On our first morning, we headed out to the New Mosque and the Spice Bazaar. On the way we got some fabulous pictures of Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, both of which were right near our hostel.
If it had to be as cold as it was, we were thrilled that it snowed. The buildings were even more beautiful with a light dusting of white. During the summer this picture would be packed with tourists in the foreground, so again, we were incredibly lucky to see things this way.
Me and Katie in a magical winter wonderland!
The tram stop and the New Mosque in the background. It's "new" because it's only 400 years old. It's all relative.
Closeup of a minaret from which the call to prayer goes out five times a day. I tried to capture a call on video on my camera, but it was always too muffled with street noise. I can only describe it as a combination between a song, cry, yell, and chant.
One complaint about the slush and snow is that it doesn't make the best conditions for visiting mosques where shoes must be removed
But at least the carpets were dry
Inside the New Mosque. Absolutely amazing! Notice the lack of figurative imagery, which is prohibited in religious contexts in Islam. Instead, imagery is focused on the written word (often verses from the Koran), and therefore the primary decoration (besides motifs of suns and flowers representing paradise) is a type of intricate calligraphy known as kufic script.
The Qibla wall. Sort of equivalent to a Christian altar in the sense that it is the direction one faces when praying. The Mihrab (central niche) always faces Mecca, and therefore one always prays in the direction of the holy city.
Every surface here is covered in ceramic tile or fresco
Imagine this space filled five times a day for prayer
The women's section, which is segregated from the main room (above photo) where the men pray
The women's view
The merchants were really creative and downright hilarious with their attempts to catch our attention. It was all good-humored, at least in our experience, and we met a lot of really nice people.
Good to know!
Mountains of spices. I wish I could have captured the aroma-- everything smelled so good!
Turkish delight everywhere. I ended up with a ton.
A pretty cemetery just outside the spice bazaar
If it had to be as cold as it was, we were thrilled that it snowed. The buildings were even more beautiful with a light dusting of white. During the summer this picture would be packed with tourists in the foreground, so again, we were incredibly lucky to see things this way.
Me and Katie in a magical winter wonderland!
The tram stop and the New Mosque in the background. It's "new" because it's only 400 years old. It's all relative.
Closeup of a minaret from which the call to prayer goes out five times a day. I tried to capture a call on video on my camera, but it was always too muffled with street noise. I can only describe it as a combination between a song, cry, yell, and chant.
One complaint about the slush and snow is that it doesn't make the best conditions for visiting mosques where shoes must be removed
But at least the carpets were dry
Inside the New Mosque. Absolutely amazing! Notice the lack of figurative imagery, which is prohibited in religious contexts in Islam. Instead, imagery is focused on the written word (often verses from the Koran), and therefore the primary decoration (besides motifs of suns and flowers representing paradise) is a type of intricate calligraphy known as kufic script.
The Qibla wall. Sort of equivalent to a Christian altar in the sense that it is the direction one faces when praying. The Mihrab (central niche) always faces Mecca, and therefore one always prays in the direction of the holy city.
Every surface here is covered in ceramic tile or fresco
Imagine this space filled five times a day for prayer
The women's section, which is segregated from the main room (above photo) where the men pray
The women's view
After the New Mosque we ventured to the Spice Bazaar.
The merchants were really creative and downright hilarious with their attempts to catch our attention. It was all good-humored, at least in our experience, and we met a lot of really nice people.
Good to know!
Mountains of spices. I wish I could have captured the aroma-- everything smelled so good!
Turkish delight everywhere. I ended up with a ton.
A pretty cemetery just outside the spice bazaar
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