TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Hagia Sophia is a familiar landmark of Istanbul. The cathedral was built by the Byzantine emperor Justinian between 532 and 537 and is considered the prime example of Byzantine architecture. It is famous for its huge dome. After Byzantium was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the city became Muslim and Hagia Sophia became a mosque. It was very dark inside. My main impression was of its immense size and the incredible height of the roof. There are some beautiful mosaics as well. I believe it has now become a museum.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - DELHI, INDIA

This mosque, the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, is one of the largest in India. It was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in the year 1656. It is located near the entrance to Chandni Chowk, a very busy and popular market center in Old Delhi. The mosque has three gateways, four angle towers and two 40-meter-high minarets. Tourists can enter the mosque if they take off their shoes and are properly dressed. It is also possible to climb to the top of the minarets. The courtyard can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque houses important relics including a copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - CASABLANCA, MOROCCO

In 2002, my husband, Paul and I went on a two-week tour of the cities of Morocco with a British tour company called Explore International. We had a wonderful time. The tour group met in Casablanca, and the Hassan II mosque was the first sight we were taken to see. Built between 1985 and 1993 to accommodate 25,000 worshipers, this is one of the largest mosques in the world. The minaret is 689 feet tall.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ISTANBUL

Today, on September 11, 2009, it would be appropriate to post a photo taken eight years ago on 9/11. The Blue Mosque, pictured above, was close to where we were walking on the way to our hotel in Sultanahmet when we were approached by a man waving his arms in an agitated manner. He could not speak much English, but we were able to make out that something terrible had happened in the USA that involved airports or airplanes. We hurried to our hotel and discovered what had happened.

Our vacation plans had involved two weeks in Syria, but when we heard what President Bush had to say about Syria in connection with the tragedy, we decided it would be wise to cancel and remain in Turkey instead. The staff at our hotel were horrified by what had been done and assured us that it was definitely not the way of Islam. We thoroughly enjoyed our five weeks in Turkey, but when we returned in 2006, there was a noticeable difference. People were polite but lacked the warmth we had seen on previous visits. The change, we were told later, was due to the widespread disapproval in the country of the war in Iraq.

INDIA VACATION 2007

MANDU - PALACES AND MOSQUE

Mandu is a lovely town, near Maheshwar in the state of Madhya Pradesh, off the beaten track approximately one day's drive from the city of Indore. The Jahaz Mahal, pictured in the first photo above, is a palace built between 1469 and 1500 in a blend of local and imported styles, one of the latter having come from Afghanistan.

The mosque of Dilawar Khan, built in 1409, is a blend of Islamic and Hindu architectural styles. It is shown in the middle photo.

The Hindola Mahal is called the Swing Palace because the distinctive sloping walls are said to look as though the building is swaying from side to side. The palace has very advanced systems for providing and disposing of water and for heating and cooling. It is pictured in the last photo above.

The government of India appear to be devoting resources to make Mandu a tourist destination. The guide we had was excellent, a wealth of information and very personable. The site itself was very attractive and well-maintained. And extensive road construction was underway in the vicinity to improve access to the area.