After visiting the Hagia Sophia, our tour guide walked us over to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (commonly know by tourists as “the Blue Mosque” because it’s known for it’s beautiful blue Iznik tiles imported from China that line the walls of the 2nd floor. The Blue Mosque was built between 1609 & 1617. It is built in the classic Ottoman architecture with a central dome surrounded by for semi-domes over the prayer hall. It has 6 minarets (2 more than the Haiga Sophia). When it was built, there was some uproar because it had 6 minarets (the same number as Mecca’s mosque). In order to show that Mecca was the grandest mosque, they built a few more minarets so they could outnumber the Blue Mosque.
This mosque was built over 1000 years after the Hagai Sophia (but still built around the same time the pilgrims sailed to America) & it was GORGEOUS. It’s “newer” & built with beautiful materials, especially the blue tiles that line the walls. At night it glows almost pink & blue so it reminds me of a Disney castle. It was definitely my favorite of the 2 mosques in beauty, but I still have to marvel at the architectural feat of the Hagai Sophia for the time period it was built. Both were incredible. We had to remove our shoes & wear head coverings while inside the mosque which added to the experience. We spent about 30 minutes exploring it’s beauty.
After the Blue Mosque, we visited the Hippodrome located just outside the mosque. The hippodrome was the sporting & social center of Constantinople. They did a lot of horse & chariot races here. It was about 450 meters long & 130 meters wide & it could hold over 100,000 spectators. Theodosius the Great brought an obelisk from Egypt in 390 AD & erected it in the center of the racing track. It was carved of pink granite & came from the Temple of Karnak in Luxor during the reign of Thutmose III in 1490 BC. It was cut into 3 pieces & brought to Constantinople. Only the top section still stands today where he placed it on a marble pedestal.
After visiting the Hippodrome, Trek & I walked around to the Topkapi Palace. About 30 Ottoman rulers (sultans) ruled in this palace for over 400 years. We decided not to do a full tour there, but we walked around it & enjoyed the beauty of its grounds, walls, & gates.
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