Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Because the sky was clear, we set off across the Bosphorus on Saturday to visit the Çamlica Mosque, the largest mosque in Turkey. It was completed and opened in 2019 and is visible in most parts of the city. I was warned there would be a lot of walking. The metro doesn’t go there – yet. Crossing the Bosphorus was a great way to start the day.

After much confusion about metro lines and stops, we began the climb up the hill as shown in the photos above. Great views of the city. And then we finally arrived.

The enclosed space of the mosque covers ten thousand square meters. The exterior open spaces another five thousand square metres and has the capacity of 63,000 people. It was relaxing to sit on the carpeted floor and watch the children running back and forth across the vast space lit by the sunlight streaming through the beautiful stained glass. And then it was time to tackle the return trip. At least it was mostly a down hill walk. The tulip trees are blooming, so I’m thinking Spring will soon be here!