Latest news with #Iznik
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Türkiye, China open Jingdezhen porcelain flagship store in Istanbul
ISTANBUL, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye and China on Saturday inaugurated the first official Jingdezhen porcelain flagship store in Istanbul, marking a step forward in cultural and economic ties through a strategic partnership between the Chinese city and Türkiye's historic ceramic hub, Iznik. The boutique, located in Istanbul's upscale Fenerbahce district on the Asian side of the city, showcases a curated collection of fine tableware and decorative ceramics from Jingdezhen, a city in China's Jiangxi Province renowned for producing imperial porcelain since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The launch coincided with the signing of a cooperation agreement between Jingdezhen and Iznik, aimed at strengthening ceramic-focused exchanges between the two historic centers. The deal builds on a sister-city partnership established in 2021 and formalizes efforts to promote joint exhibitions, research, and trade initiatives. Jingdezhen, often referred to as China's "porcelain capital," has been at the heart of high-end ceramic production for over a millennium. Its abundant kaolin deposits and refined techniques helped create the translucent porcelain that came to symbolize Chinese craftsmanship and luxury across global markets. Iznik, meanwhile, rose to prominence during the 15th to 17th centuries under the Ottoman Empire, producing quartz-based pottery celebrated for its vibrant floral patterns. Influenced by Seljuk aesthetics and Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, Iznik ceramics became highly sought-after across Europe and the Islamic world.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sacred Mysteries: After 1700 years, Nicaea is still worth celebrating
I was wondering whether to pay a visit to Nicaea (now Iznik, in Turkey) for the 1700th anniversary of a momentous event there, but I was a bit put off by its not having a railway station. Luckily the good fathers who gathered there in 325 were not so easily deterred. I suppose they travelled by horse, mule or foot from Constantinople, though a ship would have helped across the Sea of Marmara, or the Propontis as it was then known. Worth celebrating now is that the bishops at the Council of Nicaea decided that Jesus Christ the Son of God is as much God as is God the Father. He wasn't just of a similar substance or being; he was of the same substance or being – 'God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made'. That looks like the belief of the author of St John's Gospel, though the doctrine may not be easy to apply to a person who was also born and died, and, as Christians believed, rose again. The doctrine was important since, if Jesus was not fully human and fully divine, he would have been incapable of achieving atonement between God and humanity. We should have been left crushed by sin and death, unable to enter the gates of heaven. Since mankind has an unquenchable appetite for the infinite, we'd be in the most tragic of positions. The religious party that wanted the bishops at Nicaea to regard the Son of God only as a creature like us were followers of Arius, an influential priest born in the 250s. An anniversary issue on Nicaea has been printed by Communio (a learned theological journal founded in 1972 by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI). In it, David M Gwynn considers how much Arius taught the errors attributed to him and how much his opponent St Athanasius should be regarded as the champion of orthodoxy. Dr Gwynn is reader in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway in the University of London. Athanasius, he points out, was only a young priest of about 30 when he attended the council as assistant to Alexander, the patriarch of Alexandria. But he suggests that Athanasius might have drafted Alexander's circular letter denouncing Arius. Dr Gwynn writes that the teaching of Arius could not be called heresy then, as 'there were no established orthodox answers to resolve the questions under discussion'. Perhaps not, but if it contradicted points of doctrine held by Christians, it could have been seen as false. Dr Gwynn quotes a summary by Athanasius of the doctrines of the Arians. 'Not always was the Son, for he was not until he was begotten… He is not proper to the essence of the Father, for he is a creature and a thing made… The Son does not know the Father exactly… He is not unchangeable, like the Father, but is changeable by nature, like the creatures.' Dr Gwynn finds all these assertions in Arius's writings except for the last, for Athanasius's opponents repeatedly insisted that the Son was 'unchangeable and set apart from all other creatures'. I don't know that this got the associates of Arius out of trouble. To be sure, being created is not being changed, since there was nothing to be changed from. But creation adds a new thing to the world of creatures, all susceptible to change. And to class the Son as a creature, even if set apart, distinguishes him from God in a way fatal to human salvation. Anyway Dr Gwynn argues that over-simplifying Athanasius's story 'understates the scale of his contribution in defining and securing the orthodox faith'. I certainly wouldn't want that either. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
24-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Sacred Mysteries: After 1700 years, Nicaea is still worth celebrating
I was wondering whether to pay a visit to Nicaea (now Iznik, in Turkey) for the 1700th anniversary of a momentous event there, but I was a bit put off by its not having a railway station. Luckily the good fathers who gathered there in 325 were not so easily deterred. I suppose they travelled by horse, mule or foot from Constantinople, though a ship would have helped across the Sea of Marmara, or the Propontis as it was then known. Worth celebrating now is that the bishops at the Council of Nicaea decided that Jesus Christ the Son of God is as much God as is God the Father. He wasn't just of a similar substance or being; he was of the same substance or being – 'God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made'. That looks like the belief of the author of St John's Gospel, though the doctrine may not be easy to apply to a person who was also born and died, and, as Christians believed, rose again. The doctrine was important since, if Jesus was not fully human and fully divine, he would have been incapable of achieving atonement between God and humanity. We should have been left crushed by sin and death, unable to enter the gates of heaven. Since mankind has an unquenchable appetite for the infinite, we'd be in the most tragic of positions. The religious party that wanted the bishops at Nicaea to regard the Son of God only as a creature like us were followers of Arius, an influential priest born in the 250s. An anniversary issue on Nicaea has been printed by Communio (a learned theological journal founded in 1972 by Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and Joseph Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI). In it, David M Gwynn considers how much Arius taught the errors attributed to him and how much his opponent St Athanasius should be regarded as the champion of orthodoxy. Dr Gwynn is reader in Ancient and Late Antique History at Royal Holloway in the University of London. Athanasius, he points out, was only a young priest of about 30 when he attended the council as assistant to Alexander, the patriarch of Alexandria. But he suggests that Athanasius might have drafted Alexander's circular letter denouncing Arius. Dr Gwynn writes that the teaching of Arius could not be called heresy then, as 'there were no established orthodox answers to resolve the questions under discussion'. Perhaps not, but if it contradicted points of doctrine held by Christians, it could have been seen as false. Dr Gwynn quotes a summary by Athanasius of the doctrines of the Arians. 'Not always was the Son, for he was not until he was begotten… He is not proper to the essence of the Father, for he is a creature and a thing made… The Son does not know the Father exactly… He is not unchangeable, like the Father, but is changeable by nature, like the creatures.' Dr Gwynn finds all these assertions in Arius's writings except for the last, for Athanasius's opponents repeatedly insisted that the Son was 'unchangeable and set apart from all other creatures'. I don't know that this got the associates of Arius out of trouble. To be sure, being created is not being changed, since there was nothing to be changed from. But creation adds a new thing to the world of creatures, all susceptible to change. And to class the Son as a creature, even if set apart, distinguishes him from God in a way fatal to human salvation. Anyway Dr Gwynn argues that over-simplifying Athanasius's story 'understates the scale of his contribution in defining and securing the orthodox faith'. I certainly wouldn't want that either.
The Age
15-05-2025
- The Age
Getting older, but still a backpacker at heart? This is the holiday for you
It's an auspicious start. After the customary meet and greet in the bar of our elegant four-star hotel in Istanbul, tour leader Orcun Korkmaz leads us to the rooftop terrace of an upmarket restaurant with one of the best views in the city. I find myself spinning like a whirling dervish, mesmerised by a sweeping vista of the Bosphorus Strait and the floodlit facades of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Dinner is an indulgent spread of traditional Turkish fare – kebabs, mezze and fresh seafood – that's punctuated by the call to prayer, a haunting back and forth between the nearby mosques. It's one of the most atmospheric dinners I've had in years – the kind of experience you'd expect on an exclusive itinerary with a luxury operator. Yet, I'm on a tour with a company that made its name by offering budget trips to cash-strapped backpackers. Started in 1990 by Canadian Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures is the world's largest small group adventure tour company with trips in more than 100 countries. In 2023, it realised that the travellers who'd booked tours 30 years ago were now looking for an elevated experience. They still craved active trips with like-minded people, but they wanted nicer accommodation, more cultural immersion and less 10-hour bus transfers. Enter Geluxe, a new tour style that purports to tick all these boxes while still giving back to local communities. This two-week itinerary is the concatenation of two shorter Geluxe trips: a seven-day jaunt from Istanbul to Sirince via Cappadocia and Ephesus, then an eight-day journey from Sirince to Gocek via Bodrum and Dalyan. It's an ambitious itinerary that promises big-city buzz, desert escapades, historic ruins and seaside frolics. Having been on several regular G Adventures tours, I'm curious whether the world's best-known budget tour operator can up its game for its increasingly discerning client base. Mosques, mountains and Roman ruins Our one full day in Istanbul is an action-packed romp through the city's old town, a bewildering maze of snaking alleyways choked with people and seemingly suicidal scooters. We tick off many of the city's big-ticket attractions, including the arresting six-minareted Blue Mosque, the subterranean Basilica Cistern (a spectacular Roman reservoir that's now an immersive art installation) and the 4000-plus stores within the cavernous Grand Bazaar. Korkmaz shows us lesser-known gems too, such as the intricate Iznik tiling in the diminutive Rustem Pasha Mosque and a network of elevated 17th-century passages lined with workshops known as a 'han'. Along the way, we sample a variety of authentic street food, including doner kebabs, pistachio-studded Turkish delight and a popular tahini-filled pastry. In an atmospheric shisha cafe, we enjoy Turkish tea with cheese-filled bagels and learn the art of tasseography, where your fortune is told using the coffee grounds left after a syrupy slug of Turkish coffee. From Istanbul, we fly, rather than drive, to Cappadocia and are plunged into its dramatic desert medley of soaring escarpments and basalt hoodoos. Cappadocia is the location of our OMG Stay (an especially memorable hotel) and OMG Day (a choice between two immersive experiences) – two features on every Geluxe tour. Exedra Hotel certainly ticks the OMG box – the palatial property has been carved out of the volcanic terrain, creating an intriguing labyrinth of subterranean rooms linked by terraces and courtyards. The OMG Day options are a guided hike or e-bike tour in the Meskendir Valley, a buckling lunar landscape of striking rock formations called fairy chimneys. Both activities turn out to be more intrepid than most of us are anticipating. Cycling on narrow sandy tracks while dodging horse riders and high-speed ATVs certainly elicits plenty of OMGs, plus several much stronger expletives. Cappadocia's distinctive topography gets all the glory, but the region also has several impressive historic sites. Goreme Open Air Museum is a complex of UNESCO-listed medieval cave churches carved by Byzantine monks. Hidden among a scrum of towering outcrops, many still contain colourful frescoes of prophets and saints. Even more astounding is Kaymakli Underground City, a vast underground network of chambers that once housed 3500 people. First constructed by the Phrygians in the 8th-century BC, it was expanded by Christians seeking shelter during the 400-year-long Arab-Byzantine wars. After descending into the bowels of the eight-level complex via narrow staircases and cramped tunnels, we discover an incredible warren of storerooms, living quarters and churches. Perched on an imposing 60-metre-high rocky outcrop, Uchisar Castle provides a refreshingly lofty contrast. The 200-step climb leaves us gasping but watching the desert landscape burnished in golden hues by the setting sun is a worthy reward. Of course, these are just warm-up acts for the tour's headline performer: Ephesus. Highlights include the Library of Celsus, a soaring marble facade decorated with statues of the four virtues; the Corinthian-style Temple of Hadrian with its impressive self-supporting main arch and the yawning Great Theatre, which could hold 25,000 people. Community interaction is a G Adventures staple, and we enjoy two delightful food-themed encounters – a fun gozleme cooking class with two sisters at a rustic village restaurant and dinner at a family home in the tiny Cappadocian hamlet of Zelve (population 45). After a delicious meal of lentil soup, stuffed eggplants and rice-filled sarma, host Mehmet brings out a five-litre flagon of homemade red wine. The rest is a bit of a blur. Hikes, tombs and the Turquoise Coast Of the 11 guests that started in Istanbul, only six of us are doing the full two-week trip, so we say farewell to the rest on the transition day, which is spent at Nisanyan Hotel, a delightful collection of villas nestled in the forested hills above the village of Sirince near Ephesus. We soon learn that it's practically impossible to go anywhere in Turkey without tripping over a ruin. We literally stumble across one during a coastal hike near the town of Ahmetbeyli, and then there are guided visits to the ancient Greek cities of Priene and Miletus, Bodrum Castle, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. While each site is notable in its own right, it's hard for anything to compete with Ephesus, and after several long, hot days of ruin scrambling, we're all a bit templed out. Fortunately, Dalyan provides the perfect antidote. A lively town strung along the banks of the Dalyan River, it's known for its natural mud baths, Lycian rock tombs and sandy Aegean beach. During a relaxing river cruise, we experience all three, starting by slathering ourselves in mineral-rich mud (as Cleopatra did, allegedly), before soaking in a sulphur-infused thermal pool. After a lunch of grilled trout and a rosé in a riverside restaurant, we glide past dramatic escarpments studded with intricately carved 4th-century-BC Lycian tombs. Last stop is Iztuzu Beach, a popular swimming spot that's also an important nesting site for loggerhead turtles. This trip's OMG Stay is the boutique Hotel Arp Dalyan. Its riverfront restaurant provides a captivating view of the tombs, particularly at night when they're illuminated by floodlights. The following day we hike part of the Lycian Way, a 760-kilometre-long trail that skirts the mountainous coastline between Fethiye and Antalya. There's a pitstop at the ruined ancient Lycian city of Pinara, followed by another home-cooked feast – this time a table-crowding platter of soups, dolma and tender baked chicken at the home of Mr and Mrs Hussain in the village of Minare. This is the inaugural departure of this Geluxe tour, so, inevitably, there are teething problems, specifically a long airport transit, one unremarkable hotel and some minor logistical gremlins. But overall, it's still a significant upgrade from a regular G Adventures departure, with characterful accommodation, more inclusions and a good balance of active and cultural experiences. Loading Like all the best trips, it finishes on a high – a private boat trip along Turkey's Turquoise Coast, a superyacht-dotted succession of tranquil bays lapped by teal water. It's a gruelling day of swims and strolls fuelled by barbecued sea bass, fresh salads and a secret chimichurri sauce made by the captain 'with love'. If this is the Geluxe life, sign me up. The details
Sydney Morning Herald
15-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Getting older, but still a backpacker at heart? This is the holiday for you
It's an auspicious start. After the customary meet and greet in the bar of our elegant four-star hotel in Istanbul, tour leader Orcun Korkmaz leads us to the rooftop terrace of an upmarket restaurant with one of the best views in the city. I find myself spinning like a whirling dervish, mesmerised by a sweeping vista of the Bosphorus Strait and the floodlit facades of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Dinner is an indulgent spread of traditional Turkish fare – kebabs, mezze and fresh seafood – that's punctuated by the call to prayer, a haunting back and forth between the nearby mosques. It's one of the most atmospheric dinners I've had in years – the kind of experience you'd expect on an exclusive itinerary with a luxury operator. Yet, I'm on a tour with a company that made its name by offering budget trips to cash-strapped backpackers. Started in 1990 by Canadian Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures is the world's largest small group adventure tour company with trips in more than 100 countries. In 2023, it realised that the travellers who'd booked tours 30 years ago were now looking for an elevated experience. They still craved active trips with like-minded people, but they wanted nicer accommodation, more cultural immersion and less 10-hour bus transfers. Enter Geluxe, a new tour style that purports to tick all these boxes while still giving back to local communities. This two-week itinerary is the concatenation of two shorter Geluxe trips: a seven-day jaunt from Istanbul to Sirince via Cappadocia and Ephesus, then an eight-day journey from Sirince to Gocek via Bodrum and Dalyan. It's an ambitious itinerary that promises big-city buzz, desert escapades, historic ruins and seaside frolics. Having been on several regular G Adventures tours, I'm curious whether the world's best-known budget tour operator can up its game for its increasingly discerning client base. Mosques, mountains and Roman ruins Our one full day in Istanbul is an action-packed romp through the city's old town, a bewildering maze of snaking alleyways choked with people and seemingly suicidal scooters. We tick off many of the city's big-ticket attractions, including the arresting six-minareted Blue Mosque, the subterranean Basilica Cistern (a spectacular Roman reservoir that's now an immersive art installation) and the 4000-plus stores within the cavernous Grand Bazaar. Korkmaz shows us lesser-known gems too, such as the intricate Iznik tiling in the diminutive Rustem Pasha Mosque and a network of elevated 17th-century passages lined with workshops known as a 'han'. Along the way, we sample a variety of authentic street food, including doner kebabs, pistachio-studded Turkish delight and a popular tahini-filled pastry. In an atmospheric shisha cafe, we enjoy Turkish tea with cheese-filled bagels and learn the art of tasseography, where your fortune is told using the coffee grounds left after a syrupy slug of Turkish coffee. From Istanbul, we fly, rather than drive, to Cappadocia and are plunged into its dramatic desert medley of soaring escarpments and basalt hoodoos. Cappadocia is the location of our OMG Stay (an especially memorable hotel) and OMG Day (a choice between two immersive experiences) – two features on every Geluxe tour. Exedra Hotel certainly ticks the OMG box – the palatial property has been carved out of the volcanic terrain, creating an intriguing labyrinth of subterranean rooms linked by terraces and courtyards. The OMG Day options are a guided hike or e-bike tour in the Meskendir Valley, a buckling lunar landscape of striking rock formations called fairy chimneys. Both activities turn out to be more intrepid than most of us are anticipating. Cycling on narrow sandy tracks while dodging horse riders and high-speed ATVs certainly elicits plenty of OMGs, plus several much stronger expletives. Cappadocia's distinctive topography gets all the glory, but the region also has several impressive historic sites. Goreme Open Air Museum is a complex of UNESCO-listed medieval cave churches carved by Byzantine monks. Hidden among a scrum of towering outcrops, many still contain colourful frescoes of prophets and saints. Even more astounding is Kaymakli Underground City, a vast underground network of chambers that once housed 3500 people. First constructed by the Phrygians in the 8th-century BC, it was expanded by Christians seeking shelter during the 400-year-long Arab-Byzantine wars. After descending into the bowels of the eight-level complex via narrow staircases and cramped tunnels, we discover an incredible warren of storerooms, living quarters and churches. Perched on an imposing 60-metre-high rocky outcrop, Uchisar Castle provides a refreshingly lofty contrast. The 200-step climb leaves us gasping but watching the desert landscape burnished in golden hues by the setting sun is a worthy reward. Of course, these are just warm-up acts for the tour's headline performer: Ephesus. Highlights include the Library of Celsus, a soaring marble facade decorated with statues of the four virtues; the Corinthian-style Temple of Hadrian with its impressive self-supporting main arch and the yawning Great Theatre, which could hold 25,000 people. Community interaction is a G Adventures staple, and we enjoy two delightful food-themed encounters – a fun gozleme cooking class with two sisters at a rustic village restaurant and dinner at a family home in the tiny Cappadocian hamlet of Zelve (population 45). After a delicious meal of lentil soup, stuffed eggplants and rice-filled sarma, host Mehmet brings out a five-litre flagon of homemade red wine. The rest is a bit of a blur. Hikes, tombs and the Turquoise Coast Of the 11 guests that started in Istanbul, only six of us are doing the full two-week trip, so we say farewell to the rest on the transition day, which is spent at Nisanyan Hotel, a delightful collection of villas nestled in the forested hills above the village of Sirince near Ephesus. We soon learn that it's practically impossible to go anywhere in Turkey without tripping over a ruin. We literally stumble across one during a coastal hike near the town of Ahmetbeyli, and then there are guided visits to the ancient Greek cities of Priene and Miletus, Bodrum Castle, the Temple of Apollo at Didyma and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. While each site is notable in its own right, it's hard for anything to compete with Ephesus, and after several long, hot days of ruin scrambling, we're all a bit templed out. Fortunately, Dalyan provides the perfect antidote. A lively town strung along the banks of the Dalyan River, it's known for its natural mud baths, Lycian rock tombs and sandy Aegean beach. During a relaxing river cruise, we experience all three, starting by slathering ourselves in mineral-rich mud (as Cleopatra did, allegedly), before soaking in a sulphur-infused thermal pool. After a lunch of grilled trout and a rosé in a riverside restaurant, we glide past dramatic escarpments studded with intricately carved 4th-century-BC Lycian tombs. Last stop is Iztuzu Beach, a popular swimming spot that's also an important nesting site for loggerhead turtles. This trip's OMG Stay is the boutique Hotel Arp Dalyan. Its riverfront restaurant provides a captivating view of the tombs, particularly at night when they're illuminated by floodlights. The following day we hike part of the Lycian Way, a 760-kilometre-long trail that skirts the mountainous coastline between Fethiye and Antalya. There's a pitstop at the ruined ancient Lycian city of Pinara, followed by another home-cooked feast – this time a table-crowding platter of soups, dolma and tender baked chicken at the home of Mr and Mrs Hussain in the village of Minare. This is the inaugural departure of this Geluxe tour, so, inevitably, there are teething problems, specifically a long airport transit, one unremarkable hotel and some minor logistical gremlins. But overall, it's still a significant upgrade from a regular G Adventures departure, with characterful accommodation, more inclusions and a good balance of active and cultural experiences. Loading Like all the best trips, it finishes on a high – a private boat trip along Turkey's Turquoise Coast, a superyacht-dotted succession of tranquil bays lapped by teal water. It's a gruelling day of swims and strolls fuelled by barbecued sea bass, fresh salads and a secret chimichurri sauce made by the captain 'with love'. If this is the Geluxe life, sign me up. The details
