The bus dropped us off between the Blue Mosque and the Church of Hagghia Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom). We spent a few minutes admiring both buildings before we headed toward the Blue Mosque.

Plenty of other people were mulling around in the park like area between the two sites. Tea salesmen and other vendors were there also. We spent a few minutes there observing both sides before we moved on into the Blue Mosque. With its six minerets, the Blue Mosque is unique in all of Turkey.

Eventually we made our way over to the entrance to the Blue Mosque, observing the outside form of the building en route.

When we finally entered the Mosque we were awestruck by the beautiful blue tiles and the subdued lighting and overall massive impact of the structure.

Huge columns support the main dome.

The design of the blue mosque approached that of the Hagia Sophia, but the main enhancing feature of this structure, however, was the decoration of the inside. Over 21,000 tile pieces that decorated the inside of the mosque were brought from the palace workshops in iznik. The predominant color of the tiles is blue and green.

In addition to the tiles, the stained glass windows add to the visual impact of the inside. The original windows from Venice haven't survived the ages.

The third item of iterest in turkish art is the carpets which mimic the design of the iznik tiles.

The Mihrab was undergoing some restoration work on this day.

We could also clearly see the very tall "mahfil", an elevated point from which the teacher gives the sermons on Fridays.