Istanbul

Nearly 90 covered alleys and more than 3,500 shops and stores on an area of over 77 acrees (31 ha) make... the Kapaliçarsi one of the largest bazaars of the Orient. 17 high gates grant access to this bustling city within a city with crowds of people. The huge range of antiques, copper vessels, rugs, faience works, shoes, gold jewelry and much more invites you to browse and spend money to your heart's content. All the shops of a trade are gathered in certain alleys or districts, which makes it easier to find your way around and compare prices. more

Istanbul's most famous mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I in the early 17th century within just seven... years. The many cascading half-domes of the only mosque in the world with six minarets are perfectly shaped and lead up to the main dome. The interior is dominated by four massive circular pillars, a prayer niche and pulpit decorated with white marble. 21,000 blue-green faiences, due to which the building is also called the Blue Mosque, decorate the walls with their 260 windows showing flowers, vines, fruit, cypresses and other symbols of paradise. more

The Turkish Museum of Calligraphy is housed in Beyazit Medresesi, a former Koranic school, whose domed... halls are grouped around an open courtyard on four sides. Together with the monumental gateway of Istanbul University (formerly the Ottoman Ministry of War) and Beyazit Mosque, the oldest preserved sultan mosque, the light gray building dominates Beyazit Square. The collection presents the art of calligraphy ("beautiful writing") which was highly developed at the Ottoman court. Since in Islamic cultures, depictions of scenes and people was confined to miniatures, calligraphy became an art form that was also used for the decoration of buildings and furniture. Texts and prayers from the Koran were turned into art, trying to capture the 'beauty' of God's words in a beautiful form of writing. Another section is dedicated to the Tuğra of the different sultans, whose names, in elaborate artistic handwriting, served as seals – comparable with today's logos. There are also several curiosities, for example, the complete Koran written on a blackboard, a project the calligrapher Şeyh Mehmed Selim el Kadırı worked on from 1880 to 1887. Some hairs of Prophet Mohammed's beard and earth from his grave are also kept here. more