Today we went to a number of newer mosques (1600-1700s), all of which were magnificent! The first was built for Suleyman's favorite (and legal) wife. It is a lovely building - one of architect Sinan's first. He designed mosques using Renaissance ideals of perfect circles and squares. We also got to watch a group of boys in their religious instruction. Kids are kids the world over! The second mosque was a large complex built as a memorial to Suleyman's firstborn who died of smallpox when he was very young. It had a superb courtyard area as well as amazing decor. The third was the mosque of Suleiman himself, unfortunately undergoing major renovation so we could only look at the outside. The mosque complex is about 2 city blocks square. The Sultan's mosque complex (and many others) included an elementary school, 4 levels of high school (each in their own building) a monastery/dormitory (sufi monks were called dirvishes), a hospital, a fountain for water for the community, and a soup kitchen for the poor of the community, plus the mosque itself for daily prayers and Friday worship. We walked through ancient neighborhoods to two smaller "Pasha" mosques - mosques of the government leaders. There are three types of mosques, determined by their primary function and location. Sultanate (head of Government's place of worship next to his residence), Social (for the use of the community, and Friday mosques for congregational worship.
The last mosque was Istanbul's most famous, the Blue Mosque, located opposite the Topkapi Palace. It is exquisitely decorated with painting, calligraphy and Iznik tiles as well as domes and balconies. We got there just after evening prayers so the place was very crowded. Because of that an atmosphere of reverence was pretty much non-existent. Even roaming guards couldn't keep people where they were supposed to be. I was bothered by the lack of respect and reverence - behavior I have never seen in any of our US cathedrals or "high churches".
Being pretty much mosqued out (though I do love the calls to prayer which are broadcast throughout the city 5 times a day - they are amazingly antiphonal and even melodic) we went to eat and then Jenn and I washed some clothes and tried to get all our electronics charged using our 1 outlet in the room!
Tomorrow the Spice Bazaar, a more modern mosque, a boat ride up the Bosphorous, an excursion into the Asian (continent not ethnicity) part of Istanbul.
The last mosque was Istanbul's most famous, the Blue Mosque, located opposite the Topkapi Palace. It is exquisitely decorated with painting, calligraphy and Iznik tiles as well as domes and balconies. We got there just after evening prayers so the place was very crowded. Because of that an atmosphere of reverence was pretty much non-existent. Even roaming guards couldn't keep people where they were supposed to be. I was bothered by the lack of respect and reverence - behavior I have never seen in any of our US cathedrals or "high churches".
Being pretty much mosqued out (though I do love the calls to prayer which are broadcast throughout the city 5 times a day - they are amazingly antiphonal and even melodic) we went to eat and then Jenn and I washed some clothes and tried to get all our electronics charged using our 1 outlet in the room!
Tomorrow the Spice Bazaar, a more modern mosque, a boat ride up the Bosphorous, an excursion into the Asian (continent not ethnicity) part of Istanbul.
No comments:
Post a Comment