Turkey, The Blue Mosque

 

 

Allah is most Great, Allah is most Great

I testify that there is no god but Allah

 

 

Echoes across the city as the Muslim faithful are called to afternoon prayer and during this time The Blue Mosque is closed to visitors.

 

Leaving it's outer courtyard to wait until 2PM, The Theodosius Obelisk and The Serpent Column are nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

Brought to Istanbul from Luxor Egypt, The Theodosius Obelisk was originally erected in front of Karnak Temple.

Photos from my visit to Karnak Temple at: http://dmbtraveler195.blogspot.com/2010/05/egypt-temple-of-karnak.html

 

The Serpent Column is one of the oldest artworks in Istanbul from The Temple of Apollo, 5^th century B.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Drawn to a family sitting on a park bench, I am given the opportunity to take pictures of their smiling dressed in a very cool looking majestic wardrobe.

 

 

I am wondering if this comes in my size until I learn the reason he is dressed this way. About seven years old, he is about to experience a rite of passage as a young Muslim.

 

 

This involves a huge party for him with lots of gifts and money although he has to give a little in return. Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Afternoon prayer ends and with shoes removed I enter The Blue Mosque, a plush red carpet beneath my feet.

 

 

 

Built between 1609 and 1619, The Blue Mosque is the only mosque with six minarets.

 

 

Interior Dome

 

 

 

 

 

 

With stain glass windows and over twenty thousand tiles the interior is strikingly beautiful in it's peaceful simplicity.

 

 

                                                                                                                          Leaving the mosque, I make a new friend.

 

 

 

 

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