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I am a world traveler, currently in Thailand. I explore the country and describe what I see and do. I show my daily explorations via video on YouTube, Rumble, Odysee and Subscribe Star. If you want to know anything or see something in Thailand let me know.
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Pratu Chong Kut & Wat Rattana Chai (Wat Chin) - Last City Gate & Chinese Temple Ayutthaya Thailand

Wat Ratana Chai (Wat Jin) วัดร้ตนชัย

This active temple is located on the city island. This monastery is more commonly known under the name of Wat Jin (Chin) today, because many Chinese migrated to this part of the city. Wat Ratana Chai is located near the Pa Sak River, which makes it prone to seasonal flooding.

As an active monastery, Wat Ratanachai has all the basic architecture structures of a
Buddhist temple in Thailand. Nearly all of these architectural structures date to the Ratanakosin
period. The sermon hall also dates back to the
Ayutthaya Kingdom. A well-preserved pointed vault gate (Pratu Chong Kut) is next to Wat Ratana Chai. To visit it, you must enter the school west of this temple.

Wat Ratana Chai was located near three fortresses: Pom Phet, Pom Racha Clu, and
Pom Ho Rachakru. This area was very important for foreign trade during the Ayutthaya period because a major boat dock and many warehouses were nearby. A large, maritime, Chinese community lived and traded ...

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İstiklal from Taksim to Galata Tower - Exploring the Old Genoese Streets - Istanbul Turkey 2026

Taksim Square forms a central open plaza in Istanbul, historically linked to the city’s water distribution system and later transformed into a major public gathering space.

The Republic Monument, completed in the 1920s, commemorates the founding of the Turkish Republic and stands as a focal landmark amid the surrounding avenues and nearby Gezi Park.

From the square, İstiklal Avenue extends as a broad pedestrian thoroughfare once known as the Grand Rue de Pera, the cosmopolitan spine of the nineteenth-century European quarter. Lined with former embassies, ornate residential buildings, theaters, and commercial spaces, the avenue retains its role as one of Istanbul’s most visited corridors, featuring the historic tram line, cafés, bookstores, and the distinctive Gothic Revival façade of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua.

Descending toward the Golden Horn, the streets enter the Galata district, a former Genoese trading colony whose medieval layout of narrow lanes and steep slopes remains ...

Hagia Irene: Istanbul’s Oldest Surviving Byzantine Church From the 6th Century Istanbul Turkey 2026

Hagia Irene, known as the Church of Holy Peace, stands as the oldest surviving Byzantine church in Istanbul, a quiet sentinel within the outer courtyard of Topkapı Palace.

Long before the grandeur of Hagia Sophia rose nearby, this sacred space served as the principal church of the newly founded Constantinople, traditionally commissioned by Emperor Constantine the Great in the early fourth century.

It witnessed the city’s transformation from an ancient Greek colony into the eastern capital of the Roman Empire and briefly held the role of cathedral until Hagia Sophia’s completion in 360.

Destroyed by fire during the Nika Revolt of 532, it was rebuilt by Emperor Justinian I as a majestic domed basilica. A devastating earthquake in 740 led to further restoration under the iconoclast emperor Constantine V, who left behind one of its most striking features: a simple yet powerful mosaic cross on a gold ground in the apse, a rare surviving example of Iconoclastic art.

Unlike nearly every other ...

The Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) - UNESCO World Heritage Site - Turkey 2026

The Blue Mosque, officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is an iconic 17th-century Ottoman mosque in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet district. Renowned for its stunning blue Iznik tiles and six slender minarets, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site within Istanbul’s Historic Areas.

It remains an active mosque, drawing worshippers and tourists for its architectural grandeur and historical significance.

Commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I (1603–1617), it was built between 1609 and 1616 by architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, a student of Mimar Sinan. Intended to rival Hagia Sophia (directly opposite), it symbolized Ottoman power and piety after military setbacks.

The mosque sparked controversy for its six minarets, equaling Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram, resolved by adding a seventh minaret to Mecca.

Completed just before Ahmed I’s death at age 27, it has since been a centerpiece of Istanbul’s skyline. Restorations in the 19th and 21st centuries preserved its ornate interiors.

The mosque ...

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