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| The Blue Mosque as seen from our hotel terrace at night. |
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| The Blue Mosque-It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye (the buildings around the mosque) contain a tomb of the founder, a madrasah (school for studying Islam) and a hospice. |
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| Courtyard of the mosque |
The prayer area and main dome of the Blue Mosque.
The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles in more than fifty different tulip designs
Around 1490 BC the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III erected two obelisks before the Karnak temple in Luxor to commemorate the victories of his forces in Mesopotamia. The obelisks were made of rare pink granite.
In the 4th century AD, an unknown Roman emperor who wanted to accomplish something impressive that would create excitement among his people had the obelisk brought to Istanbul. It is the oldest monument in the city and has always been considered magical.
In the 4th century AD, an unknown Roman emperor who wanted to accomplish something impressive that would create excitement among his people had the obelisk brought to Istanbul. It is the oldest monument in the city and has always been considered magical.
The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with 61 covered streets and over 3,000 shops. It was overwhelming!
The Grand Bazaar
One of the many quaint streets
Topkapi Palace and the Harem
The Imperial Harem of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923) was one of the most important elements of the Ottoman court.
The
Imperial Harem occupied one of the large sections of the private apartments of the sultan at the Topkapi Palace which encompassed more than 400 rooms.
The courtyard of the harem
The apartments of the princes were part of the imperial Ottoman harem
The courtyard of the harem
Cruise on the Bosphorus. Istanbul is a city situated on two continents. The Bosphorus separates the Asian and European side of Istanbul.
Restaurants located under the bridge crossing the Bosphorus.
Picture of Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque from the Bosphorus.
Eating at a local restaurant
We had to try the local beer.
From the terrace of our hotel our first night in Istanbul....breathtaking!
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