Today we drove to the Blue Mosque then spent the rest of the day on foot which was fine exceot that it started raining the moment we left the bus.
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| Blue Mosque Mosaic |
The Blue (Sultan Ahmet) Mosque is so beautiful inside it tkaes your breath away.
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| Blue Mosque |
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| Blue Mosque |
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| Hagia Sophia |
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| Hagia Sophia |
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| Hagia Sophia |
The Hagia Sophia was originally a church built by Constantine, rebuilt three times, the last time in its present form. Its name means Holy Wisdom so when the Muslim Ottomans overtook Istanbul they kept the church as a place for the worship of Allah who they also see as the God of Wisdom. The Christian mosaics were covered with plaster rather than being destroyd so were retrieved intact when the Ataturk government converted the mosque to a national museum dedicated to all religions.
Today is the 1400th anniversary of the giving of the Koran so it was a public holiday and of course the sacred sites wre all buzzing with visitors
Istanbul had several large cisterns to provide water to the city, one of which has been preserved as an underground museum.
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| Cistern - Istanbul |
The Topkapi Palace was the home of the Ottomans.
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