Cindy and I dropped Adelia off at her aunts and we took a little bus down to the Bosphorus, where we caught a ferry across. The view was breathtaking. It was sunny and clear with a crisp breeze in the air. As we left the dock you could hear three different Ezans, reciting prayers for people to hear.
The current running through the Bosphorus was incredibly strong. It joins the Sea of Marmara with The Black Sea and it is the body of water that separates the European and Asian continents. Boats were struggling trying to get across.
Here is a little tid bit about the Bosphorus: "Its English name comes from a Greek legend: Zeus had an affair with a beautiful women named Io. When Hera, his wife, discovered his infidelity, she turned Io into a cow and created a horsefly to sting her on the rump. Io jumped clear across the strait. Thus bous =cow, and poros = crossing-place: Bosphorus = "crossing-place of the cow."- www.turkeytravelplanner.com
Once we got over, we took the train to the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya. Before we went inside the ancient places, we had a great lunch overlooking a pretty little park. I tried my first bit of Turkish food and it was great. The food was so light. We had yogurt that tasted similar to sour cream, a piyaz, which is a bean and carrot salad with a hint of lemon, and kofte, which is Turkish meat balls. It was great way to start our adventure.
After lunch, we journeyed over to the little courtyard in the middle of the Blue Mosque and Ayasofya.
It was gorgeous. In one direction you could see the stunning Ayasofya, which was built by Byzantine emperor, Justinian, between 532 and 537 A.D. and the opposite direction you could see it's competition, The Blue Mosque.
We first went into the Blue Mosque because it was getting to be prayer time and you can't enter while it's going on. That is also when the Ezan is recited. We had to take our shoes off so we did not bring any impurities inside. You used to have to cover your hair and cleanse the body before entering too. Now it's not as common but we did see a few people do it.
It was absolutely breathtaking inside. The ornate detail of all the mosaics and stained glass windows were two of many fascinating things about the mosque. Women are to pray in the back so man won't get any impure thoughts when the women bend over. They are bound to an area that is mostly closed off.
 |
| Where the women pray. |
The architecture was so elaborate and ornate. Every little detail was gorgeous to look at. After walking through, we went out to the courtyard which was just amazing. The minarets looked gorgeous against the blue cloudless sky.
Next stop was the Ayasofya. I was very impressed by it. Everything about the ancient church was magnificent --the way the light lit up the inside, the mosaics that lined the walls, the history behind it -- getting to experience it was just amazing. The Ayasofya was my favorite of the day.
The Ayasofia was proclaimed a mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror after his conquest of the city in 1453. There is so much history in both places, but Ayasofya started it all. Without it, the Blue Mosque might not have been built because Sultan Ahmet I, wished to build an Islamic place of worship with more grandeur than Ayasofya.
After the two tours through history, we went to the Basilica Cistern built by Justinian after 532. It stored water for the Great Palace and surrounding places. Erased from memory, many forgot about the Cistern until Petrus Gyllius, rediscovered it.
Once we walked through the cistern we grabbed dinner at a little Turkish restaurant called the Pudding Shop. It was really good and we had to get dessert of course. That was the best part. We had pistachio baclava and rice pudding.
We took the train back to the ferry docks and caught the ferry back. The day was amazing. I still can't believe all that we did and saw. The history behind it all is just amazing.
Hope you enjoyed learning about all of this as much as I did.
To see all the 256 pictures from yesterday click here.
X
No comments:
Post a Comment