| The Blue Mosque |
| Istanbul, Turkey |
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| Early in the 17th century, Sultan Ahmet I determined that the Ottoman Empire needed a grand mosque of its own, even more glorious than the formerly Christian Aya Sofya. His creation was the Blue Mosque, shown above in a photo taken from a ferry. You can see my best Blue Mosque picture by clicking Here. With six minarets and multiple domes, the Blue Mosque set the style for Ottoman Empire architecture. |
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| Photographing the Blue Mosque from ground level is a challenge. The trees don't help and I lost two minarets. This challenge to Aya Sofya is very obvious, since the Blue Mosque is only a short distance from the former church. |
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| The Blue Mosque is open to the public, including tourists, except during prayers, which take place five times a day. By now I was looking for the blue tiles which give the mosque it's name, but they were nearly impossible to find. |
| Pointing the camera straight up, this is the interior of the Blue Mosque's massive central dome. You can see Arabic script, probably verses from the Koran, which are one of the purely decorative touches allowed inside mosques, along with colorful tiles. Pictures or paintings of people are forbidden. |
| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free video of this trip, "What the Sultan Saw", by clicking on AdventurePics.com . |
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