Tunceli – holy mountains, romantic castles and fine wines
Elazig’s history, as ancient Harput, goes back to 3000BC. Today, it’s home to a prestigious university and is a thoroughly modern town. I took a domestic flight here from Istanbul’s […]
The Crescent in retreat
Cyprus is especially good on castles, including Paphos, Buffavento, Kyrenia, Kolossi and a few more, reflecting the island’s long and eventful history as a major trading stopover in the Mediterranean. […]
No sanctuary in Durham Cathedral
“Dear Sir – I came to visit our (not just your) beautiful cathedral last week. As I was taking a couple of photos without flash a bossy little woman in […]
Magical names and historical bastards
‘Wadi Rum’, ‘The Valley of the Moon’, ‘Seven Pillars of Wisdom’ – magical and evocative names all. As Dr Jones says at one point in Raiders, ‘This is what we […]
The Great Palace of Constantinople
I’m standing between two prize fighters in the middle of Istanbul. They’re staring each other down like Sumo wrestlers preparing to clash in an earth-shattering explosion of salt and dust. […]
Swooning and screaming
This tremendously evocative ruin reminds me of The Mysteries of Udolpho, which I read in my impressionable teens, when I was also swooning over Shelley and Chatterton. The experience of […]
Thomas Bewick – Wood Engraver Par Excellence
I recently had a break in Northumberland and dropped in to see a few favourite haunts as well as some new ones that have been opened since I unaccountably left […]
The Posh Washingtons of Olde England
This is Washington Old Hall in the North East of England, where I myself was born and bred. We have the originals of Washington, Boston, Concord and numerous other locations […]
At home with Sir Walter Scott
For anyone who loves Sir Walter Scott, Abbotsford is a place of pilgrimage. I arrived there on a drizzly afternoon in early September, crushing sodden leaves underfoot and tightening my […]
The 16th century internet
In the sixteenth century, modern science was struggling to free itself from medieval mysticism. Alchemy, astrology and magic were rife, although they were officially condemned by the religious authorities. All […]
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