Moana Kuewa

		2008.11.08 TURKEY Istanbul Mosaics Museum Location: TURKEY: Istanbul This museum was created simply by roofing over a part of the Great Palace of the Byzantine Emperors. The Great Palace in its heyday, had no equal in Europe and dazzled medieval visitors with its opulence. This great complex of buildings – including an array of apartments, state rooms, churches, courtyards and gardens – extended over a sloping, terraced site from the Hippodrome to the imperial harbor on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. The palace was built in stages, beginning under Constantine in the 4th century. It was enlarged by Justinian following the fire caused by the Nika Revolt in 532. Later emperors, especially the 9th century. Basil I, extended it further. After several hundred years of occupation, it was finally abandoned in the second half of the 13 century. The surviving mosaic floor shows a lively variety of wild and domestic beasts and includes some hunting and fighting scenes. It was thought to have adored the colonnade leading from the royal apartments to the imperial enclosure beside the Hippodrome and dates from the late 5th century AD. Traveling Individuals Names: Jeff Cheske and Christine Bauman * Some of the descriptions are taken from the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide - Turkey