Yerevan, Armenia

One day, Noah looked out and saw land for the first time. He was full of joy and shouted, “Yerevats!”, which means “It appeared!” in Armenian.

According to the legend, this is how Yerevan got its name.

Today, Yerevan is one of the oldest cities in the world. From the city, we can still see the beautiful Mount Ararat, reminding us of this ancient story.

Thank you for listening, and welcome to Yerevan!

In very, very ancient times, there lived a kind-hearted emperor named Constantine. Constantine loved Istanbul very much and wanted this beautiful city to always be safe. For this, he had a huge, very strong stone column built. This column was named Çemberlitaş.

According to the legend, Constantine had magical and sacred relics placed inside the column. These relics would protect Istanbul from evil, earthquakes, and fires. People felt safe when they looked at Çemberlitaş.

Years passed, centuries passed… The column aged, cracked, but never collapsed. Because iron rings were attached around it. That's why it was called Çemberlitaş.

One day, people began to tell a legend:

“If Istanbul enters a very difficult time, the magic in Çemberlitaş will awaken…”

And when that day came, light would shine from within the column, and Emperor Constantine would be reborn. He would protect Istanbul, reminding people of goodness, friendship, and hope.

That's why Çemberlitaş still stands. As if whispering to us:

"Hope never dies."

During the Byzantine era, an emperor heard a prophecy from a fortune teller about his beloved daughter: the princess would one day die as a result of snakes multiplying. The emperor wanted to prevent this fate and placed his daughter in the Maiden's Tower, located in the middle of the sea, far from land. He believed that no snake could reach her there and protected her greatly.

Years passed, the princess lived in safety, and the emperor believed the prophecy had been fulfilled. However, one day a snake, hidden in a fruit basket sent from the palace to the tower, appeared. The snake bit the princess, and the prophecy came true. The emperor realized that despite all his efforts, he could not escape fate. This legend is a sad story that illustrates how, no matter how much a person tries to change their destiny, fate always finds its way.

Once upon a time, in a land far away, in Istanbul, lived two brave men who were fascinated by the sky. Their greatest dream was to be able to fly like birds. Because every morning they would watch the seagulls and wonder, "Why can't humans fly?"

One of them was Hazerfen Ahmet Çelebi. He was very intelligent and very curious. For days he watched birds and studied their wings. He made himself huge wings from wood and fabric. Everyone looked at him in amazement, but he never gave up.

One day he climbed to the top of the Galata Tower. The wind blew, Istanbul fell silent...

And Hazerfen Ahmet Çelebi opened his wings and glided into the sky!

He flew over the Bosphorus and went all the way to Üsküdar. People looked down in admiration, shouting with joy, "Humans flew!"

But this story doesn't end there...

Because there was also Lagarizade Hasan Çelebi. He was very brave, but a little more daring 😊

“I won’t fly like a bird, I’ll fly towards the stars!” he said. He built a rocket powered by gunpowder. Everyone was scared, but he smiled.

One night, he launched his rocket and rose into the sky!

Then he spread his arms and glided softly down into the sea.

People applauded, even the Sultan admired his courage.

From that day on, a secret was whispered in the skies of Istanbul:

“Children who dream will one day surely fly.”

And Hazerfen and Lagari left this for children:

👉 If you believe, work hard, and are brave, even the sky is not your limit.

In very, very ancient times, there was a city with a heart of gold in the middle of the seas. This city was called Istanbul. At night, the stars spoke to it, and during the day, seagulls protected it.

First, the wise emperors of Byzantium arrived. They built magical walls to protect the city. They constructed Hagia Sophia with such a magnificent dome that the sound of angels' wings echoed beneath it. The city began to shine with a hidden power.

Centuries later, the brave sultans of the Ottoman Empire arrived. Minarets reached the sky, mosques shone like stars. Prayers rose to the heavens, and the heart of Istanbul grew even stronger.

But Istanbul never forgot anyone…

It united the stones of Byzantium and the tiles of the Ottoman Empire in one heart. That's why the city never aged.

According to the legend, Istanbul is still alive.

If you listen carefully at night, you can hear the walls, the towers, and the sea whispering to you:

“I am the legacy of two empires.

As long as there are children protecting me, my story will never end.”