The greatest building of the Byzantine world was the Hagia Sophia - the Church of Holy Wisdom. Designed by the architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, construction of the third church was begun in A.D. 532, under the supervision of Emperor Justinian. The previous two churches had been burned down, the first in A.D. 404 by the angry supporters of the city's favorite preacher, John Chrysostom, after he was exiled by the Empress Eudoxia; the second ...

Imperious Istanbul is a golden city. Arriving just after dawn on a mild summer's morning, we drove along the Marmara Sea coastline and then across the Golden Horn to the first hill in the historic old city. Around every corner something ancient and timeless appears to the observant traveller - the red stone Haghia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom), the six spired blue tiled Sultan Ahmed mosque, a 13th century BC Egyptian obelisk, its hieroglyphics towering over the ...

And so we end our tour at Ephesus. The scenery surrounding the ancient city is spectacular. To the west lays the Aegean Sea. To the east and north pine forested hills reach back to the interior. A Byzantine fortress still stands watch over the modern town of Selcuk and its fertile fields that stretch along the Meandros River valley. Ephesus, the fourth largest city in the Roman empire, is picture perfect. We walked its marble streets awed by the architectural bri...

Our journey from Hierapolis through the fertile Meandros Valley to Miletus moved us closer to the end of our tour. As we crisscrossed traditional villages, steady rain slowed our progress, however the weather cleared whenever we alighted the bus to tour ancient temples and theatres. It will be sad to farewell the friends we have made and to finish our time travelling together. Have we been given a glimpse into the emotions of the Ephesian elders who travelled fif...

In the late afternoon sun we travelled to the ancient Ionian city of Priene. Sitting high above the Meander River on the southern slopes of Mount Mykale, it's remarkable not simply for its backdrop - a towering rock face casts its protective shadow over the site - but because of its design. Though the topography slopes downward, the city is planned with a Greco Roman grid pattern. It was an ordered city, and in its temple the goddess Athena was worshipped to main...