A short walk from our hotel lead us to a spot where on one side was Hagia Sophia and on the other side was the Blue Mosque - quite a vista! The Blue Mosque was under restoration, so our group went to tour Hagia Sophia with our very knowledgeable guide, Taylan. Taylan was an archeologist in a previous career, so he has incredible knowledge about the history and antiquity of Turkey. We also learned that guides in Turkey undergo rigorous training and must be licensed, these guys and gals really know their stuff!
As we walked about in Hagia Sophia, treasures awaited us around every corner. As you might know, the great Mosques have been used as both Mosques and Christian Churches over the centuries - it all depends on who's in power. When the Ottomans took over, they instructed builders to plaster over the great mosaics of the once Christian Churches. These mosaics are being uncovered in some Mosques - they are stunning. One of the photos below shows Rob kneeling by the marble step that has been worn down over the centuries at least 3"!
One of the amazing things we learned was about the beautiful marble slabs which are mirror images of each other - there are a couple below in the photo gallery. These slabs were cut and put into place long before modern technology and you'll never guess how they cut them! They used silk! and lots of water. It's so amazing to see these slabs in person - they're so smooth and perfectly mirrored. Amazing!
We also visited Süleymaniye Mosque on another day. This is a beautiful Mosque with beautiful Bosporos views. I wish I could caption each photo, but I think you'll see the difference. The Süleymaniye Mosque is the one with the red carpets. We sat for a while inside while Taylan explained about some interesting tidbits concerning this Mosque. For instance, the architect Sinan somehow figured out that Ostrich eggs repelled spiders, so the Ostrich eggs were placed between the oil lamps in the chandeliers. He also had the forethought to know that the stones in the arches would wear over time and eventually collapse, so he placed a note in a hidden place in one of the arches which was discovered just in time to save the arches from collapsing - how cool is that?
Check out this link for more info: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/greece-turkey/turkey