I must preface this post to say that I took over 350 photos in Istanbul and I literally have 1,000 words to describe each one. Did you do the math? This is going to be a long post. I will break it down though and only talk about the mosques in this post and then the other historical sites and experiences at in a later post (I also went to the underground cisterns, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, and some historical neighborhoods).
I spent two days in Istanbul and have decided that I must go back! It is a six-hour, 20 USD, bus ride to Istanbul from Ankara, which makes it really convenient to get there. We took a night bus there on Thursday and arrived on Friday morning around 7 or 8 AM. We then took a metro and a tram from the bus station to Sultanahmet. Sultanahmet is the central area of Istanbul where the most famous Mosques reside. As soon as we got off the tram and I saw the Aya Sofya (Hagia Sophia) and almost cried.
Emperor Justinian built the Aya Sofya during the Byzantine Empire. Originally it was created as a church. When the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, the Aya Sofya was converted into a mosque. When this happened many of the original mosaics were covered and the stone crosses in the walls had been etched out. There were also many additions to the already enormous building, including the four minarets that surround it. The Aya Sofya is so big that it could fit the Statue of Liberty inside! Today much of the Aya Sofya has been restored, so you can see both Christian and Muslim icons. It is absolutely breathtaking! It is as if the US Capitol building dome had been replaced because of fire damage -- It remains stunning. In 9th grade at University Prep I did a report on the Aya Sofya, which contributes to why this place meant so much to me. I was literally in awe when I saw it. I am also obsessed with architecture and ancient ruins and this was the one place I had to see in the two days! Like most of Istanbul when you walk inside the Aya Sofia you can actually feel the spirituality and the history. Thousands of people walked the steps I walked inside and around the Aya Sofya, and I am not just talking about other tourists! It was remarkable!
I could continue typing about the Aya Sofia and how amazed I am, but I will move on. I actually went into the Aya Sofia on the second day of our trip. On the first day we entered the Blue Mosque. It is another amazing mosque across from Aya Sofia. It is still in use as a mosque and when we went inside many people were getting ready for afternoon prayers. Before entering they had everyone take off their shoes and had females cover their legs. Although it is an active mosque the crowds made it feel less special to me (I went to the Aya Sofia an hour before it closed; the sun was setting and I could roam without crowds). However, the tourism cannot take away from its beauty. The entire rotunda of the Blue Mosque is covered with painted tiles. The Blue Mosque gets its named for the many blue tiles that adorn it, however its real name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
What is truly amazing about Istanbul is that there are so many detailed mosques literally across the street from each other. There are thousands of them! I cannot believe that all of them become filled, especially because today Istanbul is so secular and filled with tourist attractions. Yet somehow they do and they are all stunning. Besides the architecture, one of the neatest things about the mosques are the calls to prayer. In Ankara I hear the call to prayer from usually one, maybe two mosques depending on my location. In Istanbul you hear the call to prayer from multiple mosques. It is almost an echo of melodious Arabic words being sung over the city. After one voice stops another one begins and then another. Sometimes they overlap and sometimes they are in unison. It has become apparent that the best Muezzen (call to prayer singers) are sung from mosques in Istanbul. The prayer goes off five times a day and it is always a beautiful symphony of voices.
If there is one place I recommend that you visit in Turkey, it is Istanbul!
P.S. It has been a week since I actually wrote this post. In that time I have traveled to Greece! It was awesome! I have many photo's and stories that I will fill you in on later!
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