As we flew over the water during our descent into Istanbul, I immediately spotted the domed structures and tall minarets of the city’s mosques. Mosques can be found in many cities throughout the world that observe the Islamic faith but their unmistakable architecture makes them stand out wherever you might be.
From the grand Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the Mevlana Museum in central Turkey, to the golden domed Ortaköy Mosque that my good friend, Elena, and I happened upon during an early morning run along the Bosphorus, curvaceous domes and sky high minarets always draw me in to glorious spaces that provide eye candy at every turn. Vast courtyards lead to awe inspiring interiors that can be filled with tile work in the most vibrant patterns and colors and swirly calligraphy as ornate lights twinkling overhead.
If you’ve never been to a mosque or want to learn a bit more about them, this week’s #WidenYourWorld virtual field trip to Turkey provides an introduction. Just move your cursor over the slideshow below and scroll down or click here to view a larger version on Sway to learn more about mosques in Turkey.
Over the course of the next couple months, I’ll be sharing some of the experiences from my travels each Friday as a way to #WidenYourWorld. Here’s a look at some of the topics that are part of the series. Links will go live as virtual field trip posts are published.
- Art– Ebru paper marbling and ceramics
- Food– 8 Family Friendly Dishes from Turkey to Make at Home (includes simit, irmik helfasi, kebab, dolmas, dondurma, midye dolma, Turkish coffee, spices, and more!)
- Geography– Where in the World is Turkey: Finding Turkey on a Map & Cappadocia’s fairy chimneys and caves
- History– The Silk Road and importance of caravanserais
- Religion– An Introduction to Mosques in Turkey
- Math– Converting money from dollars to Turkish Lira
- Music & Dance– The Sufi Whirling Dervishes
- Science & Engineering– Turkish Airlines Flight Training Center
- Writing– Calligraphy
Huge thanks to Turkish Airlines for extending a very generous invitation for me to join them in flying business class to Turkey and organizing and funding my adventures in Istanbul and beyond. Inspiration for using Sway for my #WidenYourWorld virtual field trip of Turkey came from attending Microsoft’s recent #ChampionsSummit in Seattle. All opinions are my own. Images taken with the Samsung NX1 and NXMini.
