Day 13 - (Optional) Istanbul, Turkey (The Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia)

Istanbul, anciently-known as Byzantium, was our final stop for this eye-opening journey to the Biblical Lands of the Old Testament.

We needed to get up early once again as we would be crossing the Dardanelles via ferry. The Dardanelles (a.k.a. Hellespont) are actually a strategic section of water which allows control of what gets into the Aegean, Marmara and Black Seas.

After our bus drove onto the ferry, Attakan (our guide) mentioned that one of the most famous campaigns fought here was the Gallipoli campaign in World War I. (The third picture below, and then the first one in the section after) are references to that campaign.

What's interesting is that apparently, Turkish people have never seen Asians before! I have a video (but not pictures) of our departure... (but I can't seem to post it here in the blog)

So... me, LaiEn, Peter and Dukjoong were kinda mobbed by the little kids asking to take pictures with us!

Here are a few of the things we saw immediately upon our arrival to the other side.

Our goal was to head to the famous Blue Mosque...
Before that though, Attakan pointed out some interesting things in the Square nearby

One face of the obelisk

Another face of the obelisk

This obelisk is actually one of the obelisks that was taken from Egypt. (Talk about full circle!)

Next, Attakan pointed out the Serpent Column. The plaque speaks for itself.
From here, we walked into the Blue Mosque.
The Blue Mosque is actually the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It's "blue" because of the color of the tiles on the inside.

Omar, and Attakan, our Guide (with his umbrella)	The ceiling of the Blue Mosque
It was *seriously* packed with people...
An inner courtyard of the mosque Did you notice the tower-like things at the edges of the Mosque? Those are minarets, where the call to prayer is sounded. Typically, a mosque has only one of them. The Blue Mosque has 6! From here, we walked across the street (seriously) to the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was once a church, then it got converted to a Mosque, and then, the government took it over and now it's a Museum. There are prominent Islamic symbols on it, and there are (in the places where it is uncovered), prominent Christian symbols in it. So here is the Hagia Sophia: The ceiling of the Hagia Sophia. There was actually a spot on the ground which indicated the exact place to take the pic. This one has the face restored. I think that these are seraphim. Masks were painted over them This one is pretty badly damaged This is a hole in the pillar. People believe that if you put your thumb inside and turn around, you can make a wish... It's been worn out by so many people doing it. (No, I didn't do it) This is a random tourist. Here's a miniature, souvenir version of the statue in the square outside. I don't know if I'd want this in my house... This is a "normal" pillar This is an imported pillar (of red marble) These people are giving the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia to Mary and Jesus The Hagia Sophia

me and Marvin in front of the Hagia Sophia
Stuart, in front of the Blue Mosque ... so that was the last "official" tourist spot we saw... McDonald's, as ubiquitous as ever... ...and traffic. Some things never change :)

Well... our two weeks in the Bible Lands was an experience that I won't soon forget.

Our final hotel for the OT Tour, with my iPad and my straw hat that saved me from sunburn throughout :)

Tomorrow, we would take a plane from here to Chicago, and then be back on the campus at Andrews University a day later.

Was the trip worth it?
For the cost of $2,600 USD (with the semester costs included) to see all those places...
It was well worth it! (Had I taken this trip with a different group, or, even worse, on my own, it might have cost significantly higher!)

So, here's my appeal to you:
- Do you want to go? :) It would be totally *amazing* to plan one of these trips.
  The guides told us to listen and take note many times as, in our profession, we would be the ones explaining the significance of the sites this time around.
  I do plan on doing that one day... (after I finish my studies at Andrews)
  If you do, let me know! (You know how to reach me... but if not, leave a message here)

  I hope these pictures have given you the essence of what I experienced there!

  God bless!
  -David