Greetings!
Our walk through the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus went well today. Not far away from our apartment, our passports were scanned at both the southern and northern edges of the Green Zone. Plenty of tourists were exploring the narrow streets and shops which dot the two mile square area. Unfortunately, every museum and mosque were also as closed as those in the south, and seemed to be using this time to undergo remodeling.
The
Buyuk Han, one of Cyprus largest and best-preserved
caravansarai which now houses craft artisans reminded us of those in Samarkand, Uzbekistan along the original Silk Road. The ground floor has a
mescit (islamic prayer room) balanced on six pillars over a fountain, in the middle of what once were stables for horses and camels. Upstairs are rooms where merchants were housed much like we are currently. This design is rare, and found only in two others in central Turkey.
We also got to visit the
Tas Eserler Muzesi (lapidary Museum), exhibiting stonework including a varied collection of medieval era examples of column capitals, stelae, and a gothic window rescued from the
Lusignan Palace that once stood near Ataturk Meydan. As Pat continues to be annoyed at my mention, there is a connection to my ancestors here.
Guy of Lusignan purchased Cyprus from my 22nd great granduncle (Richard the Lion-hearted), who used the funds to pay for the Third Crusade to take back Jerusalem from
Saladin. Earlier, traveling himself to Jerusalem, and becoming temporarily King of Jerusalem by marrying
Queen Sybilla in 1186, Guy lost the Battle of Hattin, and was captured by Saladin and released a few years later.
As I told Pat, like in quite a few of these buildings, a slight variation of the coat of arms of my family prominently proclaims a connection to our lineage. A rampant lion, the symbol of the Plantagenet monarchy, is an embarrassment in this case to all who acknowledge a family connection. Saladin should have killed the asshole for his direction of Renaud de Chatillon, and his many military infidelities.
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