FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE Ashura, a festive dessert that satiates even the most picky palates, has always held a special place in my life since childhood. The ashura ritual connotes community engagement; at least that's what I have come to understand...
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Islam
Orthodox Islam puts a strong emphasis on the distinction between the private and the public sphere thus defining both of them; the public belongs to men whereas the private to women. In the case of religious observance, the wooden screen at mosques...
The end of the Ramadan. A month of fasting in the Muslim calendar is over. I made it to the Sultanahmet square to photograph the mahyas of the blue mosque on its last day! Mahya, the message written in lights and strung between 2 minarets or between...
KANDIL SIMIDI NOT SIMIT...This is not to be mistaken for bagel-like Turkish simit sold in the streets. This is called kandil simidi baked and sold only on the holy evenings on the Islamic calendar. When the mosques were lit by the candles for the first...
As water has always been scarce in the region where Islam has flourished, the Ottomans celebrated the abundance of water by erecting elegant, colossal fountains in the places, where settlement was to be encouraged. With the modern water supply systems,...
The dome of Hagia Sophia. During the extensive restoration carried out by Fossatti Brothers in the mid 1800s, the calligrapher Kazasker Izzet Efendi decorated the dome with the verse from Qur'an "In the name of Allah, the beneficient, the merciful,...