Ottoman Empire – suemtravels

Sarajevo Farewell and Isa-begov Hamam

I spent my last day in Sarajevo walking around enjoying the beautiful city. In the late afternoon I had a hamam at Isa Beg Hamam Hotel in Bistrik. The process was different from Turkish hamams previously experienced. Isa Beg Hamam Process The hamam had a large Jacuzzi and steam room divided by a warm stone sitting…

Travnik and Jajce Central Bosnia-Herzegovina

By: suemtravels February 22, 2019September 10, 2019

Bosnia and Herzegovina, European CitiesBell Tower of St. Luke, Blue Water River, Bosnian Chronicle Ivo Andric, Bosnian Coffee, Bosnian Eyalet, Bosnian Trilogy Ivo Andric, Central Bosnia, Church of St. Mary or the Sultan Suleyman II Mosque, Commission for the Protection of National Monuments of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Elči Ibrahim-Pasha Madrassa, Ethnic Cleansing Travnik, Grand Vizier Prime Minister Ottoman Sultan, Independent Medieval Kingdom of Bosnia, Ivo Andric Yugoslav Novelist, Jajce, Jajce Catacombs, Jajce Second Conference of Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ), Jajce Waterfall, Jajce Watermills, Jeni Mosque, Konoba Plava Voda, Meet Bosnia, Ottoman Empire, Our Lady Vrilo, Plava Voda River, Pliva Lakes and Watermills, Pliva River, Sarajevo, Sulejmanija Mosque, The Bridge on the Drina Ivo Andric, The Woman from Sarajevo Ivo Andric, Travnik, Travnik cheese, Travnik Medieval Fortress, Vizier City, Vlašić Mountain, Vlašićki Cheese, Vrbas River, Šarena MosqueLeave a Comment

Wednesday was another warm, beautiful day in Sarajevo. We’ve had a run of “false spring” weather which was perfect for a tour of Travnik and Jajce in Central Bosnia-Herzegovina. The two towns are historically significant and known for their national monuments. Again, the group was small – me, Kathryn from Frankfurt, and Samir our Meet…

Pearls of Herzegovina

By: suemtravels February 19, 2019September 10, 2019

Bosnia and HerzegovinaBalkan Mountains, Balkans, Battle of Neretva, BiH, Blagaj Tekija, Blagaj Tekija Sufi Monastery, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Buna River, Cvrsnica Mountain, Fort of Počitelj, Gavrakanpetanović House International Art Colony, Hajji Alija Mosque, Hamam Public Baths, Han Public Inn, Hayruddin Turkish Builder, Herzegovina, Imaret Charitable Kitchen, Josip Broz Tito, Konjic, Konjic Old Stone Bridge, Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque Minaret, Kravice Falls, Kravice Waterfall, Kriva Ćuprija Arch Bridge, Kujundžiluk Bazaar, Kula, Légion d'Honneur, Medresa High School), Meet Bosnia, Mekteb Muslim Primary School, Mostar, Mostar Diving Club, Mostar Old Bridge, National Monuments Bosnia and Herzegovina, Neretva River, Neretva River Canyon, Neretva River Valley, Old Bridge of Mostar, Order of Bath, Ottoman Empire, Ottoman-Era Fortress Počitelj, Plavac Mali Grapes, Plavic Mali Winery, Pocitelj, Prenj Mountains, River Buna, Sahat-Kula Clock Tower, The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFR), Tito's Bunker, Tito's Nuclear Bunker, Tito’s Yugoslavia, Trebižat River, Turkish Builder Hayruddin, Velez Mountain, Wine Cellar Begić in Ljubuški Herzegovina, Yugoslav Partisans, Zlatar Mountain3 Comments

On Monday the weather was warm and beautiful so I took a long day tour of Herzegovina – 8 am until 9 pm. There were three of us – me, a German tourist from Frankfurt, and Adnan, our Meet Bosnia guide. It’s hard to say which places were favorites because everything was exceptional. The main…

Dubrovnik’s Fortresses

By: suemtravels January 13, 2019September 18, 2019

Croatia1667 Dubrovnik Earthquake, Adriatic Sea, Antonio Ferramolino Spanish Fortress Builder, Battle of Blackwater Game of Thrones, Bokar Fortress, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bridge, Casemate Fortress, Constantinople, Croatian Builder and Architect Ničifor Ranjina, Croatian Builder I. K. Zanchi, Croatian Poet Ivan Gundulić, Culture Club Revelin, Dock Gates, Dubrovnik Summer Festival, Dubrovnik Walls, Dubrovnik's City Bell Tower, Dubrovnik’s Maritime Museum and Aquarium, Dubrovnik’s Old Town, Florentine Michelozzo di Bartolomeo, Fort Gundulić . Master Croatian Builder and Architect Paskoje Miličević, Freedom is Not Sold for All the Gold in the World, Game of Thrones, great fortification systems of the Middle Ages, Irregular Quadrilateral Fortress, Italian Architect and Sculptor Michelozzo di Bartolomeo Michelozzi, Ivan Rabljanin Croatian Renaissance Master of Bronze Bells and Cannons, Juraj of Dalmatia Croatian Sculptor and Builder, Kolorina Bay), Kolorina Port, Lizard Cannon Lovrijenac Fortress, Lovrijenac Fortress, Lovrijenac Fortress - Gibraltar of Dubrovnik, Menčetić Family, Michelozzo di Bartolomeo of Florence, Middle Ages., Minčeta Fortress, NON BENE PRO TOTO LIBERTAS VENDITUR AURO, Ottoman Empire, Pile Gate, Pile Gate Bridge, Pile Gate Moat, Quadrilateral Fort, Revelin Fortress, Revelin Night Club, St. John Fortress, Two-Story Casemate Fortress, UNESCO list of World Heritage SitesLeave a Comment

Dubrovnik’s Old Medieval City has endless treasures and yesterday I enjoyed a guided tour of the five major fortresses around its walls. I’ve been waiting for the right time to take the two-hour “wall walk” and wanted to learn more about the Old City first. With changes throughout their history, Dubrovnik’s forts are some of…

Topkapi Palace Istanbul

During a previous visit to Istanbul I slighted Topkapi Palace, but made up for it by spending the better part of a day exploring the massive complex. The palace chambers are as entertaining to see as views of the Golden Horn are difficult to describe! Musical compositions have been written to praise the beauty of Topkapi…

Bodrum Turkey’s Medieval Castle

By: suemtravels April 27, 2013June 19, 2019

Bodrum, TurkeyBiodrum Turkey, Bodrum Castle, Bodrum Castle’s Museum of Underwater Archeology, Bodrum's Medieval Castle, Bodrum's Medieval Castle of St Peter, Carian Princess Ada, King Mausolus, Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes, Mausoleum of King Mausolus, Ottoman Empire, Sfenks, Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror, ZefiryaLeave a Comment

Bodrum’s medieval Castle of St Peter is on every tourist “must-see” list. The castle’s courtyards, turrets, galleries, and gardens are magnificent! Its stone walls dominate the Bodrum waterfront from land and sea, and its history is impressive. “The castle was a symbol of Christian Europe’s unity against Ottoman power.” The Knights Hospitaller of Rhodes began…

Whirling Dervishes

By: suemtravels March 15, 2013June 4, 2019

TurkeyAnatolia, Ayin, Hodjapasha Dance Center, Istanbul, Istanbul Turkey, Kanun, Konya, Mevlana, mevlevi sema ceremony, Mevleviye, Ney, Ottoman Empire, Sufi, Sufism, whirling dervishes1 Comment

Was it a dance performance, a spiritual ceremony, or both – not sure what to think about the Whirling Dervishes performance last night? It was mildly hypnotic but not what I expected. The proper name for a Whirling Dervishes performance is – Mevlevi Sema Ceremony. Founded in 1273, the Mevleviye are a Sufi order that…