Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Aya Sofia - The Church of The Divine Wisdom
Overview of the minarets, built after the convertion by Mehmet, The Conqueror.
The word Allah caligraphed on huge placards, symbols of Islam.
More examples of the phenomenon called "The Palaeologian Renaissance" led to a renewal of the Byzantine mosaic art.
View of the Blue Mosque, another symbol of Istanbul, from the Aya Sofia.
Photography by Nuno Goncalves. Istanbul, Turkey 2006.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Istanbul by Night
Friday, November 10, 2006
Walk about Istanbul!
XXI Century... Unbelievable!!!
Pondering life.
Fisherman's at the Galata Bridge.
Guess how many rods?
Photography by Nuno Goncalves. Istanbul, Turkey 2006.Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The most prominent landmarks of Istanbul
Founded by Sultan Ahmet I, the Blue Mosque was design by Mehmed Aga. The constuction begin in 1609 and was completed in 1616.
Beautiful windows of the Blue Mosque.
Everybody should turn their face to the south when praying, because Mecca( Saudi Arabia), is located in South.
The pulpit and nave are made of marble. The Imam (priest), goes on the pulpit every Friday on the sacred day of the Muslims but he never climbs to the very top as a respect to Prophet Muhammed.
Praying have place five times a day. First one early in morning, second at noon time, third in afternon, fourth in evening and last one before going to bed.
The mosque has 260 windows which let the sunlight diffuse into the building quite nicely. They were filled with stained-glass in early 17C but they were restored later.
It is all carpeted with prayer rugs because people must put their forehead on the floor and therefore the floor should be soft and clean.
Overview of the inside of the Blue Mosque.
The mosque is all surrounded by beautiful 17C Iznik tiles which give its name to the Blue Mosque.
The marble courtyard is priceless. Its marble comes from the Island of Marmara (the turkish word for marble).
Detail of the Blue Mosque.
Photography by Nuno Goncalves. Istanbul, Turkey 2006.