Istanbul Tour Day

We began our day with breakfast at the rooftop restaurant in the Hotel Alzer. Out our window was this scene of one of the obelisks in the Hippodrome in the foreground and the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the Blue Mosque) in the background.

The Iman was calling the faithful to prayer and gulls dotted the sky. It was the most exotic and foreign place I'd ever been. (Until later in our trip.)

THE HIPPODROME

We met our guide outside the hotel for a walk through the Hippodrome. Built about 200 AD, it served as the chariot race track in Byzantine times.

This obelisk was carved in Egypt about 1500 BC and was moved to this site about 400 AD. Our guide tells the story that it was three times taller that what we see here. Two of the three pieces being lost at sea in transit.

Today the area is a gathering place with benches, green spaces and smooth cobblestones.

On a bench later that afternoon, I saw the diversity of their Islamic culture in action. On the far left of the bench was a woman completely covered. She wore a black burqua complete with mesh over her eyes and gloves on her hands. Next came a woman in a burqua but her nose and eyes were exposed. Third was a woman in a hijib (head scarf) wearing an overcoat that became popular in the 1980's with college women wanting to recognize their religious roots. Fourth, a woman in jeans and a t-shirt and a hijib. And finally, a young woman in cut off jeans and a crop top (no headscarf goes without saying). They were chatting away merrily as they supervised children snatching bites from the picnic basket at their feet.

I did not even attempt to take a photo of this. It did not seem appropriate at the time and I didn't want to offend anyone in this place that seemed so foreign to me.

 THE BLUE MOSQUE

Built about 1600 AD by Sultan Ahmet, the formal name is the Sultan Ahmet Mosque. However, it is know as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles on the walls of the interior. I thought it looked blue in the morning haze from our hotel.

This is the interior courtyard where visitors are allowed to enter the mosque. Women are required to cover their heads. If they don't have a scarf, one is provided. Everyone must shed their shoes and are given a little bag to carry them in.

Inside visitors are kept from the prayer area. But the blue tiles can be seen in the background of this photo. The lights suspended from the ceiling are electric now. However, in 1600 when the mosque was built, they used candles or oil lamps. The architects of that time designed a ventilation system that sucked the soot from the room to keep it clean.

The intricate tile work in the ceilings speaks to the skill of the craftsmen who built this structure.