40 Collections
Palmyra
Palmyra is the Roman name for the oasis city in central Syria that was called Tadmor by the Arabs. It was a major trading centre that reached its apogee in the first centuries AD before entering a decline as Roman-Sasanian hostilities disrupted the ancient trade routes on which the city depended for its prosperity. This decline continued during the Arab period and it was only in the C20th that the settlement expanded again. This was due to several factors; modern transport facilitating relatively easy access for tourists to the site's spectacular ruins and also the fact that a notorious prison for political dissidents was built besides the modern town of Tadmor and a large garrison of Syrian military personnel were accordingly based in the city. In May 2015 the site was overrun by the so-called Islamic State terrorist group and is now critically at risk.
Creator: Emma Loosley
Contributor: Emma Loosley
Joshua Bryant
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons
unless otherwise indicated
Type: Architecture
Jerusalem
The ancient city of Jerusalem is located at the heart of the Holy Land and lies in the Judean Hills with the Dead Sea to the East and the Mediterranean to the West in modern-day Israel. It has spiritual significance to followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. According to tradition, Jerusalem is where Solomon built his great temple, it is the place of Christ’s Passion and where the Prophet Muhammad visited on his Night Journey. Its history has long been (and unfortunately still is) a very turbulent one and its holy sites have long been fiercely fought over.
In terms of Jerusalem in the New Testament narratives, during the final week of His life Christ made His triumphal entry into the city upon an ass. Christ gathered together His Disciples for a Passover meal on Mount Zion at what is referred to as the Last Supper. The Garden of Gethsemane was the place Christ prayed whilst over-looking the holy city and where he was later arrested. He was tried before Pontius Pilate, Crucified on Golgotha and His body was entombed nearby. Following the Resurrection, He Ascended into Heaven from the Mount of Olives.
Pilgrims began to venerate these sites in the years immediately following His death. However, it was only by the fourth century and with the legalisation of the religion under the Emperor Constantine I that these holy sites were rediscovered. Constantine endowed churches built at the sites of the Crucifixion and Resurrection (the church of the Holy Sepulchre) and the site of the Ascension (the Eleona on the Mount of Olives). Vast numbers of pilgrims soon began to visit the city of Jerusalem to see, touch and venerate these holy sites. Whilst a great deal of the ancient city’s fabric is still extant, very little of its Late Antique history is visible to pilgrims and tourists today. Much of it lies beneath the modern city, which has sadly been built upon in recent years.
Creator: Lucy O'Connor
Date of Visit: 1st July to 8th August 2013, 8th October to 6th November 2014
Contributor: Lucy O'Connor
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons unless otherwise indicated
Type: Architecture
Raqqa 
Raqqa is currently synonymous with IS, but before the Syrian Civil War it was known throughout Syria as an early centre of Islamic civilisation renowned for its high quality ceramics. The region was also rich in Roman and Late Antique settlements and before reaching its height in the middle ages.
Creator: Emma Loosley
Contributor: Emma Loosley
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons unless otherwise indicated
Type: Archaeological find
The Qalamoun
The Qalamoun mountains are east of the anti-Lebanon mountain range and spread north from Damascus in the direction of Homs. A number of the towns and villages of this region have ancient Christian populations and some of them are best known for their continued use of Aramaic.
Creator: Emma Loosley
Contributor: Emma Loosley
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons unless otherwise indicated
Type: Architecture
Tusheti
Whereas the Svans of the western High Caucasus are notably Christian, albeit in a syncretistic form that retains many pre-Christian elements, the other mountain peoples of Georgia have retained far more pagan traditions and in Tusheti there is little (if any) evidence of Christian worship. As in Svaneti the villages are arranged into 'Communities' and there are eight communities in all. In this case only the names of the villages is included as there are no churches to catalogue and therefore no risk of repetition across communities as in Svaneti. This collection has been added to offer a juxtaposition to the evidence of extensive Christian occupation across central and southern Georgia.
Creator: Emma Loosley
Contributor: Emma Loosley
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons unless otherwise indicated
Type: Architecture
Dura Europos
Dura Europos is located on the west bank of the River Euphrates and was at the border of the Roman and Persian Empires in the ancient world. In 256 the city was abandoned by the Romans and, because they had built up earth ramparts along the walls, a number of buildings in that sector of the city had remained almost perfectly preserved.
In the early C20th the ruins were rediscovered and spectacularly revealed a synagogue with figural frescoes that entirely changed our understanding of Jewish Art. In addition fragments of fresco in another, more modest building revealed it to be the earliest securely dated place of Christian worship yet discovered and our only known example still extant of an early Christian house-church.
Creator: Emma Loosley
Contributor: Emma Loosley
Rights: Metadata and all media released under Creative Commons unless otherwise indicated
Type: Archaeology
Erzurum
Erzurum is one of the largest provinces in Turkey and the capital city, Erzurum, has been valued and utilised for strategic purposes for many centuries and has been heavily contested. It still has major military installations in and around the city.
This collection only contains images of the citadel at Erzurum taken in May 2015.
Creator: Joshua Bryant
Date of Visit: 14th May 2015
Contributor: Joshua Bryant
Rights: Metadata and all media released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA International licence unless otherwise indicated
Ani
Ani once served as the capital city of the medieval Armenian kingdom and now lies just inside Turkey, abutting the border with modern Armenia. Until fairly recently, due to it's proximity to the border with Armenia, the whole city had been off limits to tourists as it lay within a militarised zone. During the 20th century the city was subject to vandalism, looting, deliberate destruction and questionable quality archaeological excavations that have all left their mark on the site and diminished it's splendour and how much could be learnt from it. This vast area is certainly still subject to looting and vandalism but it remains an archaeological and architectural treasure that demonstrates the former glories of the medieval Armenian people.
These images were taken in a single visit made in May 2015.
Creator: Joshua Bryant
Date of Visit: 16th May 2015
Contributor: Joshua Bryant
Rights: Metadata and all media released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA International licence unless otherwise indicated
Van
The province of Van in eastern Turkey occupies the eastern shores of Lake Van. Known as the Sea of Van to the locals, the lake is the largest in Turkey. The province is bordered to the east by Iran. The provincial capital, after which the province is named was the capital city of the Kingdom of Uratu and the greatly impressive citadel occupied by them remained in use for millennia with traces of each civilisation that occupied it still visible. The region had a very large Armenian population and had been part of several Armenian kingdoms prior to the early 20th century. The only visible evidence of any previous Armenian presence is the churches and monasteries to be found dotted around the province, the most famous of which is Aghtamar.
This file contains images of Aghtamar island taken in May 2015.
Creator: Joshua Bryant
Date of Visit: 18th May 2015
Contributor: Joshua Bryant
Rights: Metadata and all media released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA International licence unless otherwise indicated
Ankara
This region, once an important crossroads in antiquity, fell into decline somewhat during the Ottoman Empire. However, since the small city of Ankara became the capital city of independent Turkey in the 1920's the regions fortunes have fared better. The city's size and population have boomed exponentially since the 1920's.
Much of it's ancient remains have been lost in the drive to develop and modernise the city. There are a few patches of architecture and archaeology that hint at Ankara's long and varied history.
This collection contains only images collected of the Kale and it's defences acquired in May and June 2015.
Creator: Joshua Bryant
Date of Visit: 25th June 2015, 1st May 2015
Contributor: Joshua Bryant
Rights: Metadata and all media released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA International licence unless otherwise indicated