It is not surprised that in Istanbul, Turkey, the mosques are all over the metropolitan city in the Islamic country. The religious component in the city is as strong as many other cities worldwide. Religiously, the people adhere to their prayers five times daily and the mosque is often really busy not just with tourists but the locals who pray in their local mosques.
I, myself, have been to Malaysia's national mosque in Putrajaya once, I'd say it's a very much modernised mosque compared to those culture-rich mosque in Istanbul. I must say, they are beautiful as a person who loves architecture and all things pretty.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, a.k.a. The Blue Mosque
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also famously known as The Blue Mosque, is definitely a must visit when you're in Istanbul. It is known as The Blue Mosque due to the colour of the tiles of its interior. It will not complete or should I say, you'd not have not been to Istanbul without visiting to this mosque. Regardless of who you are and what you believe, this mosque is free to visit to all, as long as you adhere to the rules and respect the place, people and its religion.
The courtyard of The Blue Mosque
You must be aware that you need to cover up your hair with a scarf or hijab of you're a female visiting the mosque. No revealing attire is allowed inside the mosque. As for the men, you'll need to wear long pants. However, you do not need to worry if you made a spontaneous trip to the mosque without preparation, the mosque has kindly prepared some sort of clothes for you to cover up before entering the mosque, as a sign of respect.
If you look at the details on the ceiling, etc, the details they put into designing it is overwhelming. As I mentioned in my previous post, Istanbul is filled with bright and bold prints, as the interior of the mosque is not to be missed too. It's extravagant display of designs is simply 'wow'.
As a respect to the people who pray inside the mosque, I decided not to put a picture of them praying.
It was summer when we went, and to be honest, there was certain sort of 'smell' inside the mosque, imagining you need to take off your shoes and walk inside on the pretty carpets of the most. It wasn't pleasant smell but the look of the interior was strong enough to let you forget about other things and to just admiring the architecture.
Only after visiting the mosque, where I learnt that it's dome-shaped design were done in order for the voice of the lead prayer to circulate soundly within the mosque clearly. I am in health science, hence these information were to no avail to me before visiting the mosque. It's just like the churches as well, where its design is carefully planned.
Yours truly with The Blue Mosque.
Within a short distance, there's other mosque which you could visit when you're there. Most of them are located in Istanbul's old town where the rich culture heritage is located.
The New Mosque, a.k.a Yeni Valide Sultan Camii
This is another mosque we visited in the city. The rules and regulation are pretty much the same for visitors to enter the mosque, however it is obviously less crowded.
Pay attention to the details of the interior of the mosque, what else can I say?
Istanbul is a city rich in culture, religiously strong but there are people live within the city who are not Muslim, and there are churches around, too. As a tourist point of view, this city is definitely worth going with value for money for its location to be situated in Europe. It's a gem in Europe yet culturally it is so strong but different from the rest of the region at the same time.
Till then!
x.o.x.o
Anna
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