Visiting the Blue Mosque

Our first day of touring was blessed by glorious blue skies, apparently after some abysmal weather prior to my arrival the day before. This helped us enjoy the very long wait in a queue to go into the Blue Mosque. Several times we sent our Tour Leader Lauren up to see why some people were trickling into an entrance - western women included - while we were stuck fast under an impressive Sycamore tree. Much debate was held over whether the Sycamore was indeed a Plane Tree, since Google and ChatGPT did not seem to agree.

It was Friday, and it is obligatory for Muslim men to attend prayers at the 12pm time. So, many hundreds were streaming out, and this was indeed the reason for the delay. Visiting hours were due to open at 1.30pm but it probably was well after 2pm before we entered. 

Every tourist visiting the major attractions needs a licensed Turkish guide. Ours for the week is Ezra, a lovely woman in her late 40s who clearly loves her city and culture. But she does not speak Arabic as she often tells us, and will often comment quietly on unpopular government actions. She works for a guiding company, and on the first evening talk presented us all with a fabric shoulder bag containing a bag to hold our shoes while we enter any mosque, a bracelet to ward off the 'evil-eye' which I think one other woman other than me is wearing, a clever tourist map of Turkey (but not detailed enough to confidently wander around the city), and a scarf (but just for the women). 

The Blue Mosque was a lovely vision of architectural homage to a God, unimpeded by repair work. Again we were limited to areas where males were not praying, as you can pray any time it seems. The smaller niches where women were prayer were located in the public spaces, and had less carpet.

Domes are pretty special artistic and structural creations. Some images below are necessarily flat and inadequate to reveal its beauty.

The courtyard beside the mosque is also beautiful, and used at present to display large posters describing key aspects of Islamic life. This includes reminding us all of the major contributions Islamic scholars have made to all the sciences, the use of Hijab (apparently there is hijab for men too), the Muslim family, status of women in Islam, the three most holy mosques (none are in Istanbul) and distillations of the Muslim faith.  

I should tell you that the Blue Mosque was founded by a boy Sultan who ascended the ?throne aged 13 but who was a little bit precocious even for a Sultan's son. He wanted to create a mosque that was exceed the grandeur of Hagia Sophia. Somehow, these Sultans found architects to push the envelope time after time. He died of typhus at just 27, a year before it was completed; who knows what he might have achieved.

After touring the Blue Mosque we had free time, it was now nearly 4pm. I joined John and Kerry, a GP and nurse combo from western Victoria. We wandered through some very dilapidated streets on the way 'to the Sea' which was my stated goal; saw cars and small trucks mount tiny footpaths trying to get round corners - everyone craning their necks to watch; mostly uneven cobblestone streets; found two ancient mosques and a Muslim cemetery; and we did find the Sea after 'hoping' a corner might reveal a path through the urban jungle. Cats are everywhere, are very well fed by everyone it seems, and we smelt one defecating on the path in front of us before seeing it. They are so cute.

This truck took about five goes to get around, the food delivery bike noted

Mighty fine street art

Several places just 10 minutes from the Blue Mosque were clearly ruins.

People strolled, fished and enjoyed a rather flat view. there were plenty of tankers.

They ate at a fish restaurant, while I sipped a diet coke. I had already spent 600 Turkish Lira on lunch being lentil soup and coffee, so needed my bar for dinner. I had a little tumble on a cobbled street when my foot got caught in my wide flared trousers - in the bin they go. No harm done. Some of my group are comparing prices at various small bazaars to find 'linen suits' of apparently well-known brands. Mostly creams and chocolate. I think I will buy something bright at the Bazaar to replace those trousers.

It was a full day, many mosques, finding the walls of the Topeki Palace, home of the latter Sultans, guarded by the only person we saw with a weapon. I will talk about the Tourist Police and the Traffic Police in another post, but they have only their loud voices and fingers to harass wrong-doers. Following the walls back to the Hagia Sophia and our hotel. Time for two panadol and off to bed.