Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia

Day 3--November 14, 2013 (Thursday) Sultanahmat District, Part I

The old town area of Istanbal is certainly a must-see place with many important historical sights in this city. According to our itinerary we will spend most of our day here visiting the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.

We were awaken by the call to prayer from the neighborhood mosque at 5:45am in the morning. It was a strange feeling because we are not used to the sound. Looking out our window we could see the neighborhood slowly waking up.

the minaret of the mosque

apartment buildings right outside our window

the back alley

After breakfast, we decided to take another walk around the block to the right of the hotel.

a very busy morning

but very quiet in the side streets

Walking back to the hotel. Our first day of tour began at 8:30.

Look at all the tour buses lined up in front of the hotel.

Grand S Hotel in the early morning.

some random street scenes

fish market near the water front

wall of the old city

going through one of the gates into the Sultanahmad area

our tour guide

Hippodrome Square

Egyptian Obelisk

a very impressive, well-ornated column brought from Egypt, made about 3500 years ago

It was cloudy and cold.

Dress code for entering the Blue Mosque. Plastic bags were passed out so we carried our shoes inside the bags before entering. Women need to cover their heads.

Entering the mosque

Ceiling of the blue mosque

not as "blue" as I imagined

some of the blue tiles on the wall

People from all over the world come to see this place.

Exiting the mosque, people putting their shoes back on at the top of the steps.

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A beautiful building.

The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls inside the building.The Blue Mosque with the six minarets was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. It is still an active mosque and it's closed to visitors for about half an hour during the five daily prayers.

Across from the Blue Mosque is the Hagia Sophia, originally built as a Christian church and used as a church for over 900 years. Later turned into a mosque. It is now a museum.

Some remains of the old buildings.

Entrance

Much of the inside were blocked by scaffolding and not accessible for a better look on the main floor.

Going up to the second level balcony through these stone walkways.

Some original paintings uncovered.

These are known to be the biggest calligraphy panels in the Islamic world.

Looking down from the second floor.

Remains of some mosaic pictures from the church period.

Looking out from the window of Hagia Sophia.

The Blue Mosque directly across.

No flash allowed when taking pictures of these mosaic.

tiles on the wall

Cleansing fountain

local trams passing by

Ready for lunch. Lunch was at a nice restaurant near the water front right outside the city wall.

Delicious soup

and bread. Forgot to take pictures of the main dish and dessert.

The old wall of the city near the restaurant.

Now we are ready for the second half of our day.