Istnabul Continued:

I forgot to add this photo with my first Instanbul blog.  We saw a number of people selling bagels this way.  This gentleman had no problem multi-tasking - talking on his cell phone, carrying on a conversation and keeping everything balanced.

The Blue Mosque anchors one end of Sultanahmet Square and was built by Sultan Ahmet I during 1606 and 1616.  It is unique because of it's six  minarets which at the time it was built was considered a sacrilegious attempt to rival the architecture of Mecca.

I was enthralled by the beauty of all the mosques we entered.  The tile work of the Blue Mosque is especially magnificent.

 Across the square from the Blue Mosque and facing it is Haghia Sophia.  It is considered (according to the guide books) one of the world's greatest architectural achievements.  It was built in the sixth century by Emperor Justinian and served as a
Christian Church until the 15th century when the Ottomans converted it into a mosque, adding the minarets.  Byzantine mosaics depicting events in Christ's life are
still a main focus of the mosque.

 This is the part of the staircase (ramp) used to get to the second level of Haghia Sophia.

 The view from the second level.

This is the Egyptian Spice Market.  We also explored the Grand Bazaar, which after
Chutachuk Market in Bangkok, really didn't impress us much.  We preferred the Spice
Market which included it all:  food, spices, porcelain, rugs, etc.

Below is the courtyard of the Suleymaniye Mosque.  It is considered Istanbul's most important mosques and was built between 1550-57 by Suleyman the Magnificent.  I loved the architecture, especially with the juxtaposition of the ladies in front.

Below is an interior shot of the Mosque.  The mosque complex itself housed a charitable foundation, or Kulliye, and is surrounded by its former hospital, soup kitchen, schools, and bath house.  This complex provided a welfare system which fed over 1,000 of the city's poor - Muslims, Christians and Jews alike - every day.

Tomorrow I will post photos from my favorite site, The Church of St. Savior in Chora.