Religious rivalry 2

Religious rivalry 2

Turkey
Istanbul(Konstantinople)
Agyia Sophia(St Sophia) and Sultan Ahmed mosque(Blue Mosque).

They stand facing each other-only a short walk across the street separates them- as the two fascinating monuments of contemporary Istanbul, each of them a historic and religious symbol of past flourishing empires.Agyia Sophia more emblematic and decorated among the scriptures and older by more than thousand years-built in 537 AD by the glorious Byzantine emperor Justinian-was immediately proclaimed as the most imposing religious emblem of Orthodox Christianity but, in the same time, also a powerful political and administrative center indicative of absolute imperial domination.During the thousand years of the Byzantine Empire all emperors have been crowned in there and the church was the safest refuge for Constantinople citizens at times that the city was seized and threatened by ennemies till the final surrender to the Ottomans in 1453 after which date it was transformed into a mosque with the raising of four minarets.Loaded with precious mosaics and frescoes remains as a museum in our days but still is considered as the most imposing symbol of Orthodox Christianity.
Sultan Ahmed mosque-also called Blue Mosque because of the rich and beautiful blue fayance tiles in its interior- was built by sultan Ahmed in 1610 who put it just opposite Agyia Sophia in order to rival the Christian opposite emblem. In order to exceed Muslim upon Christian domination, he raised six minarets instead of the four of St Sophia thus causing complains from the leading Kaaba Mosque in Mecca also having six which discrepancy Ahmed quickly solved by raising one more minaret to Kaaba.. His architects also incorporated many Byzantine elements from its neighbouring rival.
Since 1615 the two emblematic figures stand face to face in the most central point of Istanbul reminiscent of reciprocal obligations and demands and with Muslims and Christians going in and out in them.

It is very often in history monuments, even so adverse, to reconciliate and make friendships as easily as books on library shelves Fanatism, fontamentalism, malice and vindictiveness remain vivid only in people's mind that cannot accept the simple fact that different religions, origins,colors and traditions should also be respected and free.

In the photo, the two historic monuments seen from Bosporus. Nobady can deny that the site Constantinople was built in 324 AD is the best in the world...