The cache is 300m from here, 5 minutes walk.
Piata Libertatii (Liberty square) is one of Timisoara's oldest squares. The building with red facade houses today the Faculty of music and theater. It used to be the old town hall of the city and it was built over former Turkish baths. But there's something about it that not too many people know, even if they pass it everyday.
Right on the right hand side of the main entrance (between the gate and the window) there is this mysterious, centuries old inscription. Looking closely, you will see that it's written in Arabic characters, with a calligraphy specifical to the Middle Ages. But why Arabic here?
Centuries ago, Timisoara was under Ottoman ocupation. This area was known as Eyâlet-i Temeşvar (Pashalik of Timisoara). From 1552 untill 1716 (when the Habsburgs conquered the city) this area was a whole different world, with Turkish baths, bazaars and mosques. Ottoman builders used to add an inscription to the facade of every important building.
These were written using the Ottoman Turkish alphabet, a version of the Perso-Arabic alphabet, used until 1928, when it was replaced by the Latin-based modern Turkish alphabet.
The inscription would be read as following:
1ST ROW: DATE OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE GREAT FORTRESS
2ND ROW: DURING THE REIGN OF IBRAHIM KHAN SULTAN
3RD ROW: 1053
*(1053 in the islamic calendar, 1643 A.D.)*
With the translation and the inscription in front, find the coordinates:
N 45° 45. ٣ 18 E 021° 1 ٣ .y ٥ y
y - number of triangles around the inscription
NOTE! Please do not attach photos with the inscription (you can attach photos with the square or the faculty), logs that include the inscription will be deleted. Sometimes caches disappear, it happens. If you found the right location and there's no cache, send me a photo with the surroundings to prove you are there and you can log it, I will replace the box later.
Cutia este la 300m de aici, 5 minute pe jos.
Piata Libertatii este una dintre cele mai vechi piete din oras. Cladirea cu fatada rosie gazduieste astazi Facultatea de muzica si teatru. Pe vremuri a gazduit vechea primarie a orasului si a fost construita peste fostele bai turcesti. Insa este ceva neobisnuit legat de aceasta cladire despre care nu foarte multa lume stie, chiar daca trec pe langa de multe ori.
Chiar in partea dreapta a intrarii in facultate (intre poarta si geam), se afla o inscriptie misterioasa, veche de secole. Privind mai aproape, se poate observa ca este scrisa cu caractere arabe, cu o caligrafie specifica evului mediu. Dar de ce in araba aici?
In urma cu secole, Timisoara a fost sub ocupatie otomana. Zona aceasta a fost cunoscuta ca si Eyâlet-i Temeşvar (Pasalacul Timisoarei). Din 1552 pana in 1716 (cand habsburgii au cucerit orausl) aceasta zona a fost o lume complet diferita, cu bazare turcesti, bai si moschee. Constructorii otomani obisnuiau sa zideze inscripti in fatadele principalelor cladiri.
Acestea erau scrise cu aflabetul turcesc otomant, o versiune a alfabetului persian-arabic folosit pana in 1928, cand a fost inlocuit cu actualul alfabet turcesc ce foloseste caractere latine.
Inscriptia s-ar citi astfel:
primul rand: DATA CONSTRUIRII MARII CETATI
al 2lea rand: IN TIMPUL DOMNIEI SULTANULUI IBRAHIM KHAN
al 3lea rand: 1053
*(1053 in calendarul islamic, 1643 e.n.)*
Cu traducerea si inscriptia in fata, aflati coordonatele:
N 45° 45. ٣ 18 E 021° 1 ٣ .y ٥ y
y - numarul de triunghiuri din jurul inscriptiei
OBSERVATIE! Va rugam sa nu atasati poze cu inscriptia (pozele cu facultatea sau piata sunt binevenite), log-urile care includ poze cu inscriptia vor fi sterse. Cutiile mai dispar, se intampla uneori. Daca se intampla sa nu mai gasiti cutia la coordonatele corecte puteti totusi loga online doar dupa ce mi-ati trimis o poza cu imprejurimile pentru a demonstra ca ati ajuns acolo. Cutia o voi inlocui dupa.