2015-06-27
【Aiden in English】
Turkey's mosques are vast and spectacular. There is an excellent variety of them in Istanbul, where Muslims worship and pray. The Blue Mosque, or Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish, has become one of the most exquisite examples of architecture since it was built in the early 17th century and remains unique worldwide. If you haven't noticed, the Blue Mosque is blue, hence the name. The shade of color is derived from the blue and green Iznik tiles throughout the mosque. The fact that the Blue Mosque neighbors the Hagia Sophia makes it hard to mask, too. The history behind this Muslim house seemed as long and full as the line waiting to enter it. The mosque was built by the Islamic people, while some mosques used to be Christian or Orthodox churches, like the Hagia Sophia. When the religion shifted to Islam in this area, the Muslims tweaked a few things in the churches, and bam! They became mosques afterward. However, the Blue Mosque was initially built for Islam and featured six minarets, small towers that protruded from the structure at the corners or empty areas. Yet, what made the sight fantastic was an accident. The Sultan told the architect to build either an altar or a gold minaret, but "gold" in Turkish sounded remarkably close to "No. 6" or "alti." Therefore, we have an extraordinary mosque today instead of a gold tower that would probably be melted down and sold. A large dome, covered with six minarets, stands atop 12 arches, supported by four broad and strong marble pillars. Unlike the Hagia Sophia, the floor of the Blue Mosque is covered with a red carpet. Shoes must be removed, and shoulders, knees, and women's heads must be covered. As its name suggests, the blue color seemed more drastic and spread over the walls and ceilings. The contrast made other colors brighter and more distinct than the dull gold in the Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque is still active in service. On Fridays, tourists are not allowed to enter until after 2 p.m. The Islamic followers prayed five times: early morning, noon, afternoon, evening, and late evening. They faced the holiest city of Mecca, the center of the Muslims. The Islamic religion is one of a kind; sometimes, that's what life needs: a little "one of a kind." 【紅霞譯】
土耳其的清真寺巍偉壯觀，伊斯坦布爾“進城”有着許許多多這樣為穆斯林人提供念經禱告的地方，十七世紀初期修造的藍色清真寺就是其中最為精美的建築典範，堪稱天下無雙。 的確，藍色清真寺帶有藍色，不妨提醒一句，它的名字由此而來。藍色源於土耳其伊茲尼克“勝利”藍綠色瓷磚貼面，加上又與聖索菲亞“智慧”大教堂為鄰，一眼就能認出它來。
藍色清真寺歷史悠久，全部由穆斯林人一手建成，而城裡有些伊斯蘭教堂從前不是基督教堂就是東正教堂，譬如聖索菲亞大教堂。既然伊斯蘭教主導宗教信仰，穆斯林人便統統將原有教堂改頭換面，啪唧！一下子變成了清真寺。然而，藍色清真寺卻獨樹一幟，從頭到尾都是原裝，六根宣禮塔即小型尖塔傲然屹立在建築物上空，如此奇觀景致其實並非設計本意，當初蘇丹王要求建築師加蓋一個黃金宣禮塔，但“黃金”在土耳其語中與號碼“六”發音相似，結果黃金塔化成泡影，取而代之的是眼前這個了不起的建築，巨型圓頂連同六根尖塔建在十二個拱門之上，四根又粗又壯的大理石柱支撐整個結構。
不像聖索菲亞大教堂，藍色清真寺的地面全部鋪上紅地毯，所有人一律要脫掉鞋子，肩膀不能外露，裙子褲子非得長過膝蓋，女人頭蓋必須包得嚴嚴實實。與其名稱遙相呼應的是，藍色主導一切，牆面屋頂無處不在，反倒將其它色彩襯托得比聖索菲亞大教堂死氣沉沉的金黃色更加鮮艷明快。 藍色清真寺至今仍用於宗教活動，每個星期五在下午兩點之前遊客不得入內。穆斯林教徒每天祈禱五次：早晨、中午、下午、傍晚和入睡前，他們面朝聖城麥加，即穆斯林信仰的核心。由此說來，伊斯蘭教確實與眾不同，不過有時生活本應多元化。 Today in History(歷史上的今天):
2015: Istanbul, Topkapi Palace of Turkey(土耳其伊斯坦布爾·炮門皇宮) 2015: Istanbul, the Basilica Cistern TUR(土耳其伊斯坦布爾·地下水宮)
2014: YMCA Camp—Video Games(基督教青年會營視頻遊戲) 2013: 雅虎箱被盜(YHOO Email Hacked)  Overlook of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
(鳥瞰藍色清真寺)  Cupola Dome, Semi-Dome & Apse
(沖天爐圓頂半圓頂與後殿)  Sultan Ahmed Mosque (藍色清真寺 06-26-2015)
 On the Way to Blue Mosque from Hagia Sophia
(聖索非亞大教堂·去藍色清真寺的路上 06-27-2015) 
No Shoes w/ Shoulders, Knees, Women's Heads Covered (脫鞋光腳、肩膀不能外露、裙褲過膝、女人包頭 06-27-2015)  > 200 Stained Glass Windows w/ Intricate Designs Admitting Natural Light Assisted by Chandeliers
(複雜設計的200多個彩色玻璃窗自然採光及枝形吊燈照明)
 5 Main Domes, 6 Minarets, & 8 Secondary Domes
(五個主要圓頂，六個宣禮塔和八個次要圓頂) 
Main Dome & Blue Tiles (主要圓頂和藍色瓷磚)  Mihrab (朝拜牆)
 Prayer Area (禱告區)
The Upper Area w/ about 20,000 Hand-Painted Glazed Ceramics in 60 Different Tulip Patterns (上部區域裝飾大約有20,000種手繪釉瓷和60種鬱金香圖案)  Decorations w/ Verses from the Qur'an
(《古蘭經》經文裝飾)  Handmade İznik Style Ceramic Tiles
(伊茲尼克式手工瓷磚)  4 Marble Columns w/ 5 Meters in Diameter
(四根直徑五米的大理石柱) 
Gateway to the Courtyard (通往庭院的大門) 
Entrance to the Courtyard of Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque), Built between 1609 & 1616, During the Rule of Sultan Ahmet I (藍色清真寺即蘇丹王艾哈邁德“備受讚譽”清真寺庭院入口·建於蘇丹王艾哈邁德一世統治時期的1609—1616年間)
Crosslinks(相關博文)： Turkey(出遊土耳其)
Europe(歐洲掠影) 6th Grade(初中一年級)
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