Istanbul ’17 | Day 5: Gold & Light
Istanbul ’17 | Day 5: Gold & Light
26th July ’17. Day 5 of 9.
Today has been a chilled day, roaming around the local area and taking in the beauty of Sultanahmet; the fountains in the sun, Sultanahmet Park bustling with people and colour and feel-good atmosphere.
We prayed Zuhr at the Firuz Aga Camii, a small mosque just around the corner (and possibly my favourite place to pray, the Imam’s recitation is so beautiful) and then paid a visit to the historic cemetery of Sultan Mahmud II. We first discovered this a few days ago in the dead of night (no pun intended). It was eery then but very beautiful, and so we came back today to pay our respects. In the day, it’s incredibly peaceful and so well-maintained that we took our time admiring the beauty, browsing names and quietly contemplating whilst the sun beamed down on the tombstones.
Later on, entirely by accident, we stumbled across a beautiful less-mentioned gem of this city; Nuruosmaniye Camii is a short walk from Grand Bazaar, and it is spectacular. We sat for a while on the steps, then ventured inside. I haven’t yet seen anything like this; the feel, tones and colours of Nuruosmaniye are distinctive; grey marble, baroque-style design and light flooding through its stained glass windows – it’s fascinating. But what I fell in love with the most was the strip of vivid gold calligraphy against a rich dark background; bold, unique and incredibly elegant. Something about the contrasting and very different style of design here just works, and works seamlessly.
We spent the rest of today doing nothing (it was great!) and finally ended the night in Sultanahmet Park, sitting on the grass under the alternating lights and the hush sounds of water.
