Syria

[Barnabas]

I thought that , with the exception of iraq because of its rivers, the fertile crescent was no longer fertile, after all those years, like what happened to north africa.

[Heresson]

It's time for new pictures, from Syria and Turkey where I went during my holidays.

I will try to post them by places, but not quite in order in which I went to them. Here is Adana and Sabanci Merkez Camii, a giant mosque built by a a local millionaire.

[Heresson]

Here's more of it...

[Heresson]

And even more...

[Heresson]

Here's ethnographical museum in former crusaders' church, very well preserved - also in Adana

[Heresson]

Here's Yag Camii in Adana, once a church of St Jacob

[Heresson]

The above picture is not good, but I wanted to show the cool entrance. Here are some of the insides

[Heresson]

Here's the main mosque of Adana, fameous for its insides filled with ceramic (sp?) from Kutahya and Iznik - which I will not show, though

[Heresson]

Here's the courtyard of it

[Heresson]

Here's a sarcophagus from museum in Antioch (Antakya) - it's really nice, but in Karaman there's several similar ones.

[Heresson]

Antiochean museum is reknown for its mosaics. Here's probably the most fameous one.

[Heresson]

Here is a pair of lions, and the next picture shall be yet another one. As I told to my friend there, it's a sign I'm back to Syria from a trip to Turkey... (I wonder if someone will understand the joke here)

[Heresson]

the other one...

[Heresson]

I really like this statue. There's so much life in it.

[Heresson]

Here's a small view of Antioch: (Al-)Asi (Orontes) river, the main mosque and Silpius mountain.