zellij

Chellah's examples of zellij, or glazed terracotta tile work, are mostly crumbling away on weathered orange stones, but the portal of the ruined mosque and its stunning minaret make it easy to imagine how splendid the structure must have been.

There was also some lovely mosaic work in the ruins of Roman buildings:

fortress of storks

There's a wonderful ruin of a fortress on the edge of Rabat called Chellah, and it has been completely taken over by White Storks. In the remnants of a 14th Century mosque, the percussion of storks clattering their beaks rises and falls, overwhelming the hum of cicadas hidden in the lush gardens.



Patrolling the walls of the ruins, younger birds who have not yet learned to fear, eye trespassers with large, curious eyes.



I have never been this close to a stork before, and dare I say the experience is magical— it almost makes a person forget their surroundings. With a 10 Dirham entrance fee (one dollar), you get an archaeological site, a botanical garden, a stork sanctuary, and shade. How amazing is that?

gothic mosque

Buckets of whitewash and a pair of minarets can't disguise the Selimiye Camii's past as the Gothic Ayia Sophia Cathedral. I found the building a little unsettling, though both the intricately carved exterior and its light, calm interior were quite beautiful.

the beauty of the written word

I had once come across a set of photographs in an in-flight magazine, of a beautiful mosque with giant swashes of calligraphic text painted on its walls, and these images rooted in my mind as something I needed to see in person. Over time I had forgotten about those inky loops, knots, and scimitar-tails on white— they had nearly left me until I visited Edirne and remembered that this was precisely the place where the mosque stood. I didn't know the name of the mosque, and so we hopped from one beauty to the next until we found the Eski Cami.

The night was cool and tinted orange from a nearby streetlamp. It was quiet, another world from Istanbul, and from the gate of the Eski Cami, I spied the alifs and laams of the name of God, like black spears pointing to the sky. My heart leapt in my chest, as I knew I had found what I was looking for.



The humble Eski Cami was built in the early 15th century during the Ottoman Empire, and it truly is set apart from other mosques in Turkey by its distinctive calligraphy. I needed to see the Eski Camii in daylight, and I needed to sketch it.

the magnificent mimar sinan

The Selimiye Camii in Edirne is believed by many to be the masterpiece of chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, the Michelangelo of the Ottoman Empire. Mimar Sinan built over 300 structures from mosques to bridges, under the patronage of three sultans.



The imposing, stoic exterior offers no hint of the light and colour that lives inside that great dome.

calligraphy and geometry

As Edirne is a mere two hour drive from our doorstep, it seemed a perfect place for a weekend getaway. I've always been curious about Edirne— a Thracian city near the Greek and Bulgarian borders, once capitol of the Ottoman Empire before Constantinople, host to an annual oil-wrestling festival, and famous for its fried liver and fruit-shaped soaps (this last one baffles me).

Being a former capitol of the Ottoman Empire, the city boasts several stunning mosques, the most famous of which was built by Mimar Sinan himself (often referred to as the Michelangelo of the Ottomans): the Selimiye Camii. This, however, is the Üç Şerefeli Camii, a slightly smaller but no less grand mosque built in the 15th Century. What amazes me, is that as the Renaissance was raging in Europe, this was happening here:



While the human body was studied through to its bones and captured in all its glory by Renaissance artists, Muslim artists turned to the beauty of the written word and mathematics. Sentient beings were seldom represented in Islamic Art at the time, as it was believed by some that the depiction of sentient beings was a form of idolatry, though beautifully rendered humans and animals were brought to life in miniature paintings. Elegant calligraphy and dazzling geometric patterns flowed across the surfaces of mosques, while churches in Europe commissioned paintings and frescoes of Biblical figures to adorn their walls.

symmetry and mathematics

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is one of the most impressive mosques I have ever seen— from the outside, at least. Visiting hours for non-Muslims are between 8:30 and 11:00 am, every day except Friday. Sadly, we arrived too late to see the inside, but were allowed to sketch the facade from one of the courtyards— which was an enormous challenge. Architectural sketching is not my forté. Drawing this symmetrical and mathematically perfect work of art, was... difficult. I'll post my attempt soon, along with some other sketches.

The mosque covers a staggering 416,000 square metres, and can hold up to 20,000 people— something hard to fathom. While I can continue to toss numbers at you, I'd rather share what I think is the most wonderful thing about the Grand Mosque: the details. Have a look:



Isn't it gorgeous?