We leave the Blue Mosque, head northwest into a local neighborhood. Tourist traps give way to run-down apartments, spartan çay shops and a dearth of trinkets. We enter the courtyard of a school, walking out to the terrace with the view of the Sea of Marmara.
Main Attractions: Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque
Hagia Sofia (or Ayasofia) was founded as a Catholic church in the 6th century, and converted to a mosque when Istanbul was conquered in the 15th century. It is no longer a functioning mosque. It is fascinating to see the massive round Arabic canvasses, thirty feet in diameter, surround the main chamber, while ancient Biblical mosaics adorn the walls. Light …
A Terrace and a Mosque With New Friends
From Ojai, evan puts us in touch with Kelly in Istanbul. She is American, in Turkey for the last six years, which began as a period of time with her aging grandmother. We meet her and family friend Paul at Konak Cafe in Galata, another terrace with another amazing view – this time south to the Golden Horn and west …
The Pierre Loti Terrace and Into The Grand Bazaar
We take the tram west of Sultanahmet to Çemberlitaş. Passing Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque on our left, we climb the hill and exit at the Column of Constantine, built on the orders of the Roman emperor in 330 AD. Crowds swarm around the entrance of the Grand Bazaar and the adjacent Atik Ali Pasha Mosque is in prayer, …