First Turkey Posting - Location: Istanbul

Each day this week starting today, I will be adding one photo from my album of photos from Turkey. I was visiting this vast and awe inspiring country from August 22nd - August 31st, 2009. Which was sadly, not nearly enough time to see the beauty and history that is around every street corner. The first photo is from one of my favorite stops, the Harem at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. The combination of wood, tile, marble, ivory, stained glass, and gold was sent throughout the building. In this photo, I was lucky to capture 4 out of 6. The Harem was home to Sultan Mehmet II's wives, children, and servants. This photo makes me think of rhythm and order - which all good designs should have. It also speaks to the level of great care that went into each and every detail of the Palace. Not a single thing was over looked or taken lightly. There is nothing in today's architecture or interior design that even comes close to what the Ottoman Empire did.

I am not sure what will come out of all of the beautiful photos I have. I know that the mosaic tiles can be enough to inspire an entire collection! It is going to be process of intense self editing. The wood in this photo gives us a geometric print and the mosaic depicts pomegranates. Pomegranates are seen quite often in Ottoman motifs because the multitude of seeds that are found within a pomegranate signify an abundance of life. You have to look closer at the tiles in this photo to see the pomegranates.