As I write this, I am listening to the evening call to prayer. here's an interesting fact: the call to prayer has to be sung LIVE... which means that 5 times a day, someone climbs up the minaret to broadcast his song.
That goes for the Blue Mosque, perhaps the most recognizable landmark in Turkey. I know what you're thinking - it's grey, Ms. F. Well, it gets its name from the thousands upon thousands of individually decorated blue and white tiles inside (check out these pictures). If you're interested in the craft dedicated to the making of each of those tiles and the cost involved, I can tell you this: our guide Ali explained that 3 tiles are equivalent to what a teacher earns in one day, and there are enough tiles to outlast each teaching day... for my entire career. So, you do the math!
Another special detail about this Mosque is that it has 6 minarets (the towers with balconies), the only (I think) mosque outside of the Mohammed's burial place to have that many. In fact, the Sultan offended many people by constructing it as such because it was seen as an affront to Mohammed's place.
For those of you who have never been in a mosque before, the picture of the women praying shows them kneeling in their section; the men pray separately out in the middle of the room.
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