Day 15

Day 15. This my last day.  So I went for some culture.  First to the Sultan Ahmed (The Blue) Mosque.  This is the most famous Mosque in all,of Istanbul and probably #2 or 3 in the entire Muslim world.  The most famous being in Mecca.  This building is imposing over the entire old city with its multiple minarets.  There is a large park that leads from the street and a magnificent courtyard.  You must take off your shoes, women must be covered, sorry Sandra , and then you enter a huge room carpeted of course since this is used for prayer.  There are no seats or pews, one simply bows down on the carpet and prays.  The Muslims pray 5 times daily and you can hear the loud "callings" throughout the city.  There really wasn't much to see on the inside. It was more appealing from the outside.   Down the gardens was the "Hagia Sofia".   This is an old church from the the 4th century built in the Byzantine era and twice destroyed.  Then rebuilt as a mosque.  It has been a museum since the Ottomans were conquered by the British after WW I.  It is quite interesting inside with several mosaics.  

We then boarded our favorite transport the T1 line and took the the tram westward outside the old city walls to a new museum which is,the history of the conquering of  Constantinople née  Istanbul.

PHOTOS HERE