Some Pictures of Istanbul

The Blue Mosque




Lisa and I on the "Asia" side. The Bosphorus river separates Istanbul into the Asian and European sides. We stayed on the European side but took a ferry across the Bosphorus to check out what Asia was like.

Hagia Sophia: A cathedral that at one time was a symbol of the power and might of the Byzantine Empire and its proclamation of Christianity. In the 1450's was then taken over by the Ottoman Empire and converted into a mosque. The religious icons were covered up as they were adulterous to the Islamic faith. In the early 1900's, the domed structure became a museum. Fascinating to see how this amazing basilica could house so much history and reflect two different faiths.