﻿CONSTANTINOPLE 
  TODAY 
  

  

  67" 
  

  

  JU*JL**~, 
  

  

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  if 
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  1'll 
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  Photograph 
  from 
  Rear- 
  Admiral 
  C. 
  M. 
  Chester 
  

  

  A 
  JEWEL-CASE 
  PALACE 
  NEAR 
  THE 
  BANKS 
  OE 
  THE 
  SWEET 
  WATERS 
  OE 
  ASIA 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  blue 
  of 
  the 
  Bosporus 
  and 
  the 
  green 
  of 
  the 
  wooded 
  hills 
  there 
  are 
  many 
  

   kiosks 
  so 
  delicate 
  that 
  from 
  a 
  distant 
  vantage-point 
  they 
  resemble 
  boxes 
  of 
  carved 
  ivory. 
  

   Near 
  this 
  kiosk 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Sweet 
  Waters 
  of 
  Asia 
  are 
  the 
  picnic 
  grounds 
  which 
  

   Loti 
  and 
  other 
  writers 
  have 
  made 
  famous. 
  

  

  pointment, 
  for 
  one 
  finds 
  little 
  in 
  these 
  

   abandoned 
  buildings 
  to 
  satisfy 
  an 
  imagi- 
  

   nation 
  fed 
  with 
  tales 
  of 
  the 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   years 
  when 
  this 
  loveliest 
  of 
  spots 
  was 
  the 
  

   stronghold 
  and 
  horn* 
  of 
  Byzantine 
  em- 
  

   perors 
  and 
  Turkish 
  sultans. 
  Here 
  twenty- 
  

   five 
  sultans 
  were 
  born, 
  ascended 
  the 
  

   throne, 
  were 
  overthrown 
  or 
  strangled. 
  

   Here, 
  for 
  three 
  hundred 
  years, 
  were 
  

   hatched 
  the 
  plans 
  that 
  kept 
  Europe, 
  Asia, 
  

   and 
  Africa 
  trembling 
  with 
  forebodings. 
  

  

  The 
  Seraglio 
  is 
  situated 
  on 
  that 
  famous 
  

   point 
  of 
  land 
  that 
  extends 
  into 
  the 
  Sea 
  of 
  

   Marmora 
  at 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  this 
  body 
  of 
  

   water 
  with 
  the 
  Bosporus 
  and 
  the 
  Golden 
  

   Horn. 
  On 
  this 
  spot 
  stood 
  the 
  Acropolis 
  

   of 
  Byzantium. 
  Now 
  Seraglio 
  Point 
  is 
  

   divided 
  into 
  two 
  parts, 
  the 
  outer 
  grounds 
  

   and 
  the 
  Treasury. 
  The 
  Treasury 
  has 
  

   been 
  closed 
  for 
  many 
  months, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  

   whispered 
  that 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  celebrated 
  

   jewels 
  it 
  contained 
  have 
  been 
  converted 
  

   into 
  Turkish 
  pounds, 
  to 
  aid 
  the 
  ruined 
  

   government. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  worn 
  and 
  dusty 
  rooms 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  

  

  palace 
  are 
  shown 
  to 
  visitors 
  by 
  a 
  modern 
  

   young 
  poet 
  with 
  a 
  passion 
  for 
  translating 
  

   Omar's 
  quatrains 
  into 
  Turkish. 
  He 
  is 
  the 
  

   public 
  host 
  to 
  such 
  visitors 
  as 
  have 
  per- 
  

   mission 
  to 
  enter 
  the 
  grounds. 
  The 
  per- 
  

   mits 
  have 
  been 
  required 
  since 
  a 
  souvenir- 
  

   hunter 
  walked 
  off 
  with 
  a 
  gold 
  cup. 
  

  

  AN 
  ENCHANTING 
  PANORAMA 
  ALONE 
  IS 
  

   LEET 
  

  

  While 
  two 
  servants 
  brought 
  us 
  coffee 
  

   cups 
  on 
  a 
  tray 
  set 
  on 
  a 
  frayed 
  red 
  pillow, 
  

   the 
  host 
  quoted 
  verses. 
  

  

  After 
  coffee, 
  the 
  poet 
  led 
  us 
  out 
  to 
  see 
  

   the 
  view 
  which 
  is 
  all 
  that 
  is 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  

   former 
  splendor. 
  Spread 
  before 
  us 
  was 
  

   an 
  enchanting 
  panorama 
  of 
  the 
  Sea 
  of 
  

   Marmora, 
  the 
  Golden 
  Horn, 
  and 
  the 
  Bos- 
  

   porus, 
  with 
  three 
  cities 
  of 
  Constantinople 
  

   clustered 
  around 
  them, 
  resting 
  between 
  a 
  

   sapphire 
  sky 
  and 
  even 
  bluer 
  waters. 
  At 
  

   this 
  distance 
  we 
  looked 
  through 
  a 
  soft 
  

   gray 
  veil 
  at 
  the 
  rose-colored 
  roofs, 
  the 
  

   delicately 
  pinnacled 
  mosques 
  that 
  gleamed 
  

   whitely 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  the 
  Allied 
  fleet 
  

  

  