Saint-Sophia Cathedral

Churches & Abbeys in Kiev, Ukraine

The fresh white walls, green, gold tipped domes of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev make it one of the city’s most striking and familiar monuments. There seems to be some local pride in it.

Byzantine in style the cathedral was painstakingly erected over two 11th Century decades. Its symmetrical appearance has five naves, 12 rounded green cupolas and one central golden one. The outside, all white looks clean and ageless, but inside its delicate frescos and mosaics, which were installed during construction, give away its age.

In the 30’s Saint Sophia narrowly escaped demolition and was instead turned, by the Soviet authorities into a historical and architectural museum. The Soviets pledged to return it to church use, but due to its history of usage by many different schools of faith there is contention about who gets it, which is a shame. It’s a beautiful religious building and it would be nice to see its naves and chapels reopened for business, though when I visited several years ago I found the museum fascinating, despite its slightly basic and moth eaten atmosphere.

Umm Qais and Gadara

Archaeological Sites in Irbid, Jordan

The ruins of the glorious old Roman city of Gadara have been part covered by the less magnificent modern city of Umm Qais. Gadara was a fort city set on a hill and the ruins are still surrounded by the ancient walls, crumbled and part submerged in places. Segments of a temple and basilica, two amphitheatres, a bathhouse, a hippodrome and other important buildings have survived along with a section of paved road, complete with chariot wheel grooves. Most of these date from the city’s heyday in the 2nd Century when it was a centre for commerce, academia and creativity. It’s position on the coast was key to trade routes of the ancient world between Syria and Palestine. The land condition around Gadara was also mint, with plenty of rain and rich soil, which added to the cities wealth and hence the money to be spent on architecture.

The theatres are probably the most attractive from a visitors perspective, one is rather grand in black basalt with well preserved box seats which would have belonged to the wealthy.

Archaeologists say the city could have been around since as far back as the 7th Century BC.

Gadara is also on the short list of locations where the Bible miracle concerning Jesus casting out demons from a man and into a herd of pigs could have taken place. All there is to go on is the description in the Bible so there is some contention there.

Alhambra

Castles & Palaces in Granada, Spain

The calm tinkle of water is the overriding first impression of the Alhambra palace. Built in a particularly arid spot, it is none the less a veritable park of water features; fountains run into ponds into little man made streams and channels into larger pools. The second thing you will probably note is the way, as the water features are like art, the rest of the details of the palace are as well: think intricate woodwork, careful mosaics and ceramics and complex calligraphy and designs rendered in plaster and tile. One particularly impressive room has a roof of inlaid cedar wood panelling made up of 8,000 pieces of jigsaw. Further back in the kings private quarters are themed rooms, many with indoor pools and channels.

The Alhambra is the world’s most carefully kept Muslim palace and dates originally from the 13th and 14th centuries. Originally built as a fortress in red stone, only parts of the original remain, much was redone in the new ‘pleasure palace’. The surrounding wall looks fairly weak and is more to offer the harem girls nice views than to defend the kings of Granada. It is now said to be one of the greatest examples of Islamic architecture.

Margat - Castle of the Watchtower)

Castles & Palaces in Tripoli, Lebanon

Like Krak des Chevaliers, Margat was a Syrian fortress, built on the highest point in the region and held during the crusades by the Knights Hospitaller. Its original Arab foundations were built on by the Byzantines before being sold to the Hospitallers who expanded it further. With fourteen round towers and fortifications in the latest French standards (similar also to Krak des Chevaliers), Margat’s position overlooking the sea on one side and thick walls enclosing the entire plateau the castle sits upon made it seem impregnable. Archaeological studies have unearthed arrow heads wedged in the walls from past attempts to take the fort, proving the effectiveness of building five metre thick walls!

Saladin had the castle under siege but was unable to take it and the Hospitallers retained the surrounding land until it was finally taken in a siege at the end of the Crusades, but only after the attacking army had mined deep into the cliffs on which Margat stands. Not wishing to destroy the fort, merely to take it, the Hospitallers were notified of the position of further mines so they could surrender it peacefully, it was then used as a military fort by the sieging army.

As well as the indomitable defences, Margat also protected a town complete with a large gothic chapel, which is one of the most interesting places in the castle, a very European looking construction of graceful vaulted ceilings and arched windows.

Margat is a fantastic architectural achievement. It was built on and developed over time so you can see the improvements made in military architecture as they were added to the fort. It is also historically interesting (hence my depth about the story of the place.). Don’t miss Margat thinking it is Krak des Chevaliers Mark II, it is worth a pilgrimage in its own right.

Krak des Chevaliers (Castle of the Knights)

Castles & Palaces in Syria

Krak des Chevaliers is one of the great Syrian Crusader fortresses. In excellent repair it is considered by many to be one of the most complete pieces of military architecture dating from this period in history. It also holds some of the best preserved Crusader frescoes in the world.

The first fortress on this site was finished around 1030. When the Crusaders arrived in Syria in 1099 it was taken and passed around before being settled and built on by the Knights Hospitaller (second only in fame and prestige to the Knights Templar.) in could hold around 2,000 men and with its strong, turreted defending wall it became a model for many later British Castles. It has two concentric walls with a ditch between them, the outer wall an impressive three meters in width and originally featured a dry moat and drawbridge and was designed to be able to withstand a siege lasting up to five years, luckily the Hospitallers were never called upon to test this claim, but they did tunnel impressive storage space into the cliffs below the fort and all siege attempts failed. As well as the defences and the art there are notable religious buildings making up the complex including a chapel which was converted into a mosque. Some of the internal architecture is interestingly Gothic, as was the French style at the time and includes a grand spiral staircase and high vaulted roofs suspended on grand columns.