|
Gallery of Romania's
churches, Gypsies, and Ottoman Muslim legacy
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
This is a combined gallery
of various Romanian Orthodox cathedrals, works of architecture,
and other traits of Romanian heritage from my 2007 vacation
to the coastal city of Constanta. Also included are images
of the bitterly-hated Gypsy (Roma) population, perceived (both
fairly and unfairly) as a tremendous source of crime and theft
in this society to which their ancestors immigrated centuries
ago from North India. Also available are some of Europe's
and Romania's largest and most beautiful mosques, a legacy
of 400 years of reviled Muslim Ottoman rule in this deeply
conservative Orthodox country. There are almost no Muslims
in Romania, but great Turkish investment allow Constanta's
mosques to shine radiantly. They stand as an example of the
unprovoked jihad of Ottoman conquest in Romania.
To see the complete history
of Romania and my personal observations that go along with
these photographs, read our Inside
Romania article.
My photo of a Gypsy family collecting their taken goods, with
the daughter at center nude. (click to enlarge)
My photo of the city's most beautiful building from the past,
with thousands of birds flying into it. (click to
enlarge)
My photo of the archeological museum with Constanta's unique
buses. (click to enlarge)
My photo of a strange Islamic-looking building, an obvious
influence of the Jihad's rule. (click to enlarge)
My photo of empty downtown Constanta. (click to enlarge)
My photo of an ancient Roman pillar near several tombs, written
in Greek.
My photo of Romania's Constanta downtown, with the center
building collapsed. (click to enlarge)
My photo of the poor center city. Clothes can be seen hanging
to be dried at the center. (click to enlarge)
My photo of a room with a visible ceiling completely collapsing.
Traffic in Bucarest is a mess, as nearly all wealth of Romania
is centered here (from vivid.ro)
My photo of the exterior of an Orthodox cathedral. (click
to enlarge)
My photo of another angle of the same church. (click
to enlarge)
My photo of the interior of the beautiful church, with candles
for the saints in the corner. (click to enlarge)
My photo of the deep interior of the church, with popes ready
to absolve faithful visitors with headscarves. (click
to enlarge)
My photo of
a fantastic ceiling artwork inside a cathedral. (click
to enlarge)
My photo of the exterior of a lovely mosque.
My photo of a close-up of the exterior, with Arabic written
above the door.
My photo of the amazing interior of the mosque.
My photo of a view of the city from the exclusive minaret
of the mosque.
________________________________________
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
No additional citations or
sources necessary.
|
