{"id":1140,"date":"2009-02-18T08:52:11","date_gmt":"2009-02-18T08:52:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2011-11-13T17:23:33","modified_gmt":"2011-11-13T15:23:33","slug":"visiting-the-sultan-ahmed-mosque-blue-mosque-in-istanbul-turkey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/02\/18\/visiting-the-sultan-ahmed-mosque-blue-mosque-in-istanbul-turkey\/","title":{"rendered":"Visiting the Sultan Ahmed Mosque – Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you knew how much material and photos for posts I have yet to share – some going back as far as two years, you’d probably get very angry with me. But back to Istanbul! Note, if you’re reading this in a feed reader, there’s a video at the bottom of the post you may have to click-through to watch<\/strong>.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

If you missed my previous posts about Istanbul<\/strong>: Turkish Coffee and\u00a0 Turkish Delight, or Lokum \/ Loukoum, in Spice \/ Egyptian Bazaar<\/a> and Spice \/ Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey<\/a><\/p>\n

If you remember my post about Turkish coffee, I was lucky enough to start the morning looking at the Blue Mosque during breakfast<\/a>. Of course, there were only a few tables that were fortunate to face the Blue Mosque and after you secured one (by piling as many personal articles as possible on chairs, tabletop, unfurling the napkins and licking the juice glass if necessary) you had a great view.<\/p>\n

The Blue Mosque,<\/strong> built between 1609-16 whose original name is\u00a0Sultan Ahmed Mosque<\/strong><\/a>, is unlike most religious establishments that I’ve had the fortune to visit because it is definitely available first for worshipers, and then for tourists. In fact several times during the day tourists are not allowed to enter the mosque while Muslim prayers, Salah<\/a><\/strong>, are underway.<\/p>\n

Though I visited the mosque as a tourist, people were very gracious and we always felt welcomed. Even the man supervising the removal of shoes made a little joke and offered my OH 100 camels for me. Luckily, he declined.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/a><\/p>\n

Since we stayed so close to the mosque, we visited several times. Since Muslims practice Salah five times a day, and these times change depending on the season (since they are linked closely to sunrise and sunset) we found the best time to go was in the morning, after first prayer call and before the noon prayer call.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the inner courtyard just before entering the mosque. The entrance is usually used only by worshipers, and then it’s used as an exit for tourists. Tourists go on the right side around to the back to enter the mosque. Those tall spires are called minarets<\/strong>, and the more a mosque has, the higher its importance. The Blue Mosque is one of two mosques in Turkey that have six minarets. A seventh minaret was erected on the mosque in Mecca after the Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

I love tiles, ceramics and stained glass, so I loved the interior of this mosque. I can only imagine how bright its original colors were. The tiles come from the Turkish city of Iznik<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Looking<\/a><\/p>\n

The Blue Mosque, while it may appear to be called that because of having a slight blue tinge to its outside, is actually called that because of the intricate blue tiles<\/strong> that decorate the inside of the mosque. Here are some of those tiles. Unfortunately the light was less than adequate on a winter afternoon.<\/p>\n

\"Intricate<\/a><\/p>\n

Another reason I could see that the mosque really is for the worshipers and not the tourists is the numerous amounts of wires suspended from the ceiling that bring hundreds of lights down to the floor. Personally I feel it ruins a bit of the open space and majesty that one could experience without them, but again, being a tourist I can’t appreciate the practicality and necessity the light brings down to the worshiping floor. The chandelier wires make the interior seem a bit like a spiderweb.<\/p>\n

\"Illuminating<\/a><\/p>\n

If you go early in the morning, you may also get a chance to see the floor entirely empty, except for a lone worshiper, and perhaps someone vacuuming. The entire floor of the mosque is carpeted and you must remove your shoes before entering. Plastic bags are available to carry them around in during your visit.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Since we stayed in that area, I often saw the mosque at night and couldn’t help snapping a few pictures.<\/p>\n

\"Blue<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a non-professional video we took inside the mosque. Note there are worshiper-only areas roped off in several parts of the mosque.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/object><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you knew how much material and photos for posts I have yet to share – some going back as far as two years, you’d probably get very angry with me. But back to Istanbul! Note, if you’re reading this in a feed reader, there’s a video at the bottom of the post you may…<\/p>\n

Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1140","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-istanbul","7":"category-abroad","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-io","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/29\/spice-egyptian-bazaar-in-istanbul-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":0},"title":"Spice \/ Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"January 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Read my other Turkey posts exploring Turkish Coffee and\u00a0 Turkish Delight, or Lokum \/ Loukoum, in Spice \/ Egyptian Bazaar The Spice Bazaar, M\u0131s\u0131r \u00c7ar\u015f\u0131s\u0131 in Turkish is also called the Egyptian Bazaar because of all the import duties paid by the Egyptians. Its presence goes back as far as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Istanbul"","block_context":{"text":"Istanbul","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/abroad\/istanbul\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spice Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3474\/3217577774_89af023f0c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":998,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/23\/turkish-delight-or-lokum-loukoum-in-spice-egyptian-bazaar-istanbul-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":1},"title":"Turkish Delight, or Lokum \/ Loukoum, in Spice \/ Egyptian Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"January 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a lot of pictures from my trip to Istanbul. It's organizing them into posts that's the hard part. Thanks to Twitter, I sent out a Tweet if 13 photos are too many in one post, and luckily some of my followers responded immediately: coconutlime @rosso 2 parts sound\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discovering Food"","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"At the Spice Bazaar, Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3383\/3216721549_7cbbbb1037.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":926,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/01\/08\/turkish-coffee-and-turkish-breakfast-in-istanbul-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":2},"title":"Turkish Coffee and Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul, Turkey","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"January 8, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Happy New Year! I'm back from Istanbul, and unfortunately during my trip my 50mm 1.4 had an unfortunate accident, so most of my pics are from my stepchild lens. Forgive me. And if you're coming to Milan from the US soon and want to courier a lens to me, let\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Discovering Food"","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Turkish Breakfast in Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3428\/3179283852_0d0a01e64d.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1185,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/03\/03\/visit-a-harem-imperial-harem-in-topkapi-palace-istanbul-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":3},"title":"Visit a Harem: Imperial Harem in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"More posts about Istanbul on Ms. Adventures in Italy The Imperial Harem (Harem-i H\u00fcmay\u00fbn) is one of the most visited sights inside the Topkapi palace just mere meters from the Blue Mosque. I have to admit I\u2019ve read a few historicals that were set in harems so I was curious\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Istanbul"","block_context":{"text":"Istanbul","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/abroad\/istanbul\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hall of the Ablution Fountain, Imperial Harem, Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3194\/3325317752_7891040fb6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2301,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/15\/beyoglu-cikolatacis-chocolate-kiosk-istiklal-street-istanbul-turkey\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":4},"title":"Beyo\u011flu \u00c7ikolatac\u0131s – Chocolate Kiosk, Istiklal Street, Istanbul, Turkey","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"January 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"File this under: Jobs I'd Love! I spotted this guy when we were in Istanbul, Turkey, in the Beyoglu area of the city - a younger, more modern area full of shops, restaurants, and kiosks packed with chocolate! The chocolate is sold in nondescript aluminum foil, and perhaps that might\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Istanbul"","block_context":{"text":"Istanbul","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/abroad\/istanbul\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Surrounded by Chocolate! Beyoglu, Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2707\/4276677671_2f860a925d.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2269,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2009\/12\/31\/2009-year-in-pictures\/","url_meta":{"origin":1140,"position":5},"title":"2009 Year in Pictures","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"December 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm preparing my extensive Year in Review for 2009 when I talk about my highs\/lows\/discoveries\/tools\/tips and geek out with statistics as I usually do, but I wanted to leave you with some images of my 2009. I hope this evening you have a great time with loved ones, friends, and\/or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Me"","block_context":{"text":"Me","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Turkish Breakfast with Blue Mosque in the Background, Istanbul, Turkey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3106\/3178444907_d53e564c41.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1140"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3595,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1140\/revisions\/3595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}