Penmanship

The 1,200-year-old Eirene Tower in Istanbul has been transformed from a weaving atelier into an art gallery, where marbling, miniature and calligraphy arts are made.

Located in the historical Eminönü neighborhood in the Fatih district and built during the Middle Byzantine Period, Eirene Tower was once used as a weaving atelier.

A cache of 25 Roman letters has been found at Vindolanda, the fort below Hadrian’s Wall where the most famous documents from the Roman world were discovered in 1992, first-person accounts of cold feet, beer running short, and jolly birthday parties at the northernmost edge of the empire.

A photo taken on Tuesday showed Greece’s new Finance Minister posing with Eurogroup Chief Jeroen Dijsselbloem. Visible under his arm was a page of handwritten notes in English. Legible was a bit that warned – “no triumphalism” – possibly as a note to self regarding the Greek referendum.

The General Directorate of Foundations Calligraphy Museum in Istanbul is home to 3,000 calligraphy panels. Some are undergoing restoration by 20 experts Among thousands of artworks in the Turkish Calligraphy Arts Museum, affiliated with the General Directorate of Foundations, 563 are being restored by a team of 20 experts.