Hello everyone, welcome back to my Art and Culture weekly blog. As I said in my last blog post, this three first blogs are going to be an intercultural connection between the architecture of two beautifull places, Turkey and Galicia, Spain. As a Galician Erasmus student in Turkey, I found interesting trying to connect this (apparently) very different places through history, art and culture. In the last post, I talked about the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral and its wonderful mix of styles, today I´ll be talking about the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
The Blue Mosque, with its six minarets, is a masterpiece of Ottoman architecture. Its name comes from the thousands of blue tiles that decorate its interior, creating an atmosphere of serenity and contemplation, making it look like an actual sky where you could see thousands of stars.
The light filtering through the stained glass windows illuminates the geometric and floral designs of the tiles, creating a wonderful visual spectacle to watch. The atmosphere created by the space and the people praying, made me feel like I was being part of sacred beautiful experience. The mosque is indeed a place to pray and worship, but Is also a symbol of Istanbul's rich history and culture, a bridge between East and West.
Visiting the Blue Mosque made me feel like in a different world, full of beauty and spirituality. It made me feel the power that the Ottoman empire had and the legacy that they led to this wonderful country.