordiska kungasagorna, som Snorre Sturlasons Heimskringla, har strapatserna i öst blivit poesi. En av de mest kända greklandsfararna är Harald Hårdråde, som sedermera blev kung av Norge. Men innan dess var han en mycket framgångsrik ledare för en stor trupp väringar som tjänstgjorde under den bysantinska kejsarinnan Zoë. På lakonisk vers berättas historierna om Haralds många segrar och allt guld han kom över.   Frejdhärjardrott! Du färgat fjäderbrun örnklo blodig innan du hitgick; as fick ulv där järnfjäten skulvo.   Om nordborna som ristade någon av inskrifterna på lejonet i Pireus ingick i just Haralds trupper, går inte att säga. Men det kan inte uteslutas. Tanken, att människorna som i eftervärlden blivit poesi och legend, skulle ha lämnat efter sig egna texter, är svindlande. Marmorlejonet kom till Venedig 1688, som krigsbyte efter att venetianerna besegrat turkarna, och efter något år hamnade det utanför stadens marinbas, där det står än idag. En av anledningarna till att venetianarna la så mycket möda på att få den enorma skulpturen hem till Venedig är att lejonet är stadens viktigaste symbol. Venedigs skyddshelgon, evangelisten Markus, symboliseras ju av just ett lejon. Efter Johan David Åkerblads upptäckt 1799 har många runlärda försökt tyda inskrifterna. Den senaste och mest utförliga analysen är gjord av runologen Thorgunn Snaedal, som undersökte skrifterna i omgångar mellan 2009 och 2013. Under olika årstider och med solen olika högt på himlen, har hon med ögon, fingertoppar och stort tålamod sökt sig fram över marmorn och kommit längre än någon annan uttolkare. Hennes mycket gedigna rapport är fängslande läsning. Genom att studera ornamentik och vilken typ av runor som använts, går det att dra flera slutsatser. Snaedal konstaterar till exempel i likhet med tidigare uttolkare, att de tre ristningarna är gjorda vid olika tillfällen, av olika personer. Men att det är svenska väringar som ligger bakom, är hon nästan säker på, eftersom bruket att rista runor och resa stenar strängt bara förekom i Sverige på tiohundratalet. Själva texten är skadad, men av kompositionen och ornamentiken går det att utläsa att denne Åsmund var en mycket skicklig runmästare. Textslingan på lejonets vänstra sida lyder enligt Snaedals tolkning och min förenklade bearbetning, så här: Truppens män högg runor efter Horse bonde. Svear ombesörjde detta på lejonet. Han föll innan han kunde uppbära en gäld. Som så ofta ristades runorna alltså till minne av någon, i detta fall Horse. Kanske var han truppens ledare? Kanske ingick han bara i manskapet. Hur som helst dog han innan han hade fått en gäld, det vill säga del i något krigsbyte. Det finns en annan, kortare text på lejonets vänstersida. Det är den som Åkerblad missade. Den är läsbar i sin helhet och lyder: Krigare eller unga män ristade runorna. Det vill säga helt vanligt klotter. Den tredje texten finns på lejonets högersida och är närmast oläslig, med undantag av några namn, bland annat Åsmund. Det är troligen han som ligger bakom ristningen. Själva texten är skadad, men av kompositionen och ornamentiken går det att utläsa att denne Åsmund var en mycket skicklig runmästare. I sin rapport är Thorgunn Snaedal full av beundran inför hans gedigna teknik och personliga stil. Att nordbor ristade runor här och där på sina resor är inte så märkligt. Ett annat exempel är runorna som finns på en balustrad i Hagia Sofia i Istanbul. Men hur kom det sig att det blev en grej bland svenska väringar att rista runor just på lejonet i Pireus? Det är troligen flera decennier mellan de olika inskriptionerna. Så hur kunde de som gjorde den andra och tredje ristningen veta att det redan fanns runor på lejonet? Kanske var de färgade, så att de syntes tydligt? Kanske fanns det någon form av rykte och ritual väringar emellan, som gick ut på att den som kommer till Pireus, ristar runor på lejonet ungefär som att som att kärlekspar fäster hänglås på broar som Pont des Arts i Paris? Marmorlejonet från Pireus ger oss en enastående direktkontakt till historien. Dels genom själva lejonet, som är 2300 år gammalt, det vill säga samtida med Alexander den Store. Dels genom de tusenåriga runorna, och berättelserna och levnadsödena som de ger ledtrådar till: Om den stackars Horse Bonde, som aldrig lyckades få något krigsbyte, och om den skicklige runmästaren Åsmund, vars budskap är höljt i dunkel. Tänk om det finns spegelbilder av dessa berättelser i Sverige? Tänk om det finns en runsten över Horse någonstans, rest av hans familj, som ju ofta skedde till minne av de som inte kom tillbaka från Grekland. Tänk om det finns andra ristningar Åsmund. Det är en förhoppning som Thorgunn Snaedal uttrycker i slutet av sin rapport. Tänk om sådana framtida fynd skulle kunna kasta ljus över det han ristade på marmorlejonet? Tor Billgren, frilansjournalist     Historien är inget som ligger fast och konstant i det förflutna utan den avtäcks ständigt mitt framför våra ögon. En upptäckt i Venedig leder till några sysslolösa sjömän på permission i Pireus, som leder oss ner under jorden nånstans i Svealand, där stenarna väntar på att upptäckas.   Avannons Tor Billgren stod för dagens essä. På Historiska Museet i Stockholm finns en avgjutning av lejonet, där runorna är färgade så att de syns tydligt. Thorgunn Snaedals [snajdall] rapport Runinskrifterna på Pireuslejonet i Venedig är utgiven av Riksantikvarieämbetet.

In this episode, Tom gets back to board gaming's roots by playing the ancient games of Hnefatafl (aka "The Viking Game" or "King's Table") and Nine Men's Morris with the help of Joseph Bjork and Joseph Fisher from Good and Basic. We get down and dirty with theories about why Hnefatafl pieces move as they do, what ancient graffiti lies in the Hagia Sofia, and question why Tic-Tac-Toe exists at all in the modern age. This episode is chock full of fun, facts, and more people named Joseph than you are frankly prepared to handle. You definitely want to check this one out! You can check out more from Good and Basic, including footage of us playing Hnefatafl and Nine Men's Morris at their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa92M881KJO0FqaOUb4xAqg

Anak ke-2! Kenalkan, Syua Ayusofia Pratomo. Perempuan, lahir 15 Mei 2018. Syua yang artinya Cahaya Bulan. Ayusofia yang artinya Ayu (cantik) dan Sofia (Bijak) dan juga diambil dari sebuah bangunan di Turki yang bernama Hagia Sofia. Sebuah gereja 500 tahun dan masjid 500 tahun yang sekarang dikenang sebagai keduanya. Semoga Syua bisa menerima bahwa perbedaan itu indah dan bisa hidup bertoleransi. Kami di sini overjoyed! Seneng banget! Izinkan kami berbagi kebahagiaan kami, proses lahirnya Syua. Semoga berkenan dan berguna ya. Bu Lanny Kuswandi:https://www.instagram.com/lannykuswandi/Drop us an email on ario_pratomo@yahoo.com or mention us on our social media.FOLLOW MEon instagram.com/sheggarioon twitter.com/sheggarioon youtube.com/sheggarioSpotify: open.spotify.com/user/sheggarioFOLLOW HERon instagram.com/nuchabachrion twitter.com/nuchabachri

Det kjente byggverket i Istanbul som sto ferdig i 537 anses for å være det største og det mest imponerende monumentet fra the bysantinske riket. Men hvordan kom det egentlig til verden, og hvorfor var det så viktig for Justantin og Theodora å få det ferdig på kun fem år? Den sanne historien bak Hagia Sofia, skjuler seg i dagens episode av «Mesterverket» See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

John 14:1-14 Image: Mosaic detail - Hagia Sofia, Istanbul.

I dagens radio bubb.la diskuterades att Bitnation ingått ett partnerskap med Estland för att leverera tjänster till e-medborgare, Kina vill bygga en ny kanal mellan Stilla havet och Atlanten, kommunen i Täby stänger ner populär hamburgerrestaurang, Ryssland kräver att Hagia Sofia åter blir kristen kyrka och Söderbor motsätter sig ny tunnelbanestation. Vi bekymrade oss också över civilisationens undergång när vi läste om hur den yngre generationen tänker och hur MP och V vill stoppa fiske och jakt. Dessutom intervjuades Boris om varför han kallar sig vänster och mot slutet av sändningen drabbades vi av en mystisk störning i form av en signal från en okänd planet. http://radio.bubb.la/radio-bubb-la-2811/

Justinian constructs one of the great buildings of history, the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople.  But what did he mean by it?

This week's episode of Communion Sanctorum is titled – “Justinian Sayin'”During the 5th C, while the Western Roman Empire was falling to the Goths, the Eastern Empire centered at Constantinople looked like it would carry on for centuries. Though it identified itself as Roman, historians refer to the Eastern region as the Byzantine Empire & Era. It gets that title from Byzantium, the city's name before Constantine made it his new capital.During the 5th C, the entire empire, both East & West went into decline. But in the 6th  Century, the Emperor Justinian I lead a major revival of Roman civilization. Reigning for nearly 40 years, Justinian not only brought about a re-flowering of culture in the East, he attempted to reassert control over those lands in the West that had fallen to barbarian control.A diverse picture of Justinian the Great has emerged. For years the standard way to see him was as an intelligent, ambitious, energetic, gregarious leader plagued by an unhealthy dose of vanity. Dare I say it? Why not: He wanted to make Rome Great Again. While that's been the traditional way of understanding Justinian, more recently, that image has been edited slightly by giving his wife and queen Theodora, a more prominent role in fueling his ambition. Whatever else we might say about this husband and wife team, they were certainly devout in their faith.Justinian's reign was bolstered by the careers of several capable generals who were able to translate his desire to retake the West into reality. The most famous of these generals was Belisarius, a military genius on par with Hannibal, Caesar, & Alexander. During Justinian's reign, portions of Italy, North Africa & Spain were reconquered & put under Byzantine rule.The Western emperors in Rome's long history tended to be more austere in the demonstrations of their authority by keeping their wardrobe simple & the customs related to their rule modest, as befitted the idea of the Augustus as Princeps = meaning 1st  Citizen. Eastern emperors went the other way & eschewed humility in favor of an Oriental, or what we might call “Persian” model of majesty. It began with Constantine who broke with the long-held western tradition of Imperial modesty & arrayed himself as a glorious Eastern Monarch. Following Constantine, Eastern emperors wore elaborate robes, crowns, & festooned their courts with ostentatious symbols of wealth & power.  Encouraged by Theodora, Justinian advanced this movement and made his court a grand showcase. When people appeared before the Emperor, they had to prostrate themselves, as though bowing before a god. The pomp and ceremony of Justinian's court were quickly duplicated by the church at Constantinople because of the close tie between church & state in the East.It was this ambition for glory that moved Justinian to embark on a massive building campaign. He commissioned the construction of entire towns, roads, bridges, baths, palaces, & a host of churches & monasteries. His enduring legacy was the Church of the Holy Wisdom, or Cathedral of St. Sophia, the main church of Constantinople. The Hagia Sofia was the epitome of a new style of architecture centered on the dome, the largest to be built to that time.  Visitors to the church would stand for hours in awe staring up at the dome, incredulous that such a span could be built by man. Though the rich interior façade of the church has been gutted by years of conflict, the basic structure stands to this day as one of Istanbul's premier attractions.Justinian was no mean theologian in his own right. As Emperor he wanted to unite the Church under one creed and worked hard to resolve the major dispute of the day; the divide between the Orthodox faith as expressed in the Council of Chalcedon & the Monophysites.By way of review; the Monophysites followed the teachings of Cyril of Alexandria who'd contended with Nestorius over the nature of Christ. Nestorius emphasized the human nature of Jesus, while Cyril emphasized Jesus' deity. The followers of both took their doctrines too far so that the Nestorians who went East into Persia tended to diminish the deity of Christ, while the Cyrillians who went south into Egypt, elevated Jesus' deity at the expense of his humanity. They put such an emphasis on his deity they became Monophysites; meaning 1 nature-ites.Justinian tried to reconcile the Orthodox faith centered at Constantinople with the Monophysites based in Egypt by finessing the words used to describe the faith. Even though the Council of Chalcedon had officially ended the dispute, there was still a rift between the Church at Constantinople and that in Egypt.Justinian tried to clarify how to understand the natures of Jesus as God & Human. Did He have 1 nature or 2? And if 2. How did those 2 natures co-exist in the Son of God? Were they separate & distinct or merged into something new? If they were distinct, was one superior to the other? This was the crux of the debate the Council of Chalcedon had struggled with and which both Cyril & Nestorius contended over.Justinian had partial success in getting moderate Monophysites to agree with his theology. He was helped by the work of a monk named Leo of Byzantium. Leo proposed that in Christ, his 2 natures were so co-mingled & united so that they formed one nature, he identified as the Logos.In 544 Emperor Justinian issued an edict condemning some pro-Nestorian writings. Many Western bishops thought the edict a scandalous refutation of the Chalcedonian Creed. They assumed Justinian had come out as a Monophysite. Pope Vigilius condemned the edict and broke off fellowship with the Patriarch of Constantinople because he supported the Emperor's edict. Shortly thereafter, when Pope Vigilius visited Constantinople, he did an abrupt about-face, adding his own censure to the condemned pro-Nestorian writings. Then in 550, after several bishops criticized this reversal, Vigilius did another & said the writings weren't prohibited after all.Nothing like being a stalwart pillar of an unwavering stand. Vigilius was consistent; he consistently wavered when under pressure.All of this created so much controversy that in 553 Justinian called the 5th Ecumenical Council at Constantinople. Though it was supposed to be a counsel of the whole church, Pope Vigilius refused to attend. At Justinian's demand, the Council affirmed his original edict of 544, further condemning anyone who supported the pro-Nestorian writings. The Emperor banished Vigilius for his refusal to attend, saying he would be reinstated only on condition of his accepting the Council's decision.Guess what Vigilius did. Yep. He relented and endorsed the Council's finding. So the result was that the Chalcedonian Creed was reinterpreted along far more Monophysite lines. Jesus' deity was elevated to the foreground while his humanity was relegated to a distant backwater. This became the official position of the Eastern Orthodox Church.But Justinian's desire to bring unity wasn't achieved. The Western bishops refused to recognize the Council of Constantinople's interpretation of the Chalcedon Creed.  And while the new spin on Jesus' nature was embraced in the East, the hard-core Monophysites of Egypt stood their ground. They'd come to hold their theology with a fierce regional loyalty. To accept Justinian's formulation was deemed a compromise they saw not only as heretical but as unpatriotic. They vehemently refused to come under the control of Constantinople.What Justinian was unable to do by theological compromise and diplomacy, he attempted, by force. After all, as they say, a War is just diplomacy by other means. And as Justinian might say, “What good is it being King if you can't bash heads whenever you want?”The Emperor also sought to eradicate the last vestiges of paganism throughout the Empire. He commanded both civil officials & church leaders to seek out all pagan cultic practices and pre-Christian Greek philosophy and bring an immediate end to them. He closed the schools of Athens, the last institutions teaching Greek philosophy. He allowed the Jews to continue their faith but sought to regulate their practices. He decreed the death penalty for Manichaeans and other heretics like the Montanists. When his harsh policies stirred up rebellion, he was ruthless in putting it down.Toward the end of his reign, his wife Theodora's Monophysite beliefs influenced him to move further in that direction. He sought to recast the 5th Council's findings into a new form that would gain greater Monophysite support. This new view has been given the tongue-twisting label of Aph-thar-to-docetism.According to this view, even Jesus' physical body was divine so that from conception to death, it didn't change. This means Jesus didn't suffer or know the desires & passions of mortals.When he tried to impose this doctrine on the Church, the vast majority of bishops refused to comply. So Justinian made plans to enforce compliance but died before the campaign could begin, much to the relief of said bishops.Justinian took an active hand in ordering the Church in more than just theology. He passed laws dealing with various aspects of church life. He appointed bishops, assigned abbots to monasteries, ordained priests, managed church lands and oversaw the conduct of the clergy. He forbade the practice of simony; the sale of church offices. Being a church official could be quite lucrative, so the practice of simony was frequently a problem.The Emperor also forbade the clergy from attending chariot races and the theater. This seems harsh if we think of these as mere sporting and cultural events. They weren't. Both events were more often than not scenes of moral debauchery where ribald behavior was common. One did not attend a race for polite or dignified company. The races were à  well, racy. And the theater was a place where perversions were enacted onstage. That Justinian forbade clergy from attending these events means had been common for them to do so.He authorized bishops to function in a quasi-civil fashion by having them oversee public works and enforcing laws against vice. In some places, bishops served as governors.It was under Justinian that the church became an instrument of the state. That process had begun under Constantine but it wasn't until the 6th C under Justinian that it reached its zenith.Christianity continued to extend its influence along the borders of the Empire. With the re-conquest of North Africa, the Arianism that had taken root there was eradicated. The Faith moved up the Nile into what today we know as Sudan. The Berbers of North Africa were also converted. In Europe, Barbarian tribes along the Danube were reached.The divide between Monophysites & Orthodox Justinian had tried to heal continued to plague the church into the 7th C when a new thread emerged; Islam.Emperor after emperor knew a fragmented church meant a weakened society which would be easy prey to the new invaders. So they worked feverishly to bring about theological unity.Let's see – how do we bring the Orthodox & Monophysites together?Sergius, the Patriarch of Constantinople had an idea. Based on what were thought to be the writings of one of the early church fathers named Dionysis, Sergius thought he found support for a new idea that could reconcile the two sides. He said that while Jesus was both divine & human, He worked by only one energy. This sounded great to the Monophysites of Egypt and for a time it looked like there would be unity.  But other bishops cried foul, so Sergius quickly shifted ground and said, “Okay, forget the one energy deal and how about this; Christ was both divine & human but possessed only one will which was a merging of the 2 natures.” Pope Honorius put his stamp of approval on this view & now with the agreement of the 2 most influential churches, it looked like a theological slam-dunk. So in 638, Emperor Heraclius passed an edict expressing Sergius' views and forbidding further debate.The Emperor passed an edict – so that settles it right? >> Not quite.When Pope Honorius died, the next pope announced Jesus had two wills. Oh, & furthermore – that was the real position of Honorius – he'd just been misunderstood by Patriarch Sergius. Each Pope thereafter affirmed Jesus' divine & human wills as distinct though in harmony with each other. This view held sway in the West as opposed to Sergius' view which became the position of the East.When in 648 the issue threatened to once again tear the church & Empire in 2, Emperor Constans II declared all debate about 1 or 2 wills or energies, off-limits. But wouldn't you know it – when word of the ban reached Rome a year later, Pope Martin I called a synod to discuss the issue; decided Jesus had 2 wills and denounced the patriarch of Constantinople. The bishops also said, “How dare the Emperor tell us what we can and can't talk about!”Constans II decided to show the Pope how he dared and had him arrested & hauled to the capital where he was condemned, tortured, and banished. Martin died in exile.Then a funny thing happened. Not funny really – tragic more like. North Africa, that region of the Empire that had been so fastidiously devoted to Monophytism was conquered by Islam. And suddenly the debate lost its main voice. So Constantine IV, called a 6th Ecumenical council, again in Constantinople in 680. This council officially declared the idea of one energy & one will in Christ heretical. Jesus had 2 wills; one divine, the other human. The Council claimed its views were in accord with a similar council held in Rome a year before under the auspices of Pope Agatho.Most Church historians consider the 6th Council to be the last at which the nature of Jesus was the primary theological consideration. To be sure, the Nestorians continued to spread Eastward as they made their way to China and there were still pockets of monophytism in Egypt, but in both the Eastern & Western regions of the Empire, Orthodoxy or what is often called Catholic Christianity now held sway.