Ramadan in Turkey: Discovering landmarks, sacred relics
when the sun goes down.
During this time of year, there are landmarks around Turkey af¿liated with the joy of Ramadan and excellent places to visit during this holy month.
Here is a list of places to visit to make your Ramadan even more special.
The Blue Mosque in Istanbul
Located in Sultanahmet on the historical peninsula of Istanbul, the Blue Mosque is a place where you can experience spiritual guidance at its best.
Adorned with blue, green and white İznik tiles, the mosque and Sultanahmet Square where Hagia Sophia is also located are two of the most iconic Ramadan landmarks in Istanbul.
Thousands of Muslims as well as tourists gather around the mosque and the open-air iftar tables to patiently wait to break their fast.
Some even pack picnic baskets and spend the night in the square until sahur, the meal eaten before dawn to start the day’s fast.
Its architect, Sedefkar Mehmet Agha, built the mosque right across from Hagia So¿a, recognized as the best example of Byzantine architecture in the world.
Selimiye Mosque in Edirne
It is rumored that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) appeared in a dream to Ottoman Sultan Selim II and pointed him toward Edirne to build Selimiye Mosque; thus, Selim ordered the structure to be built in Kavak Square.
It took six years to construct the mosque, which was designed by Mimar Sinan, who called the 11th Century structure ‘his masterpiece’.
The former Ottoman capital, Edirne, and Sinan’s masterpiece are surely places that Ramadan is celebrated to its fullest.
Throughout this holy month, Muslims pay visits to Edirne and Selimiye Mosque, whose grandeur is adorned with ‘mahyas’ — writing adorned with lights hung between the minarets of the mosques.
With the aim of conveying spiritual messages through wise sayings, hadith and verses from the Qur’an during Ramadan, mahyas are known to have been around since the 16th Century.
First used at Selatin Mosques, commissioned by the Ottoman Empire, the art of mahya also became a tradition in Anatolian cities.
It is said that in addition to Selimiye’s minarets, mahyas were placed between sticks ¿xed along the Meriç River in Edirne back in the Ottoman days.
The Tomb of Mevlana in Konya
The homeland of Mevlana (Rumi) is perhaps one of the best places to visit during Ramadan.
Konya, which is a very spiritual and rooted city located in the central Anatolia, also has the second-most visited tourist attraction after Topkapõ Palace in Istanbul: The Tomb of Mevlana.
The distinctive green conical dome covering the tomb of the philosopher, poet and religious leader is the symbol of Konya and the city’s main attraction.
Mevlana is one of the world’s most read poets. During his life and since his death in 1273, pilgrims have Àocked to Konya.
The general structure of the lodge dates back to 16th Century, long after Mevlana’s death.
The only part of the lodge that dates from the 13th Century, when Mevlana was alive, is his mausoleum.