From out of the Blue

As we mentioned in our earlier posts many of our visits were to mosques and other pillars of Islamic culture. As I entered my first few mosques I found myself overwhelmed with a flurry of emotion. As many of us in the West have done I have unconsciously allowed my first opinions of those in the Middle East to come from CNN and textbooks. There is not a problem with that but as I first walked through the halls of the Blue Mosque I felt a growing tension within. I came to the realization and understanding that what I had originally perceived to be a very inward and backward culture was not what it had seemed.

The Blue Mosque is a huge architectural masterpiece that stands in beautiful magnificence adjacent to the Ayia Sophia. When looking at it from the outside you are first drawn to the huge dome and minarets that are stereotypical of Islamic architecture. When viewing these characteristics my mind was originally drawn to preconceived notions of what I would find inside. There were thoughts of repression and silence and an area of prayer that I would have to be concerned with my every move and sound. I was completely, at the very core of me, mistaken. Walking throughout the Blue Mosque I was shocked at the beauty and color located within. The walls were covered with beautiful tiles illustrating the amazing craftsmanship that was needed to create a building of this scale. There were people praying but also people socializing, making the Blue Mosque a genuine community center. I was surrounded by people from the West and East each marvelling at the sheer visual majesty of the mosque while others silently went about their prayers. There were practitioners of the mosque that were eager to answer any questions I had about Islam and to make me feel comfortable in enjoying my stay. I was amazed at the expression and color that was located within the mosque and associated with Islamic faith. In many circles the religion is portrayed in such a negative light with so much focus on how expression is repressed and not encouraged. In this meeting place the exact opposite was present as many people of all backgrounds and beliefs came together. The things I saw and people I met truly came from out of the Blue.

~SB