The fortress Heptapyrgion (Επταπύργιο, Yedi Kule). Thessaloniki, Greece. Rear part
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The fortress Heptapyrgion (Επταπύργιο, Yedi Kule). Thessaloniki, Greece. Rear part
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Panoramabild av
Alexander Hadji
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The fortress Heptapyrgion (Επταπύργιο, Yedi Kule). Thessaloniki, Greece. Rear part |
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The Heptapyrgion (archaic Greek Ἑπταπύργιον), modern Eptapyrgio (Επταπύργιο), also popularly known by its Ottoman Turkish name Yedi Kule (Γεντί Κουλέ), is a Byzantine and Ottoman-era fortress situated on the north-eastern corner of the acropolis of Thessaloniki in Greece. Despite its name, which in both languages means "Fortress of Seven Towers", it features ten, and was probably named after the Yedikule Fortress in Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey). It served as the major redoubt of the city's acropolis, as well as the seat of its garrison commander in Ottoman times, until the late 19th century. It was then converted to a prison (Φυλακές Επταπυργίου), which remained open until 1989. References to the infamous Yedi Kule prison abound in the Greek rebetika songs. Restoration and archaeological work began in the 1970s and continues to this day.
The Heptapyrgion (archaic Greek Ἑπταπύργιον), modern Eptapyrgio (Επταπύργιο), also popularly known by...
The Heptapyrgion (archaic Greek Ἑπταπύργιον), modern Eptapyrgio (Επταπύργιο), also popularly known by...
Heptapyrgion (archaic Greek Ἑπταπύργιον), modern Eptapyrgio (Επταπύργιο), also popularly known by it...
View on Thessaloniki from old city walls and Trigonoion (Chain) Tower Trigonion or chain Tower and th...
Sunset over Thessaloniki city in Greece.
Old Town in Thessaloniki: The Old Town (or else Ano Poli, or Upper Town) of Thessaloniki is located ...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.
The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.
Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".
Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.
Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights.
In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states.
Text by Steve Smith.
