Istanbul (...not Constantinople)

Seriously, I've had the song by They Might Be Giants stuck in my head for two weeks. Thank you Brother Seely! I was able to be in one city that spanned two continents! I've officially been in Europe as well as Asia! I am feeling quite accomplished. :) We took a beautiful boat ride down the Bosporus Strait and got to see both continents at the same time. Jessica and I picked the house (cough cough palace) that we’re going to live in when we’re filthy, stinking rich. There’s nothing quite like a boat ride through the middle to showcase the beauty of a city. I loved watching the sunset and moon over the continent-spanning bridge and mosques.

We went to visit the Topkapi Palace, where Ottoman kings lived for 400 years. It was a spectacular palace! The palace had four gates that each opened up to a new area. The palace grounds had a library, treasury room, throne room, room dedicated to religious relics, etc. And of course each of these “rooms” is huge, beautifully decorated separate buildings. I learned a lot about how harems are not what western people usually think they are. They are more a group of educated women who are provided for by the sultan and who are married off to officials to keep potential opponents loyal to the sultan.

Though they were spectacular, I actually enjoyed visiting mosques more. The Blue Mosque is highly famous among tourists because of its thousands of beautiful blue tiles imported from Nicea. It is well lit with natural light compared to other mosques, and it’s gorgeous! The Blue Mosque was undoubtedly designed to impress. And it does just that. The Blue Mosque is unusual in that it has 6 minarets. The Grand Mosque in Mecca had the same number so in order to not outdo the Grand Mosque (which contains the Kaaba), the builder of the Blue Mosque sent his architect to add another minaret to the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The Blue Mosque is still in use today so modesty is required to get in. I really appreciated how much they cared about this. Women had headscarves, and both men and women removed their shoes and covered their bodies. It really emphasized respect for the Koran and Allah. 

Undoubtedly, one of my all-time favorite sites in Turkey was the Hagia Sophia. This is the most interesting blend of religious cultures that I've ever witnessed in art. The Hagia Sophia was originally built to be a Christian church in Byzantine, but it was later converted into a Muslim mosque. Now that it’s gone through some restorations, you can clearly see the verses of the Koran side by side with beautiful mosaics of Christ. The building is enormous! I really don’t even have words to describe it, but I was struck by the great lengths people went to so they could make beautiful places to worship.

Of course, visiting a foreign country wouldn't be complete without shopping! And what better place to do it than at Istanbul’s world famous Grand Bazaar! The Bazaar has over 20 entrances and tens of thousands of shops. And it was amazingly well kept! Maybe Jerusalem could learn a thing or two from the Turks. But really it was so fun to wander through. Istanbul was definitely a favorite!!