Touring Turkey, too

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Touring Turkey, too

 Middle East » Turkey » Istanbul By TheKeiths
April 3rd 2007
Alana and Bryan KeithWith the first week of spring break and the NESA teacher's conference behind us, we headed to one of the most interesting cities we've been - Istanbul. Not quite European, not quite Middle Eastern, just a wonderful combination of the two. Tulips in bloom, fresh fish galore (caught with no hooks), beautiful sights, and colorful bazaars awaited us in this fun and vibrant city.

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Photos

Aya Sofia
The Aya Sofia church, built by Justinian in 537AD, reigned as the greatest church in Christendom until the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It was then converted into a mosque, and then a museum in 1935. All mosques to follow were built as copies of this orignial church!

Inside Aya Sofia
Weird mix of Christian and Muslim decor

Blue Mosque
Across the street from Aya Sofia. Look familiar at all?

Inside the Blue Mosque
The mosque, really called Sultan Ahmet Camii (1610), got its nickname from the beautiful blue flower designed tiles.

Flowers
Flowers were in bloom all over the city!

Misir Carsisi - The Egyptian Bazaar
A little piece of Egypt in Turkey - the Egyptian Bazaar

Topkapi Palace Harem
Inside the Harem lived as many as 4 legitimate wives and up to 300 concubines, along with black enuchs and the sultan's mother (the most powerful woman in the empire).

Topkapi Palace - Golden Cage
The Golden Cage in the Harem section of the palace was were the sultan's many brothers were kept to ensure they would not try to overthrow the sultan.

Turkish flag
The Turkish people are very proud of their heritage, as the Turkish flag can be seen in all forms everywhere you look in Istanbul!

Bosphorous ferry
A ferry ride along the Bosphorous Strait (between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea) was a great way to end our time in Istanbul.