Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Istanbul 9/17 - Ayasofya & Sultanahmet

Ayasofya (St. Sofia) - Byzantine cathedral built in 537.  Turned into a mosque by Mehmed II (conqueror of Istanbul) in 1453.

View of Ayasofya from outside of The Blue Mosque.

Sultanahmet (The Blue Mosque) - Istanbul's most important imperial mosques.  Constructed by Ahmed I during the years 1603-1616.

Inside The Blue Mosque

Beautiful Turkish ceramic tiling.  These pictures do no justice.