Aya Sofia and The Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Before going to Istanbul I really didn't know much about the city, but I knew I had to see the Aya Sofia (Hagia Sofia). I think I remember it from my history class from high school as being known as the most beautiful building in the world or something like that. After visiting, I would say that it probably isn't the most beatuiful building in the world, but it is certainly worth checking out.

For those who don't know much about the Aya Sofia, it was the largest Cathedral in the world for about 1,000 years. The current structure was completed in 537 and served as the Greek Patriarchal Cathedral of Constantinople until the Ottomans took over the city in 1453 and converted it to a mosque. It is considered to be the epitome of Byzantine architecture and  served as a model for many later churches and mosques.

The main dome is massive and stands at an impressive 55.6 meters (182 ft). It's interesting to read the history of the church, various parts have been destroyed over the years, but they just kept rebuilding and improving the structure every time to make the building stronger and stronger.

Today the Aya Sofia is now a museum so that Muslims and Christians alike can appreciate the history and beauty of the building. They have tried to keep a healthy balance of uncovering the Christian mosaics and frescos while preserving the Islamic art which covered much of the Christian images.

If you look out the front door of the Aya Sofia, you can't miss the Blue Mosque which was built directly in front of the Aya Sofia. The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) was built in 1609 by the Sultan Ahmet I. You can see that the architecture style was, in part, modeled after the Aya Sofia.

Unlike the Aya Sofia which has been convereted into a museum, the Blue Mosque is still a functioning mosque and therefore visitors must show a little respect when entering. Women should wear a head scarf, cover their legs and arms. Everyone must take of their shoes before entering.

As I first learned while in Spain this summer, Islamic art is just stunning. While you will never see icons as you would in Catholic or Orthodox churches, the repeated patterns and the Arabic writing used to make designs is quite stunning.

Many people argue that the Blue Mosque is even more beautiful than the Aya Sofia. For me, you can't compare them, they are like apples and oranges. But, they are both worth seeing while in Istanbul.

Admission into the Aya Sofia is 20 Lira, which was about $12.00 USD when I was there. Audio guides are available and there are many licensed guides milling about the entrance who also offer tours in many languages. It would have been nice to have a guide, but I just did it on my own and was happy enough. As the Blue Mosque is a functioning mosque, you should be wary not to enter during prayer times. Those times change every day, but are around sun rise, mid morning, noon, mid afternoon and evening. There is no charge to enter, but you must stay within one area for viewing if you are entering as a tourist, not a worshiper.

The Alcazar in Sevilla

Sevilla's other big attraction is the Alcázar, the palace first built by Moores in the 900's. This palace combines the Arabic architecture of the Moorish period with Renaissance architecture from the 16th century.

Cathedral of Sevilla

We visited a lot of churches and cathedrals in Spain, but my favorite was the Cathedral in Sevilla. Though it was once a mosque, you'd never know it unless someone told you. It doesn't resemble a mosque at all except for one tower, that I'll get to later. 

I didn't find that any of the churches in Spain had any impressive stained glass windows, but this one stained glass window in the church ( the only noticeable one in the whole place ) cast off some lovely colors on the ground below. 

 

Every altar that I saw got increasingly more impressive up until this one which is pretty near impossible to beat I think.

I love taking photos of the ceilings in these churches.... they are just marvelous...

Can you guess who's mausoleum could be so impressive? Well, it's none other than Christopher Columbus himself in here. The Guadalquivir river comes up into Sevilla and this is where all the riches of the new world were first brought. It's a fitting place for his grave.

The best part about this cathedral was the tower which you can climb with your admission to the cathedral. Here you can actually see the Arabic influence in the shape of the windows if you look closely. 

They allow you to climb right up to the top of the bell tower and you can get some amazing areal views of the city. 

We needed some friends living here with their roof top pools to cool down. 

La Alhambra

 

One of our first stops in Spain, after we left Madrid, was the Alhambra in Granada, located in Andalucia. Andalucia is well known for it's Arabic influence, and Granada is host to the grandest of all Arabic structures in Spain, La Alhambra. Once a palace and fortress for the last remaining Moores in Spain, it's name translates as "the red fortress" in Arabic. Though it's red clay walls were once whitewashed, they now stand a redish-brown for all to see from the distance. 

The most impressive thing, in my opinion about the Alhambra, or indeed, most of the Arabic architecture we saw in Andalucia, was the incredible intricate tiles and detailed patterns on nearly every surface of the palace. There's no need to hang paintings or tapestries for decoration because the structure itself is decoration. And we noted that the palace has such an uncluttered feel to it compared to other palaces and churches we've seen in our experiences. Of course, it is impossible to say how it looked back when people actually lived here. They must have had furniture and paintings to add some clutter, but we could just imagine that it must have always felt so open and airy just as it does today.

The palace was built around the theme of a "paradise on earth" and so you always feel slightly enchanted by not only the architecture, but also it's gardens and outdoor areas as well. It's tremendous gardens, reflecting pools and walkways are nearly as impressive as the buildings themselves. Can you imagine living here?

M.C. Escher spent some time here studying the interlocking patterns of the Alhambra, and you can see this influence in his artwork, if you are familiar with it.

The photo below is from the Palace of Charles V,  a holy Roman emperor who wished to build his residence close to the Alhambra in th 1500's. It's built in a Renaissance style but it's sad because next to the rest of the Alhambra, it simply can not compete in beauty and elegance.

 

La Alhambra is located in Granada in Andalucia, Spain. Entrance is most conveniently purchased at the  Librería de la Alhambra (Alhambra Book Store) located  in the center of town. Tickets are 14 euros ahead or 13 at the door, but buying ahead means no lines and you can just enter when you're ready. This is a must see in Spain, which is probably why the entire city is flooded with tourists all year round... but, it's worth it!