sultahnamet

most of the tourist attractions are located in sultahnamet. unfortunately, it seems someone came around and standardized all of the prices, because everything cost 10 ytl (new turkish lira), regardless of how important historically it was or how much time you could spend there. the only thing we paid to see was the ayasofya.

the ayasofya was a 5th century byzantine cathedral, converted into a mosque during the ottoman empire. because of this, you see the arabic script acceptable in mosques with old frescos and icons.

just across the way was the blue mosque, one of the largest (of many) in istanbul.

the mosque got its name from the blue patterned tiles.


both men and women had to have their legs covered to the ankle and enter bear foot, and women were required to have their heads covered. nevertheless, there were tons of disrespectful tourists who mocked the dress or simply took their headscars off the minute they entered. this didn't happen at the mosques outside of sultahnamet, touristy locations ruin everything.
before prayer, muslims must wash their feet.

blue mosque from a distance