The following is what we saw in Istanbul Turkey.
We get a pleasant surprise for the day and attend service, yes prayer time, at the famous Süleymaniye Mosque - Blue Mosque that is close to our Airbnb. We get the attention of one of the security team members. He tries to guide us to catch up with a tour group thinking were getting left behind. We tell him that we are alone and not with a tour group and hoping to watch the service. His shocked face was quickly replaced with delight. We could tell he was very happy to have two Americans take interest in his faith. He moved us to a front area where we could see well and ran to get us pamphlets that explained the religion. He even gave us each a Quran. When the service ended, we thanked him and he thanked us. That security man could not have been nicer. The experience of hearing the call to prayer, seeing 100+ men worship (with the women in the back) is our second opportunity to see the religion up close and personal. Neither Bud nor I are religious but we appreciate learning about the religions of others. We left feeling welcomed and a little more educated. Bud and Beth
We get to the Topkapi Palace. We enjoy the audio tour of the expansive home/complex to 36 Sultans from 1469 until the end of the Sultans rule in 1923. It was a spectacular 500 year run with the full complex life styles of the Sultans ruler ship on display. The management of the Muslim faith, the governance of the Ottoman empire and family life are all rolled into one in this complex. Bud
We next head to the archaeological museum and enjoy the history of the Assyrian & Hellenistic empires. We see Egyptian influence in funeral and burial rituals, marble statues and reliefs of all kinds. We learn the origins of Assyrian Hieroglyphics. The Hillite culture and the whole push and shove of people in ancient Mesopotamia culture. These Pegan worshipers gave way to Roman influence just before and after the time of Christ and gave way again to the teachings of Mohammed as the Muslim religions spread across the entire Middle East. Bud
