Bee is doing "patterns" for her GCSE art, so she asked me to bring her back something on tiles and Islamic art, which does not show people.
So apart from taking photos of the usual tourist sites, I was also taking pictures of patterns, which may explain some of the odd choices below. The photos are all taken with my mobile phone (you can guess who has my camera) so quality is not always wonderful (when in doubt blame the tools).
My impressions of Aya Sophia
I thought the scaffolding was pretty impressive. Just like one of those MC Escher engravings.
Also the cat.
The fabulous Blue Mosque in the day time
I particularly liked the way the carpet was woven as individual prayer mats. And the tiles on the ceiling are fabulous too.
Outside the mosque is a sort of covered courtyard, like a quadrangle or cloisters. Each arch has a different pattern on it. Some more Escher-like views.
And even more Blue Mosque in the evening
These are NOT taken with a blue filter, they just came out that way.
I didn't see much to photograph inside the Topkapi Palace, except in the shop, this cushion comes highly recommended by a cat, and the outside looks like this.
I thought I was very clever finding a shop selling shoes for male devushkas. If they exist that is, I have only seen men in black leather jackets around devushkas, who would not be seen dead in shoes like these. However, I ended up taking a picture of myself, not having spotted the shop mirror until too late. The reflections in the shop window are an added bonus. So it's ended up like a modern art collage.
On my last day, the weather was much better, so I went ferry hopping across to Uskudar, then Kadikoy where I saw this demonstration. I was invited to join in some singing, which I declined but was then given an explanation by a girl in her twenties who had really good English. She said they were demonstrating as Kemalists against the President. Presumably against any more Islamic fundamentalism. I also saw this group of police standing by. There were about 1 policeman to 4 demonstrators, which seemed a bit heavy. At the time I thought the guy on the left was waving in a friendly fashion when I took the photo, but later I realised that he was not very happy.
Finally some of Istanbul's skylines from my ferry hopping
