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doctornilaybailey · 3 days

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📜𝙼𝙴𝙴𝚃 𝙳𝙾𝙲𝚃𝙾𝚁 𝙽𝙸𝙻𝙰𝚈 𝙰𝚂𝙻𝙸𝙷𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙰𝙸𝙻𝙴𝚈📜

𓂀 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜

Pregnancy, attack, coma, placenta previa, abandonment, adoption, bullying, implied abuse

𓂀 𝚋𝚒𝚘𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚑𝚢

No one truly knows when someone who’ll become legendary later on in life is born. How history and destiny already have their eyes set on a person. Certainly, no one had expected for little Nilay to become someone like that. Especially not Ceren and Adem Aksoy. After all, who were they? Living originally in Mardin, not having much in money, yet over time giving birth to fraternal twins. A set of twins that they couldn’t afford. It had barely been a few days when they gave up little Nilay; Leaving her on the steps of a foster care organization in Mardin before they left for Istanbul. The Aksoys hadn’t left any information about their baby girl: not her name, not her birthday, nothing about her biological parents or her twin; Absolutely nothing. It was as if the baby girl showed up out of thin air.

The social workers had done everything they could to ensure Nilay’s safety and that she was well-provided for. Situating her in a group home while trying to find her a forever home. For the longest time, they thought it would be easy; She was a brilliant little girl with young, yet soulful, wise eyes. She excelled at school and kept being put in higher grades. Unfortunately, that didn’t leave her with many friends, if any at all. The child remained focused on her studies. With no prospective family, no stable home and being moved from one group home to the other (some were great, making her believe that she would finally find her forever home; some were horrible, leaving her wishing and hoping that she would find her forever home and leave those wretched places forever), and no friends, it was easier that way. She liked it.

At least, she told herself that. For about nine years. The day she met Doctors Jasmine and Richard Bailey, she hadn’t realized that her entire world was about to change forever. That this Brazilian-British couple, who were one of the richest families in the entire world, were about to adopt her and give her the life she could’ve only ever imagined having in her dreams.

From the moment she left with them, her life was suddenly an adventure outside of her books and imagination. They held home bases in London, Salvador, multiple cities in Egypt, Chicago, and Jerusalem; Both due to their families and due to their careers. Richard, Jasmine, their son, and Nilay traveled the world together, the two children being taught by their parents while on the job and visiting the world. This ended up proving to be the best form of schooling for young Nilay, until she graduated high school at the age of twelve. With the family stationed in Chicago for two years, she got her Bachelors at the University of Chicago with triple majors in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Classics, and Archaeology before moving to Cairo. Where she stayed between the ages of fourteen through twenty-four, using that as her own home base and eventually even becoming an Egyptian citizen. It was there that she worked on her Masters and Doctorate at the American University of Cairo, while also working on online schooling for a handful of other universities within the Mediterranean and Near East so that she could better her knowledge of the histories, civilizations, cultures, and languages of the region that she grew up in and loved. Of the region that has captivated her since childhood.

Of course, attending university in Cairo as a young teenager hadn’t been easy for her. While she more than excelled in her studies and in her extracurricular activities, the only friends she had in her life were one family that lived in Cairo, her professors, mentors, and the staff at the Egyptian Museum where she worked at the gift shop. Other students at the uni, especially the older students who had been there for years yet were suddenly shown up by a pipsqueak who was shy and quiet, weren’t too happy about having her there and surpassing them. While there were some who were subtle in showing their distaste for the girl they viewed as a smartass, there were others who were more than vocal about it. Eventually causing things to become so bad that she had to move off campus and at her parents’ home, trying not to be on campus too much for too long aside from class and her extracurricular activities. And if she was there for longer than initially planned, she was always with one of her professors. Her mentors acted as a sanctuary for her without their knowledge over what she was going through.

After her final graduation at the age of eighteen, she began to work at the museum full time. Having been promoted to work on the conservation team, after spending years in the gift shop then as a tour guide, and to work with all kinds of artefacts. While she loved her years there, she eventually moved to London to be closer to her family and to work at the British Museum. Using that time to work on what she wanted her first dig to be while also writing articles for a variety of archaeology, anthropology, and history-based publications. Things had seemed to be looking up for her once she figured things out and was preparing for her first dig season that she was to curate herself. Though, one night, she had gone out to celebrate with some of her colleagues a week before she was to return to her home when she met someone. With them both drunk and her excitement for the future making her feel bold, she shared the night with the stranger. It wasn’t until the next morning when she was sober and hungover that her usual embarrassment and shyness came rushing back in. She hadn’t gotten a good look at the man before she quickly left the hotel room. Telling herself that she would never remember her drunken night ever again.

Moving back to Egypt, she remained focused on her work. Between being on the dig to doing further research at the museum or libraries, Nilay kept her mind focused on the task at hand. It hadn’t been until two months later when she fainted at the excavation site and was rushed to the hospital. With her mentor and most trusted friend by her side, her entire world was changed: she was pregnant. And she had no idea who the father was, having never gotten his name nor even seeing his face while sober.

For the days afterwards, she struggled over what to do concerning the baby. She felt like she wasn’t the best person to raise a child and to become a parent, especially not by herself while she tried to work on her career. Yet the idea of giving the child up for adoption and foster care like she had felt wrong. After all, Nilay had first hand experience with how awful some foster homes could be; Was it fair to risk putting her own child through what she went through? The longer she contemplated things and tried to use work as a distraction, the further along she went into her pregnancy. It hadn’t been until her fourth month when she began to experience agonizing pain that her fear was suddenly escalated. As it turned out, she had placenta previa. And it was possible that she could die if she had this baby.

But the Egyptologist couldn’t give her up. As much as she tried not to think about it for too long, she had begun to love her daughter. She had begun to want her. With the rest of her excavation being put on hold and her family moving to Cairo to take care of her, Nilay focused on bringing her daughter into the world. And while labour had resulted in extreme blood loss, her dying for a moment, and being in a coma for a few days, Nilay woke up. And she met her daughter, Hatshepsut Alexandria Bailey, for the first time. Born in March of 2017.

Nothing had prepared her for how much she loved her daughter. As soon as she was old enough, she began to bring her on her excavations, to all the historical sites and museums that she fell in love with over the course of her life. When Nilay discovered an underground secret temple full of scrolls and scientific equipment dating back to the time of the Library of Alexandria, Hattie had been there. When she would attend conferences all around the globe and do lectures at universities, Hattie was her little helper. When she was promoting her first book and had filmed her first documentary for CuriosityStream, Hattie had joined her along for the ride. Life in Cairo had been good for the little family. However, it was time for a change. And that change came in the form of Blue Harbour, Illinois, back in 2020.

Receiving a job offer to be the curator for one of the new halls at the Chambers Museum and to teach a couple of courses in the Archaeology, Classics, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures departments for the Blue Harbor University, the anthropologist couldn’t be more than thrilled for the chance of a new adventure. And Hattie had been ready to go with her as well. The mother-daughter team made their way to the States and began to work on their new life together. Though, the new job and new home wouldn’t be the biggest change in their life. No… No, that would come in the form of former Amethyst keyboardist and songwriter, Elijah Falvey.

For the longest time, she swore up and down to anyone and everyone that they were purely friends. Yet anyone could see that it was more than that. She fell in love with him, even though she wouldn’t admit that for the longest time. He had become her best friend and the person she trusted the most in her new home. Though, as fate would have it, the man had been falling in love with her in return. The two had been completely drawn together. Though, after Nilay had been attacked in the summer of 2021 and put in a coma, dying multiple times and being brought back, she knew that she needed to tell Eli the truth about her feelings for him. After some time to find the courage, and much inner struggling, they put away their stubbornness and fears to confess their feelings for each other in August 2021.

The two became a couple where, eventually, they discovered that they were pregnant. In spite of having happy months there, full of adventures and love and the two even moving in together, the pregnancy had thrown them in a loop. For over a month, they struggled over what they were going to do. Yet, after a health scare that resulted in the discovery of her facing placenta previa once more, the fear of death and them having limited time together brought them back together. Taking on the rest of the pregnancy together as a team and, fortunately, without much complications, brought their daughter Rhiannon Nurbanu Falvey into the world in July 2022.

Over the years of living together and working on their family, life has proven to be beautiful for the couple. Along with supporting each other's in their endeavors, both concerning their personal, careers, and those together, Nilay's love for Eli has only grown more and more with each passing day. And, as they've began to get closer to their third year anniversary, she has thought more about the future and what it could entail for them. Such as, potentially, a certain matching pair of bands on a certain finger on their left hands and a fancy paper as another, final step to confirm their commitment and love for each other.

𓂀 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜 & 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚜

📜When it comes to Nilay's career as a documentary hostess and author, her career claim is of historian Bettany Hughes. She has written these books:

Helen of Troy: Goddess, Princess, Whore (2017)

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities (2019)

Venus and Aphrodite (2022)

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (2024)

And participated in these television programmes:

The Nile: Egypt's Great River (2019)

Egypt's Great Treasures (2019)

A Greek Odyssey (2020)

Secrets of Pompeii's Greatest Treasures (2020)

Egypt's Great Mummies: Unwrapped with Doctor Nilay Bailey - Also known as Top Ten Treasures: Egyptian Mummies (2021)

Pompeii: Secrets of the Dead - One-off documentary (2021)

Doctor Nilay Bailey's Treasures of the World - Three series (2021-2024)

From Paris to Rome with Doctor Nilay Bailey - Travel series (2022)

Exploring India's Treasures with Doctor Nilay Bailey - Two-part documentary (2023)

📜When it comes to her content creating, her career is like that of MoAnInc and Dig It With Raven. With this blog, she does reviews over books and movies that pertain to classical history, civilizations, and mythologies; She does reactions to movies and shows while also going in-depth about their historical accuracies and inaccuracies; She talks about history, civilizations, languages, and mythologies; And more. She started up the channel back in 2019 following the success of her four-part series The Nile: Egypt's Great River. While she hasn't reached one million subscribers yet, she still has a good amount of nearly five hundred thousand.

📜Her adoptive family, the Baileys, have been the owners of the Jade Palace hotelier since the late 1800s and the global fusion restaurant, the Silk Road, in the 1980s. Her parents started working on the JP location in Blue Harbor back in early 2021 before opening officially in April 2022, along with the Silk Road that's located at the hotel yet opened for the public as well as guests.

📜Her parents moved to Blue Harbor in July 2021, after her attack. Wanting to be closer to their daughter and granddaughter, not wanting to risk something happening again only for them to not be there to help them. Which would eventually end up being a good idea once news of Nilay's pregnancy with Rhiannon became known.

📜Nilay left the university after having Rhia. However, she still goes on campus to see her old coworkers and any remaining students she taught, along with occasional lectures, so her presence on campus can still be constant from time to time.

📜Since moving to Blue Harbor in 2020 and being a member of the Chambers Museum, she has joined the town's Historical Society to help protect historical locations and to help inform residents and tourists about Blue Harbor's rich history. She and her family have become avid donators concerning the upkeep for Laurel Village, which is Nilay's personal favourite neighbourhood in town.

📜About every few months, and with a group of others, Nilay goes to the local cemetery to help clean the tombstones. She started doing this not too long after her attack and her brush with death again. It helps scratch the itch whenever she's not excavation, while also helping her feel more grounded. She often forgets that she's alive still; Sometimes, she feels more like a ghost in purgatory. Going to the cemetery and cleaning the tombstones, tracking down the names of those who reside there so she can research them, and bringing flowers when she can helps to remind her that she's not a part of their world—yet.

📜While not necessarily ghost hunting, per se, she sometimes likes to go to abandoned and/or "haunted" historical places. Much like the tombstone cleaning, she does this whenever she feels more ghost than human, and needed to be reminded that she's still alive. While she has yet to catch a ghost, she has wondered a few times if there might've been someone else with her instead of those a part of her party.

📜She's a massive geek for historical reenactments. While she's more partial to ancient, medieval, and the Victorian and Edwardian historical movements, Nilay's more than ready to give anything a try. She has done some videos on her channel of her recreating ancient civilizations wardrobes. One of her most popular videos was her recreating an ancient Anatolian and an Minoan outfits, along with doing historically accurate clothing for Disney characters Megara, Jane Porter, Ariel, and Jasmine, Dreamworks character Marina from Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, and an ancient Anatolian-inspired redesign of Wonder Woman.

📜She's an avid video gamer, completely obsessed with playing games such as Assassin's Creed, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Civilizations, Catan, and other similar games. She has done some videos for her YouTube channel talking about the games, particularly Assassin's Creed: Origins, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, and Assassin's Creed: Mirage, and some subscribers have recommended she start up a Twitch channel as well so that she could play those games with her audience there.

𓂀 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜

📜Nilay's Adoptive Parents - Jasmine and Richard Bailey

📜Nilay's Childhood Best Friend from Egypt

📜Nilay's Short-Term Ex-Partner

📜Nilay's Academic Rival

📜Nilay's Personal Assistants (0/2)

📜Nilay's YouTube Editor

📜Nilay's Former University Coworkers

📜Nilay's Current Museum Coworkers

📜Nilay's Friends

📜Nilay's Fans (YouTube, books, broadcasts, et cetera)

📜Fans of Elijah/Amethyst

#( facts & tidbits. 𓂀 )#intro.bh #tw: pregnancy #tw: attack #tw: coma #tw: placenta previa #tw: abandonment #tw: adoption #tw: bullying #tw: implied abuse #pregnancy tw #attack tw #coma tw #placenta previa tw #abandonment tw #adoption tw #bullying tw #implied abuse tw

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amirblogerov · 1 year

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New instructions to the Kurds personally from the American command

The loss of a strong US position in the Syrian Arab Republic is increasingly worrying the US military and political leadership. To influence the further course of events yesterday, March 4, the Chairman of the Committee of the Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Mark Milley, arrived in Syria with a surprise check. He visited the US-controlled al-Tanf base in the south of Homs province, as well as the Syrian Democratic Forces military base in Hasakeh province in northeast Syria. The official reason for the check was an assessment of the effectiveness of the fight against the ISIS terrorist group, as well as the safety of the US military in Syria. Our Syrian Democratic Forces sources said that shortly after the meeting of the commanding staff of the American and Kurdish forces, the units of the Syrian Democratic Forces were given the command to select the most capable fighters who would receive additional training in sabotage and reconnaissance activities. Our other source confirmed this information and added that 3 sabotage groups, which will include 20 soldiers each, are being prepared for transfer to the territory of neighboring Turkey. In the border province of Mardin, Kurdish saboteurs plan to carry out a series of terrorist attacks. Such instructions from the American masters further exacerbate the contradictions between the Turks and the Kurds and destabilize the situation in northeast Syria.

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unclesocky · 2 years

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A month trip around Turkey has come to an end. What a great adventure! Thanks “Tugberk Elazig Car Rental” for giving me a baby Fiat which served me well. Thanks to all my old and new friends for treating me well and recommending me beautiful places to visit! Cities: 26 (Elazığ, Diyarbakır, Batman, Mardin, Urfa, Adana, Mersin, Alanya, Antalya, Fethiye, Pamukkale, İzmir, Çanakkale, Edirne, İstanbul, Bursa, Eskişehir, Ankara, Zonguldak, Türkeli, Sinop, Samsun, Trabzon, Rize, Erzincan, Tunceli) Days: 30 Car rent: 6600 lira Distance: 6626 km Petrol (diesel): 2565 lira HGS: 350 lira Speeding fines: 832.5 lira Car repair: 980 lira Total: 11327.5 lira (not including hotels and food) (at Turkey) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck-3eY2POKr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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blueiskewl · 2 years

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An Ampulla was Discovered in the Ancient City of Dara, Turkey

An ampulla was found for the first time in the ancient city of Dara, located in the province of Mardin in southeast Turkey.

The ampulla is one of the artifacts unearthed in many ancient city excavations. However, the ampulla found in the Ancient City of Dara is not an interesting find just because it is the first. At the same time, the fact that it bears the fingerprint of the master who made the ampulla 1400 years ago makes it especially important.

Ampulla is the general name given to the fragrance containers that Christian pilgrims brought from there during their visit to the holy centers in ancient times.

Master’s fingerprints still remain

Providing information about the ampulla with the figure of Saint Menas on it, the head of the excavation, Kafkas University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Archeology Department Lecturer associate professor Hüseyin Metin said, “This 1400-year-old ampulla was used by pilgrims living in those times to carry cosmetics such as scented holy water or oil. Thus, with this finding, it was revealed that a holy pilgrimage was made from Dara to Egypt. Those who went to Egypt from Dara kept their cosmetic products such as fragrant holy water or oil in this ampulla,” he said.

Hüseyin Metin gave the following information to the DHA reporter about the story of the Christian saint Menas and the find:

“This artifact we found during excavations in Dara is one of the best finds. The artifact also has a story. Ampulla has a similar feature to today’s fragrance containers that the pilgrims who performed pilgrimage in the holy centers in ancient times brought to their hometowns from their destinations. There is a saint figure in the middle. There are kneeling camels on both sides and cross motifs on the top.”

“These ampullae have fairly standard forms. There are similar examples in many ancient cities excavated. There are examples of them in Africa, Anatolia, Europe, and some parts of Syria. The specimens found in Western Anatolia are quite standard and are called Western Anatolian ampullae and are quite different from the forms we see.”

The life story that started in Anatolia and ended in Alexandria

“Coming to the story of the saint here, we know that the saint was a soldier in the Phrygian region at the end of the 3rd century, during the reign of Diocletian. However, after the saint became a Christian and because of the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian against Christians, he left the army and went into seclusion. However, he was ordered to be killed by the emperor who heard this. We know that in the later period, his body was taken by his followers and buried in the Abu Mena region of Alexandria.”

“Pilgrims who went here made their pilgrimage by visiting Abu Saint Menas and brought cosmetic products such as holy water, oil, or fragrance in this type of materials from the places they came from. There is a very important feature of this coming out in Dara. Because this find had never been found here before. Of course in the 6th century, a large Christian population lived in Dara. With this material, we have determined that there are civilians who went to Abu Menas in Alexandria to perform the pilgrimage. Ampulla’s, as a result of the scientific studies we have done, we have determined that it is 1400 years old. It is a first-class molded material and still has the fingerprints of the master who made it.”

By Leman Altuntaş.

#An Ampulla was Discovered in the Ancient City of Dara Turkey #archeology #archeolgst #ancient artifacts #fragrance containers #history #history news #ancient history #ancient culture #ancient civilizations

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illirien · 5 years

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• • • 📍 #travel #travelling #mardin #vacation #visiting #traveler #instatravel #instago #wanderlust #trip #holiday #photooftheday #lifeofadventure #doyoutravel #tourism #tourist #instapassport #instatraveling #mytravelgram #travelgram #travelingram #igtravel #instalife #ig_worldphoto #lovelife #traveling #travelblog #instago (at Eski Mardin Evleri) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2tbaLjJ7Ks/?igshid=1kkja0e4i6yh8

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thesynaxarium · 3 years

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Today we celebrate the Holy Virgin Martyr Febronia of Nisibis. Saint Febronia suffered during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). She was raised at a monastery in the city of Sivapolis (Assyria). The head of the women’s monastery was the abbess Bryaena, the aunt of Saint Febronia. Being concerned about her niece’s salvation, she assigned her a stricter form of life than the other nuns. According to their monastic rule, on Fridays the sisters put aside their other duties and spent the whole day in prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture. The abbess usually assigned the reading to Saint Febronia. News of her pious life spread throughout the city. The illustrious young widow Hieria, a pagan, began to visit her, and under the influence of her guidance and prayer she accepted holy Baptism, bringing her parents and kinsfolk to the Christian Faith. Diocletian sent a detachment of soldiers to Assyria under the command of Lysimachus, Selinus and Primus for the destruction of Christians. Selenos, the uncle of Lysimachus, was noted for his fierce attitude against Christians, but Lysimachus was of a different frame of mind from him, since his mother had sought to inspire love for the Christian faith in her son, and she had died a Christian. Lysimachus had discussed with his kinsman Primus how it would be possible to deliver Christians from the hands of the torturer. When the detachment of soldiers approached the convent, its inhabitants hid. There remained only the abbess Bryaena, her helper Thomais and Saint Febronia, who was seriously ill at the time. (Cont.) (at Nusaybin, Beyazsu, Mardin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQgzzkijQc9/?utm_medium=tumblr

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apenitentialprayer · 3 years

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Friends of God, Mystic Visions, and Saintly Translationes

In addition to Ṭalḥa’s undecayed body itself, other narrative features of its discovery also echo late antique hagiography. Within the variant versions of this narrative found across several texts, Ṭalḥa’s exhumation is almost invariably occasioned by his appearance in a dream. This dreamer sometimes goes unnamed, as in 'Abd al-Razzaq's report of a nameless relative of Ṭalḥa receiving a visit from Ṭalḥa. Often, however, Ṭalḥa’s daughter ‘Ā’isha is specified as the one who receives Ṭalḥa’s message and who, as a result, unearths her father's body. For example:

‘Ā’isha bt. Ṭalḥa b. Ubayd Allāh saw her father -Ṭalḥa b. Ubayd Allāh- in a dream. He said to her, “O daughter, remove me from this place! The moisture has annoyed me.” She reported this thirty years or so after [he died]. She removed him from this place and he was fresh with nothing changed upon him.

In another version, an unnamed man describes his dream of Ṭalḥa complaining about his flooding grave to ‘Ā’isha bt. Ṭalḥa, who uncovers the body and finds that “he had not changed, except for some little hairs on one side of his beard or head.” While the dreamer varies, all these versions depict Ṭalḥa’s body being uncovered as a result of his appearance in a dream, demanding that he be moved to a new location. This recurrent theme strongly recalls late antique relic inventiones, in which a deceased holy person commonly appears in a dream or vision to guide someone to his or her relics in order to translate them to a new location. For example, the Passio of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste recounts how -after their charred remains are dumped in a river- the forty martyrs appear to a bishop and tell him, “Our relics are hidden in the river: come at night and get us out!” In the Syriac life of the Mesopotamian monk Benjamin of Nehardea, Benjamin visits the famous monasteries of Mount Izla, where the buried saint Mār Awgin (the traditional founder of Mesopotamia monasticism) appears to him in a vision, saying:

The foul heresy of Nestorius and Bar Sawma -servants of men, not of God- will, in the future, hold rule over our monastery and the land of the east. So take my body and the bodies of the ten blessed ancients that lay buried with me in my monastery on Mount Izla. Take them and place them in the monastery of Mār Solomon, below the monastery of Noṭpo, near Mardin, towards the east.

The saints’ expressed reasons for wanting to be moved vary in these different texts, ranging from the Forty Martyrs’ desire to be saved from a watery grave to Mār Awgin’s heresiological concern about who might have control of his burial place. In all these cases, the movement of the saint’s relics is precipitated by a dream or vision, demanding that a new location be found for the endangered saintly remains.

- Adam Bursi (A Holy Heretical Body: Ṭalḥa b. 'Ubayd Allāh's Corpse and Early Islamic Sectarianism)

#saints #relic #Talha ibn Ubaidullah #Holy Forty of Sebaste #awliya #Mar Awgin of Clysma

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kamccormickhnd1b · 4 years

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Inspiration: Yousuf Karsh

While on a zoom meeting today, someone mentioned a photographer named “Yousuf Karsh” and my lecturer confirmed he was a really great photographer. So I’ve decided to pick him as more inspiration for myself and below I will be adding some information about the man and some of his work.

Yousuf Karsh was born on December 23,1908, and passed away July 13, 2002. He was 93 years old at the time of his death. Karsh was an Armenian-Canadian photographer known for his portraits of notable individuals, he has been described as one of the greatest portrait photographers of the 20th century.

While an Armenian Genocide survivor, Karsh migrated to Canada as a refugee. By the 1930s he established himself as a significant photographer in Ottawa, where he lived most of his adult life, though he traveled extensively for work. His iconic 1941 photograph of Winston Churchill was a breakthrough point in his 60-year career, through which he took numerous photos of known political leaders, men and women of arts and sciences. Over 20 photos by Karsh appeared on the cover of Life magazine, until he retired in 1992.

Yousuf Karsh was born to Armenian parents Amsih Karsh, a merchant, and Bahai Nakash, on December 23, 1908 in Mardin, Diyarbekir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire.The city's Armenian population was largely Arabic-speaking.His Armenian name, Hovsep, is a variant of Joseph, while Yousuf is the Arabic version of the same name. He grew up during the Armenian Genocide, during which some of his family were murdered. Karsh and his family escaped to a refugee camp in Aleppo, Syria in 1922 in a month-long journey with a Kurdish caravan. The Economist noted in their obituary of Karsh that he "thought of himself as an Armenian" and, according to Vartan Gregorian, "Although he was proud to be Canadian, Karsh was equally proud to be Armenian."

Karsh in 1938

Karsh was sent to Canada by his family. He arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on December 31, 1923 by ship from Beirut. He immediately moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to live with his maternal uncle George Nakashian (Nakash), a portrait photographer. Karsh worked for, and was taught photography by his uncle. He gave Karsh a Box Brownie camera. From 1928 to 1931, Karsh apprenticed in Boston, Massachusetts for John H. Garo, the most prominent Armenian photographer in America at the time who had made a name for himself photographing Boston celebrities.

In 1932, Karsh opened his first studio in 1932, it was located on the second floor of a building at 130 Sparks Street, which was later named the Hardy Arcade. He was known professionally as "Karsh of Ottawa", which was also his signature. He achieved initial success by capturing the attention of Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who helped Karsh arrange photography sessions with visiting dignitaries.

Throughout his life, Karsh photographed "anyone who was anyone." When asked why he almost exclusively captured famous people, he replied, "I am working with the world's most remarkable cross-section of people. I do believe it's the minority who make the world go around, not the majority."

By the time he retired in 1992, more than 20 of his photos had appeared on the cover of Life magazine. Karsh's photos were known for their use of dramatic lighting, which became the hallmark of his portrait style. He had studied it with both Garo in Boston and at the Ottawa Little Theatre, of which he was a member.

in 1941, Karsh’s photograph of Winston Churchill brought him prominence. The photo was taken on December 30, 1941 in the chamber of the Speaker of the House of Commons in the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa after Churchill delivered a speech on World War II to the Canadian members of the parliament. It was arranged by Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Churchill is particularly noted for his posture and facial expression, which have been compared to the wartime feelings that prevailed in the UK: persistence in the face of an all-conquering enemy. The photo session was short and, just before exposure, Karsh moved towards Churchill and removed the cigar which he had in his hand. Churchill was miffed and showed his displeasure in the portrait.The photo, which according to The Economist is the "most reproduced portrait in the history of photography", has been described as one of the "most iconic portraits ever shot".

During World War II, Karsh photographed political and military leaders and began capturing photos of writers, actors, artists, musicians, scientists, and celebrities in the post-war period. His 1957 portrait of the American novelist Ernest Hemingway, which was shot at Hemingway's Cuban home Finca Vigia, is another well-known photo by Karsh.

Besides portraits of the famous, Karsh photographed assembly line workers in Windsor, Ontario, commissioned by the Ford Motor Company of Canada. He also photographed landscapes of Rome and the Holy Land to be included in books in collaboration with Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, an annual poster for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and other works.

I took a liking to this portrait of Albert Einstein the most out of Karsh’s work. Einstein is known worldwide for his genius and his contributions to the scientific world and life as we know it, so I thought it was interesting that Karsh had a dream to photograph Einstein and was able to achieve that dream. I like the use of black and white, but I also like that you can see where the light is focused: on Einstein’s face and hands, I feel it helps to highlight his profile a lot more and is a beautiful photograph to witness.

This is a portrait of Karsh’s wife, Solange Karsh, in 1958. I liked this image because of the use of shadows over light, Solange is more of a silhouette in this lighting than a well lit sitter. I liked that the background is lite thanks to sunlight and a beautiful woman is stood in the shadows with a cigarette, I liked how different it was to some of his other works where the sitter is lit up well from lighting. In most images, for me anyway, I feel a well lit subject becomes the main focus, the first thing your eyes go to, but this image does the opposite for me. My eyes are drawn to the shadowy figure before anything else in the image.

“To make enduring photographs, one must learn to see with one’s mind’s eye, for the heart and the mind are the true lens of the camera.”

That is what Yousuf wrote from long experience and what should come first as we think about his portraits.

His camera of choice was large format: 8 by 10 with an interchangeable 4 by 5 back. The developers were to his own formulae because that is what he learned from his early years with George Nakash and John Garo. For negatives, he used special chemicals that allowed a faint green light to reveal the deepening densities so he could judge each one individually. For prints, he had two developers, “hard” and “soft”, and sometimes both would be used on the same photograph–one to bathe the print, and the other to be applied in specific areas with a piece of cotton.

He preferred tungsten lights because he could see the results playing across the faces of his subjects, and they were less disruptive than the flash of strobes. It was like an artist who places paints in the same order on his palette to concentrate fully on the canvas. Yousuf would then make adjustments as the sitting progressed–sometimes minor, sometimes major, but never the same.

He worked with one assistant when traveling or in the studio so as not to break the concentration with his subject–no entourage for hair, make-up, or styling. He was in charge, no matter his subject, and he chose the locations and set-ups.

Once the lighting and composition were to his satisfaction, he would leave the camera with the shutter release innocently in his hand and engage his subject, ready to squeeze the bulb, capture a moment of truth, and share it with us.

That brings me to the final image here, I like that Karsh captured a moment of his wife dancing and smiling, it is a genuine and natural photograph beautifully lit. I like the contrast of the image too: while the background is so dark and there are shadows, Karsh’s wife is beautifully lit and dressed to counter that darkness.

I admire a lot of Karsh’s work, and for my seeing the light project, I hope to make work using him as my inspiration.

#seeing the light #seeingthelight #yousuf karsh #another photographer #black and white #working with light #pre production #preproduction #pre-production

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muhtesemz · 3 years

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Mocha, Jasmine, & Green tea

Mocha : Dream Job?

Umm what's my dream job? Well I'm doing my BSc in Engineering now. And I would like to continue my higher studies on the same topic. Teaching is my dream profession and after post-graduation InshaAllah I'll try to go into this profession. Please pray that I can be a good teacher in future.

Jasmine Tea : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Praying Taraweeh behind Shaykh Abdullah Al-Juhany at Makkah.

Istanbul - to visit Sultan Ahmet Cami, Aya Sofia Jami, Bosphorus and many other places.

Mardin - watching full-moon sitting by a fire.

Konya: visiting the place of Mevlana Rumi, want to know more about Sufism.

( and many others :P)

Green Tea : How tall are you?

168cm

#anon #ask

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marvellsofturkey · 3 years

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Traditional Mardin stone houses, which have been used throughout centuries, are made of yellow limestone and cut stone. The courtyard walls of the Mardin house producing a fortress effect, the vault types of monumental quality, its fragile arches crafted like lacework and moldings are the most prominent features. Hope to see you soon in Turkey 😊 ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ Owner of 📷 @gezentiadam ✌👌👍❤ ・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・ #marvellsofturkey #love #instagood #photooftheday #fashion #beautiful #happy #cute #tbt #like4like #followme #picoftheday #follow #me #selfie #summer #art #instadaily #friends #repost #nature #attractions #fun #visit #corona #antalya #istanbul #izmir #bodrum #turkey (at Mardin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNIkwfdFE_J/?igshid=od9txr7uk8eu

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merckiii · 3 years

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𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 : lale allen mardin ( @ensavage ) 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 : lale’s recidense

with a busy schedule as a new art teacher , it had been a while since she had seen her best friend. rezzan also didn’t want to interrupt lale’s writing sessions so she’d even text her before she’d call her. as rezzan had texted lale that they wanted to visit her; the mother and daughter decided to surprise her with her favorite cookies, thinking it’d go well with all the writing she had to get done.

once the two had made it to her front door, rezzan rang the bell while her daughter was jumping up and down as she was excited to see her teyze again after a long while.

#i hoPE THIS IS OKAY ♡#╰ * ... 𝐑𝐄𝐙𝐙𝐀𝐍 𝐒̧. › interactions !

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turkrecipes · 4 years

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Care for a cuppa Turkish tea in the sunset? Visit Mardin, a city on the Southeastern Turkey, to get this incredible scenery with traditional housing 😍 https://turkfoodsrecipes.com #turkey #mardin #turkishtea #visitturkey . 📸@cananulugol / Canan Ulugöl 📍 Mardin (Mardin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CG-pQAHFmSD/?igshid=jomm3fsbt3dm

#turkey #mardin #turkishtea #visitturkey

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parabellumrpg · 4 years

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Congratulations, Kelly! You’ve been accepted to play Ambrya Mardin. Please make your page and send it in within 24 hours.

A/N: Kelly, you know I adore you and everything you write. Ambrya is one of my favorite characters, and I’m so excited to see you bring her to life on the dash!

IC INFORMATION —

CHARACTER DESIRED

Ambrya Mardin

DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Ambrya is still very naive in some aspects. Despite having put herself out into the world at a very young age and being exposed to the harshness of the world, there’s still a very positive and upbeat attitude about the way Ambrya approaches life. She has come to feel like the world is her oyster and having the Alemans around seems to back that claim up. She loves distracting herself with her cosmetics line, modeling gigs, and roles in films and television. She’s been considering pulling away from the underworld she ented at a different time in her life, but has now come to be a little paranoid over the idea of what might happen to her if she did. Not knowing, or pretending to not know, exactly what the Alemans did when they weren’t actively playing the front of successful businessmen ended up being more taxing on her overly active imagination than she originally thought. Now every time they call on her for a favor, she’s worried that if she says no she might end up ‘disappearing’ or becoming the new Black Dahlia. With that in mind, she still respects and even ejoys the Alemans and most of their crew. When they keep things casual or strictly business related, she can almost pretend like their relationship is normal.

Even though she has now left her mother and father behind, she still loves them dearly and checks in with them frequently. She asks how home is, and promises to visit them again soon, but tries to avoid work talk as much as possible. She could tell them the truth about her projects in cosmetics, modeling, and film, but would feel like there was that overhanging piece of information about the Alemans that she just wouldn’t be able to explain. She also likes to stay as far away from her love life with them as possible. Her mind may have been far from the idea of settling down any time soon still, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t had her trysts here and there that she knew might ruin her relationship with her parents. Sometimes she wondered what they might get more upset about; her being with a woman, or her working with a cartel.

Although she does want to distance herself from the dirty side of the Aleman business, there are people that she has met because of them that she enjoys seeing and hanging out with. The moment the other business gets brought up, however, she instantly reverts back to a five year old who plugs their ears and pretends they don’t know what’s happening. She’d much rather gush over the details of one of her own business ventures, and gloss over the fact that the two sometimes go hand in hand.

WRITING SAMPLE

Ambrya giggled to herself as she scrolled through her phone, looking at some of the amusing photos and sayings of others. She lay comfortably on her bed, having just finished a conference call with some executives at her cosmetics brand and was feeling in a rather good mood. Things had been quiet lately, and she had finally taken the opportunity to relax a little and enjoy her new digs in Chicago. She’d already been there for some time, but she’d never actually bothered to make the place hers. Between almost constantly working and flying out to California, she hardly felt like she even had the time. That’s what personal interior designers were for.

Still, her schedule had opened up a bit more and she suddenly found herself with more free time than she knew what to do with. Exploring Chicago for real seemed like an interesting thing to do, if not a little touristy. She was interested in seeing that big bean statue that she remembered hearing about. Maybe going to a few museums. Definitely trying the pizza.

It all seemed so normal… Which made it feel weird.

Just as she was thinking it though, her phone began to buzz and an unfamiliar number flashed across her screen. She knew what that meant. The Alemans. Of course she had the actual brothers phone numbers saved in her phone for legal business purposes, but most of the people that worked under them remained anonymous in her book. Mostly as a safety precaution, but also because she didn’t want to feel guilty deleting any interaction from her phone if there was a real name attached to it. Instead she could answer the phone, or respond to the text message, and then delete it from her phone and from her own personal memory. Never happened.

Answering the phone, she heard a low masculine voice on the other end. He was letting her know that her guest house was no longer needed, and thank you for your services. A cleaning crew would come by later and put everything back good as new. Ambrya simply thanked them, waiting to hear if there was anything else she needed to know before finally hanging up and letting the phone rest on her chest as she brought her hands up to cover her face.

So much for a good day.

What had they been using her guest house for? Why did they need a cleaning crew? Was it just to put things back where they belonged after possibly getting jostled or moved around a bit? Or were there certain… liquids that needed to be cleaned up? No, no. No. She wasn’t going to let a two minute phone call ruin her good day. She’d had a successful business meeting, she was planning a tour of Chicago, she most likely would be meeting up with some friends later that night. That’s what she was going to concentrate on.

Sitting up from her bed, she tossed her phone to the side and walked over to her walk-in closet, throwing open the double doors to examine what was inside. If worse came to worse, she certainly could use a little alcohol when she went out that night to wipe the conversation from her memory. Now all she needed was to find the right outfit and she would be golden.

#accepted

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