The Sultanahmet Cami (pronounced Jaami, which I understood to mean a humongous mosque as compared to a Mesjid - Masjid in India - an ordinary sized mosque) and the Hagia Sophia (also known as the Ayia Sophia or Sancta Sophia) are two imposing, almost menacing, structures sitting opposite each other in close quarters, ready to slug it out. The bulging domes ripple like muscles and you are dwarfed standing between the two in the small square and can't help being in awe of the fact that these buildings are so old. The Hagia Sophia was dedicated in 360 A.D. according to Wikipedia and the Blue Mosque in 1616. Incidentally, the Blue Mosque is so called because of the blue tiles inside the building, there is not much blue on the outside. Kind of a clever way of piquing your curiosity and tempting you to have a look see inside :)
I will be posting interior snaps of the Hagia Sophia in the next few days.
See the two behemoths square up to each other here
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