Istanbul~ Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

Istanbul~ Day 1, part 2

Two of the most famous mosques in Istanbul are the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (now a museum).   They are both a short walk from the Topkapi Palace with a tree lined square in between the two buildings.  The Blue Mosque takes its name from the many blue Iznik tile work  (named after the town in Turkey where they were made) on the interior of the church. It is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world and was built in the early 1600's.     The Blue Mosque is open for visitors in between prayer times. Since prayer is five times a day, it is wise to check the schedule of prayer times before scheduling a visit. Women's heads have to be covered and everyone takes off their shoes.  On the day we visited, tourists from all over the world  (very few Americans, if any, at this time of year) lined up to see this incredible structure.  

Square in between the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia

The courtyard covers the same area as the prayer hall (which is huge) which balances the whole building.

Courtyard of Blue Mosque

looking up toward the dome

Over 250 windows allow light to flood into the mosque. 

Five of the six minarets of Blue Mosque

In order to visit the mosque, women have to cover their heads.  I'm not sure I'd "fit the bill" here.

Haghia Sophia is called the "church of holy wisdom" and is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture.  It is more than 1,400 years old and is said to have changed the history of architecture.  It was originally constructed as a church. In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II who ordered it converted to a mosque.  Christian sacrificial vessels and other relics were removed and the mosaics depicting Jesus, Mary, Christian saints and angels were also removed or plastered over.  It remained a mosque until 1931 when it was closed for four years.  It was reopened in 1935 as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.  

Painted ceilings of the gallery in Haghia Sophia

The Deesis Mosaic

This mosaic is from the 13th century and is in the Upper Gallery and it shows Mary with John the Baptist and Jesus. 

 During the four years the mosque was closed and turned into a museum, white plaster was removed and the mosaics were once again seen, although in disrepair.

 This mosaic is seen as you leave the church.  It shows Mary seated on a throne holding Jesus and two great emperors of the city.  Constantine on her left presents her with the city of Constiatntinople and Justinian offers her Haghia Sophia.

View to the outside from the upper gallery in Haghia Sophia.

What an incredible day of discovering the Old City of Istanbul!

Istanbul~ Topkapi Palace

Istanbul Day 1~Topkapi Palace

I couldn't pass up a chance to see the amazing city of Istanbul. I've tagged along with Tom while he is involved in business meetings.   Istanbul was founded in the 7th century BC.  For sixteen centuries it has been a great capital, first of the Byzantine Empire and then of the Ottoman sultans.   Almost fourteen million people live in Istanbul.  That's six million more people than live in London!   That's it for the history lesson.  As you can imagine the history of Istanbul is mind boggling. I'm still getting British history straight in my mind!  Instead of trying to condense Istanbul's history into a concise blog, I thought I would just share some pictures of my time in Istanbul.  

The inside of the Imperial Gate looking back at the Blue Mosque

Topkapi Palace~  This was the home of the Ottoman Empire sultans until the mid 1850's.  In the 1850's, the palace became inadequate for the requirements of state ceremonies so the sultans moved to Dolmabache Palace, located on the Bosphorus.  Topkapi Palace has four courtyards with a series of pavilions.   

The Gate of Salutation was constructed in the 1500's.  It leads into the palace.  Only the sultan was allowed to pass through the Gate of Salutation on horseback; the grand vizier and all other state officials were required to dismount before entering. 

Ceiling decorations of Gate of Salutations

The Audience Chamber

The Audience Chamber was where the grand vizier would come to present the sultan with the decrees adopted by the Imperial Council and it was also a receiving room for state officials and ambassadors.

On the porch of The Audience Chamber

This library is considered a masterpiece of the architecture of the Tulip Period (1718-30)

The Library of Sultan Ahmed III

The ceilings and walls everywhere were covered with gorgeous decorative tiles.

The terrace looking toward the European side of Istanbul

The terrace of the Royal Hall 

pathway in Second Courtyard

The Imperial Gate entrance to the Second Courtyard

There is so much more to the Topkapi Palace than these few pictures portray.  It was overwhelming and yet exciting to see a palace that has so much history in this part of the world.