Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2016 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents – Europe and Asia. More than 14 million people call this vibrant city home. Here are five fun facts to get you started on your journey to this unique city. 1. Istanbul is just the latest in a line of names that this city has had. Until 1922, it was known as Constantinople. After World War I, it became part of the newly created Republic of Turkey. 2. Medusa can be found under the city of Istanbul! Well, SCULPTURES of Medusa can be found there – as part of the elaborate Basilica Cisterna. A water storage facility built at the order of Emperor Justinian I, the location is now one of the city’s top tourist attractions. 3. Rub-a-dub-dub!…

The Basilica Cisterna, the largest and most famous survivor of an ancient water storage system, lies underground near Hagia Sophia in the historic Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. Constantinople, as Istanbul was then known, had no natural fresh water sources. The city had earlier depended on rainwater collection and aqueducts to deliver water from a distance. Now far greater quantities were required to meet the Emperor Justinian I’s ambitious plans for expansion and he ordered the construction of a series of underground cisterns for storing water. The Basilica Cisterna was greatly enlarged from an existing cistern under the Stoa Basilica on a great square of Istanbul’s First Hill. Its main purpose was to provide water for the Great Palace and its surrounding buildings. Upon completion in 532, the Basilica Cistern measured…

It’s not hard to find a coffeehouse in Istanbul — they are everywhere. Coffee was brought to Istanbul in the late 15th century, but the city’s love affair with the beverage didn’t begin until the 16th century during the rule of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. The Sultan developed such a love for coffee that he appointed a chief coffee maker to his palace staff. The chief coffee maker ensured that the sultan received the perfect cup of kahve, Turkish coffee. Coffee beans were roasted to perfection over an open fire, finely ground, combined with water, and slowly brewed over the ashes of a charcoal fire. The sultan served coffee to palace guests, and it wasn’t long before the beverage was widely consumed. In 1555, two Arab merchants opened a coffeehouse…

CHARACTERS: Narrator 1, Narrator 2, Nasrettin, Innkeeper, Serkan (host), Berna (servant), Ahmet (guest), Kudret (guest) Narrator 1: Long ago, there lived a little, wise man by the name of Nasrettin Hoca. He wore a worn-out coat with patches upon patches and a huge white turban. Riding about on a small gray donkey, Nasrettin tried to help whomever he could. Narrator 2: One day, as he was riding by an inn, Nasrettin heard a great commotion. Inside the kitchen, a frisky goat had gotten loose. Kicking and tripping, she was knocking over pots, breaking dishes, and spilling cooking oil. The screaming cook and some travelers were slipping in the oil as they tried to catch the goat. Narrator 1: Nasrettin had always loved goats, and carried a sweet apple in his…

“Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere!” This line from a famous children’s book describes the streets of Istanbul perfectly. The city is brimming with stray cats, and dogs, too. The dogs are less popular, as they are considered unclean and shunned by some in the Islamic world. But cats have a better reputation; as a result the people of Istanbul take care of the stray cats rather than try to rid the city of them. Legend has it that Muhammad (the founder of Islam) had a favorite cat named Muezza that saved him from being bitten by a deadly snake. Sometime later, Muhammad was called to prayer, but Muezza had fallen asleep on the sleeve of his robe. Rather than disturb the cat, Muhammad cut off his sleeve.…

My name is Melis, and I live in Istanbul. I’m in the fifth grade. I have a little sister, Defne, and a cat named Tiger. Istanbul is an incredible and very historic city, located where the continents of Europe and Asia meet. The Bosporus Strait goes down the middle of the city, like a beautiful, blue river. Sometimes you can see dolphins in the Bosporus, as well as fishing boats, bustling water taxis, and huge ocean liners. It’s a noisy, lively place. Two bridges span the Bosporus, connecting Europe to Asia, and a third bridge is being built not far from my house. I live on the European side of Istanbul, close to the Black Sea. Sometimes we go to the seaside for brunch on weekends. It’s really lovely there.…

Istanbul has some of the finest architecture ever constructed. Hagia Sophia was built in A.D. 537 by order of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and remained the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years. It was said to have changed the history of architecture. Imagine the creativity there must have been behind the plans for such a spectacular building. It has architectural elements such as columns, towers, arches, and the famously large dome. If you were to design an amazing building, what architectural features would you want to include? You might not be able to build an actual cathedral, but how about making a clay relief using some of your ideas? Materials • Scrap paper for sketching plans• Air drying clay (AMACO Mablex self-hardening clay is a recommended brand)• A large…

For thousands of years, Istanbul was one of the most coveted cities in the entire world. Powerful empires fought for control of it, and it was invaded more than 60 times. It was a city that everyone wanted, and it was all because of its location. Istanbul is the only city in the world that sits on two continents. The eastern half of the city is located in Asia, and the western half is in Europe. It is ideally situated for trade between the two continents, and it has easy access to the sea. The Black Sea borders the city to the north, and the Sea of Marmara (the northeast extension of the Mediterranean Sea) borders it to the south. The Bosporus Strait (sometimes spelled Bosphorus), a very narrow waterway,…

Disappearance: Mystery #1 Agatha Christie left her suburban London home and vanished on the night of December 3, 1926. The next morning, her car was found — but not Christie. Great Britain launched its largest missing persons search in history. For 11 days, rumors swirled around the author’s bizarre disappearance, even making the front page of The New York Times. Eleven days later, she was discovered alone, at a spa hotel many miles away from her home — with no recollection of how she got there — or who she was. Christie, her family, and others said it was amnesia born of emotional distress, while others such as Christie expert Jared Cade (author of the biography, Agatha Christie and the Eleven Missing Days), says that “she deliberately staged her disappearance…

For most Americans, taking a bath is something to do when they are dirty, preferably alone in the privacy of their own bathroom. But if you live in Istanbul, or even if you are just visiting, you may choose to take a bath, in public, maybe even with some of your friends! The Turkish tradition of public baths dates to the Romans, who had public bathhouses where citizens went both for cleanliness and to socialize. A Roman bath included different rooms with bathwater ranging from cold to very hot. Bathers moved from one room to the next to experience every water temperature. The Turks merged the Roman bathing traditions with their own, adding a religious concern for cleanliness and the need to conserve water by bathing communally. The Turkish version,…

Four main gates lead to about 60 interconnected vaulted passageways or streets. The streets are named for the professions or vendors who were grouped on the lane – rug makers in one area, jewelers in another. The market holds 3,000 to 5,000 shops, most are the size of a parking spot. You will also find a mosque, an absolution fountain used to wash before entering a mosque; many inns, cafes and restaurants, and four fountains. Shops are open six days a week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. They are closed on Sundays and holidays. Construction began in 1461, shortly after the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The original market included two Bedenstens, or covered markets, in the design of a mosque with high vaulted ceilings. The bazaar…