Aug 30th, Istanbul Blue Mosque

8/30     Friday

            Bob is very happy today. He’s discovered a Shipping Information web site, which has a map of the very water in our terrace view, with identification for all the ship traffic. We can see a big containership going up the strait, and he can click on the map and find out everything you’d ever care to know about it. He’s completely in love with this web site. Hours of fun.

We manage to leave the shipping web site for another trip to the Sultanahmet District. We take the tram to the grounds surrounding the Blue Mosque, which is filled with tourists and tour buses. The Friday services are going on at the mosque when we arrive, and the loudspeakers are broadcasting a sermon. Since the mosque is closed while this is taking place, we walk through a nice bazaar to the Museum of Mosaics. This is a small, elegant museum with mosaics in situ from a Sixth Century Byzantine palace. The mosaics are just beautiful, full of small vignettes of animals, hunters, tigers, griffons, daily life and royal life. Some are on the walls that we can see very close up, the walkways let us view the great main floor. As is typical, the museum is nearly empty, quiet and peaceful.

We stop at a café, touristy but still nice, for some lunch, soup and hummus. There’s a cat sleeping happily on the chair next to me.  We usually order some ayran to drink, a mix of yogurt and water that’s a lot like buttermilk, very tasty, as long as you like buttermilk, which we do. Pretty soon after we finish Bob starts sneezing and I get busted for letting the cat stay.

Our next stop is the Blue Mosque, probably the biggest attraction in Istanbul. There are hundreds of people queuing up, but it seems manageable. As we get in line, we’re continually approached buy men who are selling scarves and tours. Of course, they make everything seem very difficult without their assistance. “The mosque is closing, you can get ahead of the line with a guide!” “You must follow the instructions, you must have a scarf, only $15 lire!” They come up to us, one after another. We politely decline. I have fun listening to the pitches around me as they go on in Spanish, German, Italian, all with the same “For six people, only 80 lire! Mosque is closing!”  

Ultimately, we arrive at the entrance, where Mosque workers are prepping everyone. We take off our shoes and put them in a plastic bag, then I get handed a wrap for my shorts, “Cover your legs,” and one for my head, “Cover your head,” and we’re allowed into the area for visitors.

The mosque is impressive, huge, ornate, humming with visitors and tours. The main prayer area is kept separate for actual Muslims who are there to pray, but we can see the entire room. As we look around, a young woman who is an official guide to the mosque offers to answer any questions we have. We have a pleasant talk with her for about fifteen minutes to learn about the building and the services.

As we head back to catch a tram home, I notice that Turkey doesn’t have the same “Walk and Eat” culture that most of Europe seems to share. The snack stands sell roast corn on the cob, which is not soaked in butter, just a little salt. It looks really good, but is really more tough than tasty. They also sell rounds of bread that look equally disappointing. The tourists buy this stuff, not the locals. The local people take their time and sit in the cafes to eat.

1 Video Included

 Istanbul Blue Mosque