Kocatepe Mosque

Not far from our apartment is the Kocatepe Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world. It is a four-minaret replica of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. We walked there one afternoon and could easily find our way since the minarets are so high. We watched what others were doing, and followed suit. We took our shoes off at the door, Elizabeth made sure her head was covered, and we entered. The inside is cavernous, with one huge dome from which a humongous chandelier hangs. There are other smaller vaults, and the ceilings are all highly decorated with geometric and vine-and-leaf-like patterns. The wall facing Mecca was also highly decorated, with beautiful painted tiles, mostly in blue. The red carpet was deep and plush, and there were many gold accents around the mosque. Several men were praying downstairs, and upstairs on sort of a mezzanine, several women and children were also praying.