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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Only a Poor Old Man, post: 4293451, member: 111037&quot;]Coin collecting has resulted in many of you becoming interested in the Byzantine empire, which is one of the greatest empires that most people have never heard of. This is a shame, as it is a fascinating part of history that would be worthy of a movie</p><p>or two if Hollywood were to ever discover that it was as interesting as the earlier Roman empire ever was. Perhaps, that&#039;s the problem as there wasn&#039;t really anything Roman about it, but it was simply a peaceful Greek takeover of the eastern part of the Roman territories. The 1054 schism between the eastern and western churches cemented the animosity between the western (Frankish) world and the Levantines.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092900[/ATTACH]&nbsp; </p><p>For many, the Byzantine empire is dead and it can only be seen and examined through old basilicas, history books, and of course coins. This is where they are wrong though.. A small part of the Byzantine empire survives to this day, with its political administration, rules, customs, calendar, architecture, even cusine, largely intact. This is the semi-autonomous monastic republic of Mount Athos which can be found in the Chalkidiki region of modern Greece and is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has borders, you need permission and a visa to enter, and if you do, you will find yourselves travelling back a thousand years into the heart of Byzantine orthodoxy.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092901[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Mount Athos is not small as the Vatican for example, but it is clearly defined in geographical terms. It is a mountainous peninsula which covers an area of 130 square miles with the highest peak at 2033 metres. This rugged and steep peninsula has had some historical fame from before the establisment of monasticism, as it was the place where the Persian King Darius lost 300 ships due to bad weather while attacking Greece, leading to his Successor Xerxes to build his famous canal in the foot of the peninsula. </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerxes_Canal" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerxes_Canal" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerxes_Canal</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Even though it is a peninsula, it can only be accessed by boat as the land border is walled and fenced. Only 110 visitors are allowed entry per day, and the number of non-Orthodox Christians is limited to 10 daily.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092902[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Also, women are not allowed into Mount Athos and this has been the case for the past 1000 years. The most practical reason being that the whole area is regarded as one big monastery, so this is done to protect the celibacy of the monks. In practical terms there are 20 main monasteries dotted around the peninsula, with a few smaller monastic settlements and plenty of hermitages in the most remote parts of the mountain.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092903[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>There are no asphalt roads in Athos, but only a network of footpaths and a number of dirt-roads opened in the last few decades for goods transport and forest fire control. This is part of the appeal to the modern visitor. The religious will visit Athos as a pilgrimage, but there is plenty to do for the secular visitor as well as it is a paradise for trecking, walking, and anyone interested in flora and fauna or Byzantine architecture and customs. The monks are friendly and hospitable and will not try to force their beliefs on anyone as long as the visitors respect theirs and their way of life.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092904[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>Historically, Mount Athos was home to hermit monks from as early as the 7th century, but it was established as a monastic community after the iconoclasm period ended. It </p><p>was officially proclaimed as such in the year 885 by emperor Basil I, and no laymen or farmers are allowed on the mountain since then. Great Lavra, the first big monastery that survives to this day was build by the monk Athanasios the Athonite in the year 962 with the support of the emperor Nicephorus Phocas. Since then, the peninsula and its status was protected by all the Byzantine emperors, with some of them ending up as monks in their later years.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092905[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>When the Byzantine empire fell to the Turks, Athos survived due to its remoteness and ruggedness and by the fact that the sultans where happy to allow the monasteries to survive as long as they were heavily taxed. It suffered from pirate raids over the years (that&#039;s why most monasteries look like fortresses) and it was heavily damaged during the Greek revolution, but amazingly it survives to this day. It&#039;s political structure and way of life hasn&#039;t changed a bit since the year 971 where a charter was drawed by emperor Ioannis Tzimiskes to govern the organization and administration of the Athonite State. This document survives to this day and is kept in the tower of Karyes, the only village in Athos.</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092906[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>There are no hotels or restaurants in Athos. Only a couple of inns, and shops selling basic supplies in the main port and the village of Karyes. Visitors need to apply for a visa that allows for a 3-night stay in Athos and costs 25 euros. Visitors stay and eat in the monasteries at no additional cost (some of them have no electricity), but are not allowed to stay in the same monastery for more than one night. There are some minivans that can transfer pilgrims from one monastery to another on the dirt-roads, but if you are fit the footpaths are the more interesting choice. Some of them are simple walks in the forest, some others are not suitable for those with fear of heights. The food is simple and spartan, but delicious especially if you have been walking for hours. There is no meat in Athos. Everything is vegetarian and even vegan on fasting days. But there are no fake sausage rolls here, some of the recipes are as old as the monasteries. </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1092907[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>I have been to Athos many times over the years and I took the photos displayed in this thread. I am not particularly religious, but I enjoy attending the midnight services in the candle-lit churches that last till the sunrise. Even the time is kept different in Athos according to the Byzantine tradition and the Julian calendar is still in use.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_time" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_time" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Byzantine_time</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Not many people know that this place exists. If you enjoy history and nature, it is very appealing and unique. Many will recognise the figures on their follis and solidus in the iconography and wall paintings of the monasteries. There is no place like this in the world and I have travelled quite a bit! Finally, here is a nice video someone took with a drone:</p><p><br /></p><p>[MEDIA=youtube]rBJ50fFzoaM[/MEDIA][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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