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 Most viewed - Istanbul - Kandilli Observatory, Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern, 3/30/2006 |
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Touring the Blue Mosque632 viewsThe Blue Mosque is both a working mosque and one of the main tourist attractions of Istanbul. Here our tour group gathers for instruction by Attila in its history and architecture, as well as the rules of etiquette for visitors.
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Supporting columns632 views336 marble columns support the ceiling of the Cistern. Each column is 9 metres (30 ft) high. They are arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns spaced 5 metres (16 ft) apart.
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Carpets628 viewsCarpets in the Blue Mosque are purchased with donations from worshipers and are continually replaced as they wear out.
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Walkways628 viewsOriginally the only way to navigate around the Basilica Cistern was by boat. The platforms and walkways were built for the tourist trade, and the Cistern is left mostly empty for the same reason.
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Sultan Ahmet Square620 viewsAt the end of the square opposite the Obelisk of Theodosius I, seen in the foreground, stands the Walled Obelisk, built in the 10th century by the Byszantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. The Walled Obelisk was originally covered with bronze plaques, but these were plundered by the Latin occupiers during the Fourth Crusade, and now only the stone core remains.
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Minarets of the Blue Mosque619 viewsThe Blue Mosque has six minarets, not all of which are seen in this picture. It caused an uproar among the Islamic ulama (Muslim jurists), who were scandalized that it had as many minarets as the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Sultan Ahmed assuaged their ire by causing a seventh minaret to be built for the Grand Mosque.
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The Blue Mosque - Architecture610 viewsThe Blue Mosque incorporates elements of both Byzantine and Islamic architecture, resembling in some respects its neighbor, Hagia Sophia.
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Upside-down Medusa Head607 viewsWhy is this head placed upside-down? Legend says that it was to ward off the evil power of the Medusa's gaze, which turned people to stone. Did people really think that a marble carving could have such powers? Or was there a more practical reason?
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The Blue Mosque603 viewsThe Blue Mosque was built on the site of the Grand Palace of the Byzantine Emperors. Sultan Ahmed, who caused it to be built, felt it necessary to reassert the might and grandeur of the Ottoman Empire in a time of serious military reverses during the early 17th century.
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Chandeliers580 viewsSupposedly ostrich eggs were put on the chandelirs to keep them free of cobwebs by repelling spiders. I don't know why ostrich eggs would repel spiders, and I didn't see any myself. I suspect that nowadays the cobwebs are taken care of by the cleaning crew.
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Blue Mosque - Arches562 viewsThis type of arch is typically Islamic; very similar arches are found in the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain, among other places.
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