On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Winter Wren
Our next excursion in Istanbul was to take the tramway to the old city to visit the site of the former Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern. There was a lot to see, this post covers the first 2 and the next post will visit the other 2 sites.

The famous Hippodrome where chariot races were held and Justinian slaughtered a rebellious mob is now a cobblestone road surrounding a “square” (well, oval) with the Blue Mosque at one end and the Hagia Sophia at the other end.

Of course, cats rule in Istanbul.

This obelisk with Egyptian hieroglyphics was plundered by the Byzantines and erected within the Hippodrome and is still standing.

The base of the famous obelisk.

An obelisk erected by a later Byzantine emperor within the Hippodrome. Not standing the test of time as well as the Egyptian construction to my eye.

When we arrived, it was prayer time so we could not enter the Blue Mosque, but you could enter the courtyard walls to which the minarets were attached. The mosque has very pleasing aesthetics; I was surprised to discover that I liked it better than the Hagia Sophia from a visual perspective. Within the courtyard were a set of posters informing visitors about Islam and Islamic traditions.

One of the minarets as seen from the courtyard.

There were ablution stations along the outside of the courtyard to perform the ritual cleansings before entering the mosque for prayers.

Once prayers were over, nonbelievers were allowed to enter. There was no entry fee, but women were required to cover hair and shoulders (my wife bought a scarf for this purpose while we waited for it to open) and shoes needed to be removed before entering (also shorts were not allowed within). The interior was stunning.

The stained glass was also very pleasing!
Ramalama
Holy shitbird. Your photos are incredible. That mosque…
eclare
The mosque is beautiful.
Betty
Such amazing craftsmanship in the mosque. Gorgeous.
Trivia Man
I especially like the obelisk comparison. Really emphasizes how incredible ancient Egypt was.
As you mentioned, anybody intending to visit a church needs to read up on what clothing is allowed. I spent an entertaining hour watching the entrance to St Peters in Vatican City. The people stunned and argumentative about being denied entry. Some meekly giving up and going away, some clearly prepared with a shawl tgey whip out on the way up the steps, others falling back to observe and plan how to hide in a crowd… humans faced with an unexpected problem.
Trivia Man
There used to be a lot of religious art and architecture in the world that move me derplt. If only it weren’t tied to such cruelty and destruction.
Kosh III
Thank you. Istanbul has been on my bucket list for years but I’ve never made it there.
Spanish Moss
Hi, I am Winter Wren’s wife, and I wanted to add that the mosque had separate areas for men and women to take their shoes off at the entrance, though we could mix inside. We put our shoes in little cubbies. It was such a strange sensation to feel so “female”.
Though the mosque will provide a head covering if you don’t have one, I bought a very pretty silk and cashmere scarf at a stall outside the mosque. I was hoping for a sophisticated look, but unfortunately I just looked like an old eastern European peasant woman! Women who normally wear head scarves make it look so easy, but I had to constantly be aware of it to keep it from slipping, even though it looked to me like I was wearing it the same way as everyone else. Maybe they don’t move their heads as much?
beckya57
I’ve been to all these places, back in 2008, so this has been a lovely trip down memory lane. I remember everything Spanish Moss describes about head covering. Like Winter Wren I thought the Blue Mosque was much more beautiful than the Hagia Sophia—I thought it was one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen anywhere, inside and out—and I went nuts taking pictures of it. BTW there’s over 60 feral cats at the Topkapi Palace, and they run the place and are well cared for.
Summer
I lived in Ankara in 2000-2001, coming back right before 9-11. Turkey is such a magnificent country for tracing ancient history. In Ankara’s Ulus district, I pushed on a giant door that was cracked open and inside an abandoned caravansery just a few hundred feet from the castle.
Thanks for this description and photos!
Winter Wren
@Summer: What a great experience! Our son headed to Ankara next after our visit. I definitely would love to come back to see more of the country outside of Istanbul. So much history and the food is great!
oldster
Thank you for these amazing photos and narration.
The Blue Mosque certainly shows its debts to the Hagia Sophia in its design. But it sounds like it’s more pleasing somehow as a total package? I have to admit — I know so little about these things that I had previously thought that “Blue Mosque “ was just another name for the Hagia Sophia. So, your trip is teaching me a lot!
Winter Wren
@oldster: Yes. Certainly Hagia Sophia is much more famous (at least to the Western mind) and older and the Blue Mosque is inspired by it. I think the story is that the Sultan who commissioned the building of the Blue Mosque wanted to surpass the Hagia Sophia. I guess maybe it’s not a totally fair comparison since the mosaics in Hagia Sophia are mostly covered and that is partly a reason for its fame.
Geminid
@Winter Wren: There’s high speed rail service now between Istanbul and Ankara. I think the trip takes about four and a half hours.
Ankara was called Angora back in the day. It was known for its floofy cats and goats, and spherical white rabbits. It gets cold in central Anatolia.
Madeleine
@Spanish Moss: thank you for your perspective on your visit. Your comment and Trivia Man’s about considering dress for visiting religious sites opens a new angle for me.
ND i must not forget to thank Winter Wren for this week’s tour of Istanbul. It’s fascinating.
Wag
Extraordinary photos of the inside to the mosque. Thank you for sharing.