Turkey: Istanbul: Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque

HAGIA SOFIA:

During our days in istanbul we chose to visit following historical buildings: the famaous museum Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque.






Hagia Sofia (the former mother church of all eastern Christianity, both ortodox and catolic) was constructed already at 530 AD! It was originally a Roman patriarchal church where the eastern Ortodox religion florished and ruled for nearly 1000 years. At that time Istanbul was "the new Rome", called Constantinople. Later the Ottoman Turks concored and turned Istanbul Islamic. Hagia Sofia then became a Mosque. Today it´s a museum filled with historical vibartion and valuable art.



Don´t miss this huge master piece if you are in istanbul!
The entrance fee is 10 Lira (about 5 euro).

THE BLUE MOSQUE:












The Blue Mosque is an impressive landmark for Istanbul with its Dome, semidomes, yards and minarets. The mosque was founded by Sultan Ahmed and was built in the beginning of 1600.
The Muslims still go to the mosque for daily prayers so be prepared for respecting the customs concerning non-muslims when you enter; enter barefoot and have scarves to cover your head, arms and legs as a female (also my son had to cover his arms). Scarves and bags for your shoes are provided at the tourist entrance.