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Constantinople

When the Byzantine Empire Fought the Vikings

The riches of the Byzantine Empire were coveted by many—from the Vikings in the northwest to the Arabs in the southeast. Constantinople was the Holy Grail. The Vikings, who crossed the Baltic Sea and descended across Eastern Europe, were the...

Hagia Sophia: The Center of Greek Orthodox Faith Through the Ages

The Hagia Sophia remains the symbolic center of Greek Orthodoxy, even centuries after its fall to the Ottomans and its conversion to a mosque.

7 Cities in Turkey of Great Greek Heritage

In today’s land of Asia Minor, cradle of ancient Greek scientific and philosophical thought, visitors still find the remnants of a great past.

Historic Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul Set to Reopen in 2024

The 130-year-old Panagia Evangelistria Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul is being restored and is set to reopen in 2024, the Turkish daily Hurriyet reports. Constructed in 1893 by the Greek Community of Beyoğlu, the place of worship has suffered damage...

How Did the Byzantines Celebrate Christmas?

In the fourth century AD, the Romans abandoned the Classical pagan pantheon for Christianity. This meant swapping Saturnalia festivities for Christmas celebrations. From these early beginnings, the surviving Byzantine Empire would inherit and modify its own Christmas traditions. As the...

Constantinople Greeks: The Cosmopolitans of Byzantium’s Capital

Most people are aware of the song “Istanbul was Constantinople” and perhaps no better than the Greeks of Istanbul themselves.

The Greek Orthodox Church Where People From All Faiths Make a Wish

Panagia Vefa is a Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul when on the first day of each month people of all faiths go to make a wish

Video Shows Fragments Falling From Dome of Hagia Sophia

A video from 2022 that recently came to light shows fragments falling on visitors from the dome of the Hagia Sophia, the former epicenter of Christian worship in Constantinople, today's Istanbul. The footage released by the Turkish newspaper, BirGün, raises...

The Mysterious Greek Fire Weapon of the Byzantine Empire

Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantines in naval battles, spewing fire that even burned on water

The Hidden Ruins of Byzantine Constantinople in Today’s Istanbul

The ruins of Byzantine culture in Constantinople remain intact to this day reminding the World of the great Byzantine Empire of centuries ago