Pilgrimage of Muslims to sacred places exists since the times the Islam religion was born. Every Muslim must at least once a lifetime commit a Hajj pilgrimage to sacred Kaaba. As tradition presume in addition to main pilgrimage, every righteous Muslim should attempt to commit pilgrimages to other sacred places like relics and most important mosques, that are scattered among all Islamic world. One of most influential Islamic empires was Ottoman Empire. As sultans commanded, many mosques were built around the empire. Talented architects, skilled craftsmen used best materials , spared no effort and expense while building mosques.
Elation fills the soul when you enter to new mosques or mosques that were built hundreds of years ago. When you look at the dome of the mosque, spirituality and love to the god fills whole space. In the times of Ottoman Empire, many relics brought to Istanbul. Even today, they are kept in mosques and museums with care.
We start our journey by visiting Topkapi Palace. Sacred relics in collections of Topkapi museum presented in special halls. Words of sacred Quran are being read as a singing voice and forwarded to every hall. In company of sounds of sacred texts, You see priceless relics brought mostly from Egypt in XVI century by decree of sultan Selim I. In halls, you will see hairs of Prophet Muhammad, his sword and swords of his companions, door of sacred Kaaba brought from Mecca, and robe of Prophet's daughter Fatima and a lot more. Carefully collected for centuries relics vibrantly kept and constantly restored by best specialists. These collections leave wonderful impression. After you see things in close manner that were owned by Prophet Muhammad, his sword with which he fought, Quran to which he approached, you start to feel how strong and gentle spirited he was, how simple and chosen by Allah he was.
Next, we move to Blue mosque. The name "Blue" is common in West. The mosque is called so, because in inner decoration consists of more than 20 000 ornamented colorful tiles (mostly blue) were used. This creates an illusion that all walls and domes of the mosque are in blue color.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque – is the biggest architectural ensemble of Istanbul. It is said that seven palaces were destroyed to build it.
In addition to immerse size, Sultan Ahmed Mosque is known for being second mosque in the world for several centuries that has six minarets. There is a legend about that the reason why Sultan Ahmet I violated the unwritten ban about construction of mosque with six minarets, is that architect Sedefkar Mehmed Aga mishear the instructions and confused Gold(«altin») with Six(«alti»). Therefore, allegedly instead of four golden minarets six minarets were built. Fiction or the truth – how does it matter today! Unbelievable beauty multiplied by faith – that is what important.
Further, we suggest You should visit Eyüp Sultan Mosque. In importance this mosque only inferior to three most important mosques in the Islamic world: Masjid al-Haram, Al-Aqsa Mosque and Prophet's Mosque Al-Masjid al-Nabawi.
Eyüp Sultan Mosque was built in XV century on a place where according to a legend Abu Ayyub al-Ansari was buried, close companion of Prophet Muhammad. Many times mosque were restored and reconstructed. As a result, today You can see the elegant interior of mosque, its ornamented tiles of sky-beauty and beautiful shadirvan for ritual ablution. In mosque, Muslim relics are kept including imprint footprint of Prophet Muhammad. These mosques leaves exclusive impressions, since they carry their traditions, deep history and special philosophy. It is not simply temple for prayers. It is a place, where the connection between past and present is established, and takes place awareness of that the centuries that have passed since the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad and revelation of sacred Quran, are only an instant. Hirka Þerif Mosque is known to all Muslim world, because in the mosque the garments of Prophet Muhammad are kept. Best restorers watch for mosques integrity and maintain it in special conditions.
Endless queue of the believers line up to see at least for an instant the garments of Prophet Muhammad. For better safety robe, belt and headpiece kept in a dark room to avoid the harmful effects of light on the fabric. Relics exhibited in a time of sacred month of Ramadan.
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