I have much--too much!--to report to you! I've been so many places in the last couple of days. I love Istanbul. Did I mention that there are so many beautiful and fascinating places to wander? Not to mention the Turkish baths. As my sister said, now that's something that deserves an "ooh-la-la."
I'm going to try to break things up a bit. I don't think I'll be able to catch you up to date. But I guess if there's a time lag, that'll give me something to write about when I head back to cold, wintry Ithaca and all of those end-of-the-semester dreary responsibilities....
The first thing that I did yesterday was visit the Blue Mosque. What is the Blue Mosque? Well, let's consult Wikipedia:
"The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is one of several mosques known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul."
My hotel is only a five minute walk away! It is still in use, and I hear the call to prayer from my hotel early in the morning. It is stunning, and deserving of all of the tourist attention it gets!
Here are pictures of the exterior and interior:
1 comment:
Hi Amanda, I'm Melanie's friend- she recommended your blog to me because we're moving to Turkey soon- been to the Blue Mosque once myself and your pictures are bringing back all the things I love about Turkey. We also have a relative in Paris, also in the 16th, also in love with soup. You two should get together- her website is soupsong.com check it out.
happy trails!
-Angie
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