Don't It Make that Grey Mosque Blue?

Advantages: A simply stunning building overall, it's free
Disadvantages: The "blue" aspect may disappoint you,can be very busy

...In Istanbul's Battle of the Buildings, the Blue Mosque is, for me, the outright winner. It was built in the seventeenth century on the orders of Sultan Ahmet I with the intention that it should rival the Hagia Sophia which stands opposite it. The image of these two fantastic buildings square up to each other is one of the most breath-taking sights in Istanbul, a city that's not short on visual magnificence. Both buildings are quite extraordinary but it's the Blue Mosque that wins me over with its six stately minarets and awesome courtyard; I'd go so far as to say that every trip (at least every first trip) to Istanbul should include a visit to the Blue Mosque. With its six minarets, the Blue Mosque is easily identifiable from all over the city - even in a city that is teeming with mosques. There is a story that claims that the Sultan...

fizzytom 02.08.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Sultan Ahmed Camii (Blue Mosque), Istanbul

Haji Ali Mosque, great Muslim Architecture

Advantages: Cheap, friendly people, ecellent view
Disadvantages: Delays, crowd

...I been to Mumbai number of times mostly on official errands, naturally had little time for sight-seeing and I regretted it most of the time, main reasons being my inherent weakness and curiosity about Muslim history and their curious propensity for excellent art work. Who can forget the great ?Taj Mahal?, one of nine Wonders of the World, a piece unbelievable example of Islamic architecture and a tribute to Shahzahan?s great love for his wife Mumtaz. But during my recent visit I was determined to at least have a look at the eye catching Haji Ali Mosque. It was a decision that I will never rue. WHO WAS HAJI ALI: Syed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, Haji Ali who is believed to be a wealthy local business man in Bukharia, in the ancient Persian Empire now in Uzbekistan. Haji Ali traveled around the world in the early 1400s...

roktimdutta 26.06.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Haji Ali Mosque, Bombay

Haji Ali Mosque

Advantages: Simply beautiful
Disadvantages: Beggars with crying children

...When i went to India last year, i visited the Haji Ali Mosque as i was sightseeing in Bombay. It i slocated in the Arabian sea so therefore can only be visited when the tide is low. It is quite a long walk upto the actual mosque as everyone is briefly searched before entering. There are many stalls on the path which sell flower wreaths that can be placed on the tomb, jewellery and souvenirs. These can all be bought along with refreshments for very cheap prices. When i first entered the mosque i put a scarf over my head as a sign of respect. There is a separate part for girls and boys and men can make their prayers. This is thought to be a sign of huge respect and is considered very holy. I also made a short prayer in my head as it is said that whatever you wish for whilst inside the mosque will come true. The atmosphere is unusual...

angelic01 28.08.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Haji Ali Mosque, Bombay

A man with a plan, a big moustache and some big big mosques

Advantages: Fabulous insights into one of history's great leaders
Disadvantages: No realy heart-stopping block-buster items

...dragon on it. This was one of my favourite pieces in the exhibition. There's a mock-up on one wall of how the porcelain would have been exhibited within the shrine. Photo Exhibition Half way through the exhibition there's a chance to sit down for a few minutes and watch a display of large photographs projected onto two tall white walls. These photos are from the four cities featured in the exhibition and give an opportunity to get a sense of the scale of four of Abbas's most important buildings. These are the Sheikh Lotfallah mosque and the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, the Shrine of Sheikh Safi in Ardabil and the Shrine of Imam Riza in Masshad. Masshad Abbas was a religious man but also a canny businessman. He set a fashion amongst Persians which led many to make pilgrimages to Masshad to the tomb of Imam Riza instead of going to...

koshkha 13.03.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Shah Abbas: The Remaking of Iran (British Museum)

MOSQUES,MUSLIMS,BANGERS AND BEANZ

Advantages: Weather, beaches, food, uncrowded
Disadvantages: None

...MOSQUES, MUSLIMS, BANGERS AND BEANZ An opportunity to visit my son-in-law in the Middle East in 1986, conjured up visions of unremitting sunshine, desert safaris, camels, Arabs, oilrigs and endless vistas of sand dunes. Yes, they were all there in abundance, but what an eye-opener as we approached the airport at Abu Dhabi, to see a modern city with high-rise buildings, outstandingly beautiful mosques and a well-planned roadway system. I was accompanied by my wife and daughter and much to their dismay I had chosen to book our flight with the Russian airline, Aeroflot – well it was considerably cheaper for a start, although it involved an overnight stop in Moscow and touch-downs en route at Larnaca and Kuwait. The first leg to Moscow in a 4-engined Ilyusin took around three hours. It was comfortable, the food was average...

rokkafella8 15.05.2001 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of United Arab Emirates: General

The White Flag on The Mosque

Advantages: A powerful memoir, simply told
Disadvantages: None

......

hiker 26.03.2007 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of My Forbidden Face - Latifa

A daily wake-up call from a... mosque

Advantages: comfort, location
Disadvantages: buffet meals, not waiter service

...I read the first review of the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman and it gives a pretty good description of it so I will just share my own impressions here. In general, I liked it. Despite being quite old, this five-star hotel looks quite impressive from the outside and has been refurbished inside. My husband and I stayed in a big room with a king size bed, a bedside table, a desk, a coffee-table, a TV, two armchairs and a mini-bar. The disappointment was they didn?t have any tea/coffee-making facilities but they did have complimentary fruit and water. The room was overlooking a pool which, unfortunately, was empty. And, of course, you could see a great big mosque on the horizon. That mosque drove us both completely mad. We had calls to prayer four times a day, with the earliest around 4 o?clock in the morning. As the room was stuffy as...

Yelena 01.04.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of InterContinental Jordan, Amman

There's real gold on that thar dome

Advantages: Visually satisfying
Disadvantages: none

...You cannot miss the Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque in the centre of Brunei's capital, Bandar Seri Begawan. It is a beautiful white building with a wonderful golden real goldleaf dome. I think this is the nicest mosque I have seen. I was told that the architect was British - I'm not sure if this is true, but maybe he somehow made it more visually accessible to a British eye. It was built in 1958, and named after the present Sultan's father. It is reported to have cost US$5 million at that time. It's set in grounds with an artificial lagoon complete with concrete boat. You cannot go on this but you can walk round the grounds. It is acceptible for visitors to go inside at certain times - visiting is closed or limited on Thursdays and Fridays and you'd need to check out other times - you can't go in during prayer times. All this is if you...

kittenkong 02.11.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque, Bandar Seri Begawan

Hotel Poem, quirky and friendly

Advantages: friendly, clean and unusual
Disadvantages: Small so in high season book in advance

...Hotel Poem is an excellent small hotel in the mid-range of prices and with a quirky, family feel to it. The name of the hotel comes rom the fact that the 16 rooms are named after famous Turkish poems (which are displayed, translated into English). Together with the friendly staff the hotel seemed to really care about the people who stayed in it and wanted them to have a good time. The location is ideal awith around five minutes walking time to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The hotel is at the foot of Terbiyik Solak Street (No. 12), just off Akbiyik Caddesi a main road in the ancient Sultanahmet area. The hotel offer airport pickups. The rooms varied in size a little although they were all quite small. One of the rooms we stayed in (we moved because we wanted two beds not because there was anything wrong with the first room!) was...

flyingllamas 24.06.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Poem Hotel, Istanbul

Nice hotel with terrible food

Advantages: Nice scenery and swimming pool.
Disadvantages: Poor quality of Food and no double glazed windows

...This hotel is considered a 4/5 star hotel by Egyptian standards however, There windows were not double glazed and my room overlooked the streets which were exceptionally noisy, it also meant you could hear the prayers from the mosque each morning too. which can be a good thing if you like to wake early. The food was apalling and very expensive, many other people on the trip mentioned the lack of variety of food. I noticed that vegetarian options were extremely poor.Breakfast was the only decent meal served. The grounds of the hotel were very nice, as it overlooked the Nile and you could even did your feet into the suprisingly clear and clean waters. Room service was good and the people were mostly very friendly. The most dissapointing this was having prices of anything you bought whether in the hotel or outside made up as the merchants...

tigerlili21 03.12.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Pyramisa Isis Hotel & Suites Luxor, Luxor