Video: Hotel view of Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque and the Sea of Marmara.



Spanning two continents and three empires (Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman), Istanbul is enviable as much for historical jewels like the Topkapi Palace, as for its cultural icons like the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia (seen above from our hotel roof). A megacity with a throbbing pulse, Istanbul defies categorization -- weaving together the old and the new in an intricate mosaic of daily life.

The twin jewels of Istanbul - the SultanAhmed
(Blue) Mosque in the distance and Hagia
Sophia (Aya Sofia) Church in the foreground
Built by Emperor Justinian as a church, and later
converted into a mosque, the church of Holy Wisdom
(Hagia Sophia) was the largest cathedral for thousand
years until the Seville cathedral in Spain came along.
        Close-up of Hagia Sophia.


Inside Hagia Sophia. The
seemingly weightless domes
and half-domes are
suspended sans pillars. From
the ceilings hang pendant
chandeliers to light
the inside.
The ceiling is a marvel of architecture
-- employing triangular pendantives
to support the circular domes on a
rectangular base.
Giant medallions sport the
calligraphic inscriptions of the
names of Allah, the first four
Caliphs, and the two grandchildren
of Mohammed.

In front of Aya Sofia by day ..and night Built around 1610, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is popularly
known as the Blue Mosque because of the extensive use
of blue Iznik tiles in its interior. The mosque fuses Byzantine
with Islamic art forms.
      Inside the courtyard of Blue Mosque

In front of Blue Mosque 20000 hand made Iznik blue tiles compose the
interior of the Blue Mosque
A pendant chandelier adorns the prayer area

Suspended half domes inside the Blue Mosque Decorated carpet in the prayer area Ceiling with blue Iznik tiles Quranic inscriptions

Triangular pendantives to fuse the circular dome
with the rectangular base








Click to continue to the Topkapi Palace