Konya

Rumi’s tomb in Konya. Yes, the entire school complex was built to honor his passing. The burial hall houses many coffins of teachers and family members, but Rumi lies beneath the green dome. No other mosque in Turkey is allowed a green dome out of respect. This view is from the terrace restaurant of our hotel. It is my one photo that marks this pilgrimage. An interesting aside: when we arrived at the hotel, we were given a beautiful suite instead of the room we had reserved. Reason for the upgrade? Our reservation had been the 10,000 reservation in the hotel’s history and they wanted to mark the occasion. It was a nice touch to a long, long anticipated visit.

Introduction

We begin with Sufis

Seeing past the jilbab

Hagia Sophia

And then a man tried to sell us a carpet

Passing remark

S gets a shoe shine

Outside the mosque, inside the mosque

Blue Mosque

Headscarves

Street food

Sneaking snaps in Istanbul

Next up: Iznik

After a day of Nicean ruins…

Buying and making tile

Bath day for S

Life in the small Muslim town of Iznik

Hagia Sophia, Iznik

Hookah lesson

At the market

Turkish National Poem

A parade

Random nature snaps

Gozleme making

The usual suspects

Pamukkale

Konya

Muslim women

Surprise visit

The music makers

Hat or head scarf?

Cappadocia

Landscape I

Landscape II

Landscape III

Landscape IV

Landscape V

Column Church

Resting

Beautiful

Parting remarks