Istanbul in Pictures

 

I forgot that we went to Topkapi Palace on the same day we went to the Turkish Baths. Above is a picture of the main gate that opened up into a large courtyard. The administration and governing buildings were through another gate on the opposite side of the courtyard, and the harem, where all of the women lived, is through another gate on the left of the courtyard. We didn't get to the harem before it closed, so we didn't see it. But, most of the buildings were decorated like the pictures below with a lot of tiling, stones, gold, etc. The more important a room was, the more extravagantly decorated it was. We also saw a lot of the crown jewels and medals and clothing. Very impressive.

Most of the outside of the buildings looked like this: with arches and columns, windows with grates, and tiling on the walls.

Ceiling of an administration room. Most ceilings were domed with similar decorations.

Entrance to a administration room

Pictures from what I described in my previous post:

The fort on the Bosporus that we explored.

View from the "most beautiful Starbucks in the world". Looks like Seattle.

 

 

 

 

 

Waffle Explosion

Margaret and Asia

Hagia Sofia

Inside the Hagia Sofia. Note the Christian stained glass windows and figures at the top.

Inside the Hagia Sofia. Now you can see the Arabic calligraphy and mihrab, which indicates the direction to Mecca.

Blue Mosque

Inside Blue Mosque

Scarves Galore

Mmm...Turkish Delight

Spices! There were a ton of shops with all sorts of spices and teas, like these.

Right before we became sparkling clean.

Yummy Baklava. I heard the chocolate one referred to as "Baracklava".