Day 3: Instanbul sightseeing: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, , Basilica Cistern Museum, Topkapi Palace
We start on our sightseeing of Instanbul with the Hagia Sophia.
It was built as a chuch, but turned into a mosque with minarets.
It is now a museum, as we make our way in. The women have to wear headscarves.
This is our guide, Nilufer.
The main apse...
...and looking toward the ceiling dome.
We are touring the second floor, looking down into the prayer area.
The circles are camel skin decorated with calligraphy from the Quran.
All the pillars are various imported marbles.
The walls are made by splitting marble and positioning it to mirror the previous piece.
They preserved the Christian symbology at the top, but draw curtains over it during service.
A barrel vault with decorated ceilings.
These two mosaics are the most iconic associated with the Hagia Sophia.
Some of the tiles were stolen for gold, and for their magic healing powers.
The marble door separating the east and west sides.
Wade in front of another pillar.
Down in the basement entrance is the last famous mosaic.
This fountain outside is used for the pre-service ablutions.
The Blue Mosque in the background.
The Blue Mosque is famous for having six minarets.
The architecture has eight half-domes supporting the main dome.
A beautiful stained glass window.
These triangles transfer the weight of the dome through the half-domes.
These intricate blue tiles are what give the Blue Mosque its name.
Outside, this area was an arena for chariot racing. It now holds a number of columns and obelisks.
Now we are at the Basilica Cistern Museum.
It used to be an underground cistern for storing the city's water.
Now it has been decorated with various sculptures...
...and lighting that changes periodically to enhance the mood.
They reused a lot of old marble, like this Medusa that was turned upside-down and used as a base.
Moving on to the Topkapi palace, opened in 1465.
It is in the old city right on the Bosphorus.
It was the seat of the Ottoman Empire, and is now a museum.
It is laid out as a series of four garden areas surrounded by the buildings.
It is all intricately decorated...
...inside and out.
This was a main meeting room on the left, and the scribes were in a room to the right.
Nilufer explaining the buildings in this area.
Inside the main harem area, with mannequins to represent costumes of the day.
Deeper into the labyrinth of the harem.
Wade doing his imitation of the head eunuch.
There were larger chambers like this one for the favored wives.
Another shot with the Bosphorus.
Kimberly with her totem lion.
