New York doesn't have anything on Istanbul. We visited several sections of the city from the Madison Ave of Istanbul to the artsy section complete with a museum of modern art. It is truly a large and wonderful city. It has it's problems as any large city will have but the reality is that Turkey is very important to both the East and the West.
The picture with mostly blue is a famous place for night life including belly dancers and lots of music. We had another great dinner here feasting upon an assortment of fish and of course lots of wonderful vegetables. When they talk about a Mediterriane diet, this is what they're talking about. We found it all over Turkey and was happy to find it in the city also. I have an image of a proud produce market owner above so you will see what I mean.
We stayed at a little hotel right in the middle of the old city. We were within walking distance of the Sultan's old palace-the picture is from inside the harem. The Cathedral of Sophia which was build over two churches in the 560 and was changed to a mosque under the Ottomans is not used for either now but still retains the hugeness of an early Byzantine accomplishments.
The men in the last image are entering the Blue Mosque which is a working mosque and a beautiful example of Islamic art with beautiful tile everywhere. The area is also interesting because these places attract tourists from middle east countries as well as Europeans and Americans. Head covering for women was varied and pronounced. The Arab women had berk-as of black covering almost everything, Africans had brighter colors in their dress, and Turkish women seemed to be having a discussion about their responsibilities to Islam. They wore everything from black head coverings with a long coat covering their already log dress to girls who used the traditional colorful scarf tied in a snappy and attractive way under their chins to women who dressed in a western fashion.
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