Chris, I took a vacation to the middle east between the shooting times and
spent 3 days in Istanbul. Next to Rome this city is probably the most
interesting in terms of history and architecture. You mite be interested
in the Egyptian Obelisk that was stolen from Egypt in 380 AD by Emperor
Constantin. It is still standing next to the famous Blue Mosque in the square
with the Hogia Sofia. When I was there in the 90's it was still standing on
its original base 10 ft below street level. You can see how much rebuilding
has taken place due to quakes and wars. Roman Emperors were fascinated by
these Egyptian Obelisks as symbols of power. Many were moved from Egypt to
Rome. This fascination continued to almost modern day. Different rulers
moved more ancient Obelisks to Paris, London and Washington DC.

Dennis