[caption id="attachment_840" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Me in front of the Aya Sofia"]<img class="size-full wp-image-840" title="CAE Aya Sofia " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06611.jpg" alt="Me in front of the Aya Sofia" width="500" height="375" />[/caption]

One of the things I was looking forward to seeing on my trip to Istanbul were the mosques.  They are a big part of all of the guidebooks on Istanbul and the pictures I've seen are beautiful.  Also, I was keen to learn more about how some of the mosques had been transformed at different points of history from a church to a mosque (or vise versa).

The two big tourist points of interest regarding mosques are without a doubt are the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofia.  These are impressive buildings.  They dominate the skyline and fill up the squares they are located on.  Of course, more than this they are beautiful.  <!--more-->

Both buildings open for tourists at 9 am.  I think it's best to go early if you can.  We went by the Aya Sofia before it was open and took some pictures.  Then we headed over to the Blue Mosque, which is still a functioning mosque, and by the time we finished looking around there and walked back to the Aya Sofia we had to wait in line for probably 15 minutes to buy our tickets (but it was absolutely worth it).  The one thing we didn't do was to buy a museum card because apparently you have to be Turkish to do so.  <a href="http://www.istanbultrails.com/2009/03/can-foreigners-use-the-turkish-museum-card-muzekart/" target="_blank">This site</a> on tourism in Istanbul says that in the future foreigners might be able to buy such a card--that would be a good thing because we spent a lot of money to see both cultural and religious sites as well as museums.  Most sites in Istanbul were 15 Lira.  Some were 20.

[caption id="attachment_835" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Outside of the Blue Mosque "]<img class="size-full wp-image-835" title="Outside Blue Mosque " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06556.jpg" alt="Outside of the Blue Mosque " width="500" height="666" />[/caption]

The Blue Mosque (donation strongly suggested, do this upon exiting) was our first stop.  First thing first, you've got to take off your shoes.  I'd recommend you wear socks with what ever shoes you're wearing but this is of course up to you.  I saw plenty of both. The space inside the mosque is impressive, as it the natural light, the tile work and the addition of electricity (Oh and as an aside, I am glad that I don't have to vacuum the mosque carpet).

[caption id="attachment_836" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="A look inside the Blue Mosque"]<img class="size-full wp-image-836" title="Inside Blue Mosque " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06572.jpg" alt="A look inside the Blue Mosque" width="500" height="666" />[/caption]

The inside of the mosque is a wash of colors on the tiles in stain glass.  I really don't think that the picture does the interior justice but I think this picture gives you an idea of the colors, size and style of the mosque.  The one distasteful thing was that when we were visiting there was also a group of Asian tourists who were posing for photos while they kissed the carpet maybe they were Muslim--it's not as if you can tell by looking at someone--but either way it was very garish.

[caption id="attachment_837" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Blue Mosque"]<img class="size-full wp-image-837" title="Large Blue Mosque " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06593.jpg" alt="The Blue Mosque" width="500" height="375" />[/caption]

Across the way from the Blue Mosque is the Aya Sofia also known as the Haghia Sophia(20 lira entrance fee).  It was built in 537 and in the 1400's the church was converted to a mosque and then in 1934 Ataturk declared it a national monument.   The grounds outside of the Aya Sofia are nothing special but once inside the mix of Christianity and Islam is striking.

[caption id="attachment_839" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Inside the Aya Sofia "]<img class="size-full wp-image-839" title="Aya Sofia " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06664.jpg" alt="Inside the Aya Sofia " width="500" height="375" />[/caption]

There are still mosaics of Jesus and Mary but also a lot of Islamic iconography (which I am unfortunately rather unfamiliar with).  In the picture above you can see a painted medallion hanging on the wall and the script on the medallion has been done using calligraphy.   I know the picture's not the best but if you look up and to the right of the medallion you can also see a mosaic of an angel.  Now really only half of an angel.  Also in the foreground of the photo is the sultan's specially screened room for prayer (it's glowing yellow in the photo).  What's noteworthy about this is that he could apparently enter and exit unseen in mosque--giving him a degree of privacy in his prayers.

[caption id="attachment_838" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Jesus in the Aya Sofia"]<img class="size-full wp-image-838" title="Jesus Aya Sofia " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc06700.jpg" alt="Jesus in the Aya Sofia" width="500" height="666" />[/caption]

It's pretty incredible to me that so many Christian images survived even after the church was transformed into a mosque.  They're not necessarily in great shape but the mosaic work is bright thousands of years later.  The one thing that you can't see in these photos is that there is a large amount of scaffolding in the main room of the church/mosque/museum.  Apparently, there is some important restoration work that needs to be done.  Frankly the scaffolding just adds to the feeling of hybridity already present in the space.

The best thing for me about these two buildings was that I had no idea what to expect or how I would feel upon seeing them and being in them.  And what stands out to me now that I am writing about this experience is the size and the stature of the buildings.    They were built to wow and they don't disappoint.  Both of the sites were full of tourists when we visited but I don't remember them what I remember is the space, the light and color of the buildings.  Something that is I am afraid very difficult to capture in either a photo or a written description.

[caption id="attachment_841" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Blue Mosque from the River "]<img class="size-full wp-image-841" title="Blue Mosque " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/dsc07097.jpg" alt="Blue Mosque from the River " width="500" height="375" />[/caption]