Obelisk of Theodosius

I had the best of intentions, but in my defense: I was left unsupervised.

Sunday I started off slow and with the idea I would do a quick tour of some mosques. That's almost like rest.

I even took a cab vs walking. That may have been influenced by rain, truth be told.

After walking around a little, admiring egyptian artifacts stolen in the 5th century, I found myself wow'ed in the courtyard of the spectacular Sultanahmet (Blue Mosque) but unable to enter because it was in-use for a congregation. It was about then that I also realized I had made an error in wearing shorts... But I decided to try anyway as the men-wear-pants rule was variably enforced. I do want to be respectful, even if the rule is silly. Venice was similar nonsense. I just can't get my head around how religious cults can get so worked up over knees and shoulders being exposed. But then again: it's their house , I'll respect their rules.

So with time to kill I strolled across the plaza to the Hagia Sophia, ran into the same timing problem, and decided to just... Wait.

The wait itself was a good chance to rest and to people gawk. A long queue is a great place to see cultural differences on food, attire, group dynamics, and the concept of waiting in line. Also a chance to watch the various stray dogs who live in the area. Cute mongrels who seem to be at ease among the throngs. The sounds of the amplified prayer echoing through the square, and repeated from other mosques, lend a sense of exotic adventure to the whole affair (see video).

Once inside the Hagia Sophia - an enormous building that has been a Church, a mosque, a museum, and now a mosque again - I was impressed by the grandeur and the mosaics. Beautiful. I'm glad to have seen it.

On the way out, I stopped off at the fountain of ablution to double-down on my Camino sin forgiveness. One can't be too blessed/forgiven, after all.

As an aside, I admire the inclusion of basic hygiene into rituals. It's a good idea. The fountain is beautiful, too, and I am a big fan of making drinking water available to people.

Back to the Blue Mosque I went and ... Wow!

I've been touring houses of worship for months. I've seen amazing places. This one currently tops my list for best overall "I like it here" impact. It is beautiful, light, airy, full of color and patterns. The marble columns are massive and appear to be from a single block in the horizontal dimension. Everything about the aesthetic left me feeling happily impressed. 10⭐ strongly recommend.Leia mais