Sultan calmly

“ Would you inform me that Europe boasts not its equal?” requested the Sultan calmly.

“ I’ve visited most of the cities of the west;” stated the obsequious rai’ah, “and I’ve seen nothing from the rising of the solar to its taking place, so good because the Serai Bournou.”

“ Chok chay—that’s a lot!” smiled the Sultan ; “ then the Franks are liars after they ship me issues like these, and inform me that they signify the palaces of their Padishahs ;”J and as he spoke he drew out a roll of paper which he held in his hand, and exhibited to the discomfited Armenian views of the completely different imperial and royal edifices of Europe. “ Have you ever ever seen any of those Serais ? and do they actually not resemble the drawings now earlier than me ?”

“ They do, might it please your highness; I’ve appeared on a lot of them.”

“ Then,” stated the Sultan, “ you’re unsuited to the enterprise which I con-template ; for none, save a rogue or a idiot, might class that place, fitted just for deeds of blood and thriller”—and he pointed as soon as extra in direction of the Serai Bournou; “ that place, hidden beneath excessive partitions, and amid darkish timber, as if it couldn’t courageous the sunshine of day; with these mild, laughing palaces, open to the free air, and the pure sunshine of heaven. Such would I’ve my very own ; and such it shall be:—now we have due to this fact met for the final time.”

And the Armenian, having prostrated himself earlier than the “ Lord of the Three Seas,” withdrew from the presence of his grasp to consolation himself as he may underneath his disappointment and shame.

Elegant kiosque

The bottom upon which the palace stands was previously occupied by a chic kiosque, constructed by Sultan Selim—a glittering gaily-tinted pavilion, wanting like an enormous tulip amid the cluster of cypresses within the centre of which it rose ; and a Tekie or chapel of Turning Dervishes; whose group, undaunted by the displeasure of the Sultan, continued within the occupation of their dwelling, though the partitions of the brand new palace grew increased from each day, till they pretty overtopped the extra modest roof of the holy constructing. To the frequent orders which they acquired to vacate their Tekie, they replied solely that they weren’t free to depart, because the)- guarded the ashes of a saint; whose tomb, surrounded by a lattice-work of vibrant inexperienced, about half manner up the peak above the channel, was certainly a conspicuous object from tbeir home windows. On this dilemma, the Sultan utilized to the Cheik-Islam, or Excessive Priest, to implement their removing: however he was once more met by a gentle refusal, the Cheik-Islam pleading the hazard of such a precedent, and declining all interference. Sultan Mahmoud heard him in silence, and didn’t once more agitate the query till the chapel was pretty in-built, when he merely knowledgeable the chief Dervish of the exact day on which he was to vacate the premises; or, in default of his so doing, the roof can be pulled concerning the ears of his group. The holy man stood aghast, however there was no different; and the brotherhood in a couple of hours took quiet possession of a good-looking home on the sting of the water, which had been remodeled to them by the Sultan, on the demise of the court docket jester, to whom it had beforehand belonged.

 

Fanar

“When on a go to on the Fanar, or Greek quarter of the town, 1 had as soon as a momentary glimpse of the widow’ of this celebrated insurgent. She was the daughter of a Greek papas, or priest, of Yanina, of nice magnificence and a few erudition, to whom the Pasha was reported to have been passionately hooked up; although she is accused (it’s uncertain with what justice) of getting stipulated to obtain her “ thirty items of silver” for betraying him to the Authorities, lie this as it might, it’s sure that she possessed nice affect over his thoughts ; and that it was fully by her arguments and entreaties that he was dissuaded from the determined intention of blowing her, himself, and his treasures, up with gunpowder, to forestall their falling into the palms of the Sultan; and that it was she who negotiated the affair between Ali and Hourchid Pasha; whereas it’s equally a reality, that permit her have made what compact she may, she obtained neither cash nor land from the Turkish Authorities after the execution of her husband, blit was turned over in a state of constructive destitution to the custody of the Patriarch, the place she actually owed her day by day comforts to the charity of the benevolent. She was a voluntary prisoner in her condominium, from which she seldom emerged save to attend some ceremony within the Patriarchal Church; and her time was stated to be usually handed in prayer.

The view from the cemetery is strikingly high-quality; on the one hand the town, throned on its seven hills, with a thousand stately domes gleaming within the sunshine, and a thousand taper minarets glancing in direction of heaven, stretches alongside the sting of the harbour, till the road is misplaced on the abrupt and palace-cumbered level of the traditional Byzantium ; past which can be descried the termination of the Bosphorus, and the mountain-chain of Bulgurlhu, on the Thracian shore of the channel.

Gently-flowing Barbyses

On the opposite facet of the land-locked harbour the gently-flowing Barbyses glides, like a silver thread, by means of the valley of Kyat Khana, to pay its tribute to the wealth-freighted waters of the Golden Horn; and on the verge of a small hamlet not above two furlongs from this calm stream, stands a small mosque, half buried in bushes, insignificant in look, and infrequently remarked by strangers; which is, nevertheless, too traditionally attention-grabbing to be handed over. It’s referred to as the “ Mosque of Blood,” and is painted a boring pink from the bottom of its partitions to the summit of its single minaret. It’s a desecrated temple, having been compelled over the last siege by a celebration of combatants, a few of whom expired beneath its roof, and thus introduced the presence of demise the place, on non secular rules, it’s by no means suffered to intrude ; whereas in its fast neighborhood rises a bleak, treeless, and desolate-looking eminence, occupied by the bones of all of the True Believers who perished throughout that memorable battle, to the quantity of some 1000’s : their stays have been revered, however there’s neither monument nor inscription to perpetuate the reminiscence of their good companies.

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Kyat-Khana

The locality owes its identify of Kyat-Khana, (actually signifying the Home of Paper,) to the truth that a paper manufactory was fashioned within the valley by a renegade, named Ibrahim, within the yr 1727, in the course of the reign of Aehmed 111. It was, nevertheless, deserted, in addition to a printing institution instituted by die similar particular person, in consequence of a refusal from the Ulema to allow the printing of the Koran, which they declared to be too holy to he submitted to so infidel a course of ; and the equipment and buildings had been in a state of virtually equal dilapidation, when Sultan Selim, the uncle and predecessor of the current sovereign, anxious to revive so helpful an artwork amongst his individuals, gave up the palace as a manufactory, and munificently inspired the re-establishment of the material; however he was fated to see this try fail, like many others which he made to ameliorate the situation of his topics, and which he finally expiated along with his life. All traces of the enterprise have now yanished from the valley, and the palace has change into as soon as extra an Imperial residence.

The smaller edifice to which allusion has been made, is a kiosque, additionally apper-taining to the Sultan, and occasional!)’ occupied by the excessive officers of the family : it stands on the very fringe of the Ilarbyses, and the caiques glide beneath the home windows, or shoot alongside beneath the thick branches of the bushes on the alternative financial institution, with a velocity which, to the attention of a stranger, is pcrfecllv shocking ; whereas the inmates of the kiosque smoke their chibouques in luxurious indolence, fanned by the air of the river, and amused by the passing groupcs.

Lovely Arabians

The valley itself is scrumptious ; the greensward is vivid and wealthy, to a level unknown in every other environ of the town. In spring it’s the grazing-ground of the Imperial stud; and the gorgeous Arabians are put in with nice pomp, picketted after the Japanese style, and superintended by events of Bulgarians, whose tents arc pitched within the valley, and who by no means give up it beneath any pretence till they’re launched from their cost. In summer time it’s the resort of all ranks; who, on each Friday (the Turkish Sabbath,) resort thither, to get pleasure from what none know higher how one can respect than the Orientals—a vivid sky, a working stream, flowers, leaves, and sunshine. Bullock-carriages, coated with gay- colored awnings of silken shag, fringed with gold; gilded arabas, drawn by swift horses; and caiques, the variety of whose elegantly-clad rowers denotes the rank or wealth of their house owners, pom- forth their tenants each second ; whereas the thick branches of the noble bushes shield entrance the glare of the solar events of white-veiled girls, who, squatted on their mats or carpets, and attended by their slaves, sit for hours listening to the Wallaehian and Bulgarian musicians, who gather paras* and praises at a really trifling expense of melody ; buying the prettily and considerably organized bouquets of the dark-eyed Bohemian flower-girls; or watching the ungainly dances of the Sclavonians, who, with their discordant bagpipes beneath their arms, carry out evolutions which resemble the saltatory makes an attempt of half-educated bears. Right here and there, a little bit aside from the group, could also be seen a celebration of G reeks, engaged of their swish romaika; whereas teams of pretty youngsters, and water-venders, and sweetmeat retailers, wander up and down the greensward, and are greeted with smiles and welcome on all sides. It’s, briefly, a spirit-stirring scene; and the poorer lessons who arc unable to command a carriage, or a caique, will cheerfully toil on foot from the town, beneath a scorching solar, with a view to safe their portion of the competition.

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Lends curiosity to St. Sergius and Bacchus

One other consideration that lends curiosity to St. Sergius and Bacchus is its hanging resemblance to the Church of S. Vitale at Ravenna. The latter was commenced in 526, a 12 months sooner than the previous, whereas Theodoric the Nice dominated his Ostrogoths within the honest metropolis beside the Adriatic. It was not accomplished, nonetheless, till 547, after the arms of Justinian had restored Ravenna to the Roman Empire. A comparability between the kindred buildings could be invidious. Let it suffice to say, talking broadly, that the outside preparations of SS. Sergius and Bacchus are superior to these of its western companion, whereas the inside of S. Vitale is extra stunning than the inside of the church on the shore of the Sea of Marmora. However, leaving comparisons between two stunning objects alone, it’s pertinent to recognise the inventive affect of Constantinople over Artwork within the West right here manifested. For, though the church buildings are too completely different for the one to have been copied from the opposite, they’re so comparable as to show the existence of a typical college of Artwork; a college which had its chief seat within the studios and workshops beside the Bosporus. Even among the supplies of S. Vitale had been imported from the East; amongst them, “melon- capitals” like these which adorn the columns on the ground-floor of SS. Sergius and Bacchus.

The similarity of the 2 church buildings has one more curiosity

The similarity of the 2 church buildings has one more curiosity. Their likeness constitutes them symbols of Justinian’s nice coverage—the reunion of the East and the West, a reunion maintained for some 200 years after its consummation. Since that unity was impaired, they’ve stood, one beside the Adriatic, the opposite beside the Marmora, like hills which erewhile shaped sides of the identical mountain, and rose to the identical peak, however which a merciless tide has tom aside and holds separate, regardless of their kinship.

However, maybe, the chief curiosity attaching to SS. Sergius and Bacchus is the truth that it represents a stage within the answer of the issue the way to crown a sq. constructing with a dome, the attribute mark of Byzantine structure.

To cowl a spherical constructing, spherical from summit to base just like the Pantheon, with a dome is com-paratively a straightforward matter, for in that case two round buildings meet and match collectively alongside the entire circuit of their circumferences. Alternatively, to set the spherical rim of a dome upon a sq. substructure appears an try to hitch figures which from the character of issues can by no means coalesce.