The Blue Mosque

This place is huge! Photos simply cannot do it justice. The floors are completely carpeted for prayer. Visitors remove their shoes before entering. Some of the mosques we visited offered slippers to wear while we were inside, others did not. Notice that the walls are completely covered with decorative tiles on the lower levels. Above the mammoth support columns the domes and arches are covered with decorative painting. We will see some of these designs in detail.

Notice the supporting horizontal steel rods spanning some of the large spaces
between supports. We were told these were added as a precaution against earthquakes which can occur with some frequency in that region. Rods and wires suspended from the dome supply support and power for a network of artificial lighting for the mosque.

The windows are all decorative leaded glass.