10 May, Friday
Photo By: bels_trails
TURKEY, Istanbul – Among the most stunning buildings in Turkey, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque also has a colloquial name – The Blue Mosque – on account of the hand-painted blue, turquoise and green tiles that adorn the interior walls. Come nightfall, the blue lighting used to highlight the mosque’s five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary further reinforce the moniker among worshippers and visitors alike.
Despite its fame as a tourist attraction, the mosque still offers full worship service to the community. The devout fall onto their knees in prayer on the ground’s red carpets during the five designated prayer times – an event closed to non-worshippers, but nevertheless moving and profound.
More than a mosque, the magnificent complex also functions as an important social hub. It houses amenities like the founder’s tomb, a madrasa, a hospice, along with an elementary school, garden platform and bazaar.
