TravelswithCharie

Kilim Rug I had no plans to buy a rug in Turkey. My house has one too many rugs and I had recently bought a jute rug for my living room. But a determined salesman persuaded me to look at the rugs his store offers. It was a very short walk from the Basilica Cistern where I happened to spend a couple of hours so I decided to go to with him to his store.  At the store they offered me hot tea served in tulip shaped glasses. I couldn’t even touch it as it was too hot to hold. Anyway, I was immediately distracted by a different salesman unfolding rugs before me. He asked me what type I wanted and I replied, “a peaceful one”. As you can see, none of these rugs are peaceful. They are fully covered with geometric or floral designs. The kilim rug above has cross symbols which protects against the evil eye while the running water symbol framing the edges of the rug represents life. This rug was my favorite of the lot. Here’s another kilim rug but the colors are darker. You can still find the cros

Grand Çamlica Mosque, Istanbul Çamlica Mosque stands on Çamlica Hill in Üsküdar, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul. It is the biggest mosque in Turkey with a capacity of 60,000+ worshippers and may accommodate up to a 100,000 people as an emergency shelter in case of an earthquake. The mosque was designed by two female architects, Bahar Mizrak and Hayriye Göl Totu, who won the design competition for the mosque. Çamlica Mosque was inaugurated in 2019. The Mosque has six minarets (representing the 6 articles of Islamic faith), one of only three mosques in Turkey with this number of minarets. The women architects wanted a “female friendly” mosque hence they included a separate place for women for the ablution or cleansing ritual before prayer and a child care facility and playground so the children could be cared for while the adults are praying. Among other things in the Mosque are a library, an art gallery and studio, a conference hall, the Museum of Islamic Civilizations and a p

Basilica Cistern (Yerebatan Sarayi ) The Basilica Cistern or the Sunken Palace, has been around since the 6th century when it was constructed as a reservoir for the palace of Constantinople and the surrounding neighborhood. It takes its name from the Stoa Basilica which once stood on the very same site. There are 336 marble columns standing 30 ft. high supporting the ceiling. Many of these columns were recycled from the ruins of other buildings. The vaulted ceiling and rounded arches remind one of the great cathedrals of Europe but the Cistern predates these cathedrals. It has been restored multiple times through the years and earthquake-proofed in 2017. The Cistern was reopened to the public in July 2022. This is the bottom of the cistern with just enough water to reflect the columns and artworks scattered throughout. Visitors walk on raised walkways. Here’s a Corinthian column decorated with acanthus leaves. Peacock Eye or Column of Tears This column may be a tribute to the slaves wh