Mostly Mosaics + Random Stuff

I'm a day behind ... here are a few shots from yesterday. For my free days I got a museum pass, which included the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum.

It's in an old palace across from the Blue Mosque.  The museum is so-so.

I never knew Muslims went in for relics, but they have relics, including hairs from The Prophet's beard.

My pass also included the Mosaics Museum, which has pieces of the Byzantine (Justinians?) palace.

The whole thing was found by accident.

There are so many layers of history here it's hard to keep track.

The detail is quite extraordinary.

Also, for Boy-child, here's what the water pipes look like at the cafes that offer them (hookas, not bongs):

Random shot of old wall with "new" (17th century) minarets.

Entrance to the Grand Bazaar.

Cool gate:

Amazing house:

I leave in the middle of the night tonight.  Can't wait to load my photos on my own computer so I can fix stuff up. (Digital cameras are great but it's really frustrating when you can't see the screen for the sunshine.  I'm a firm believer in cropping and straightening).