A PHOTO MASTERPIECE UNVEILED

I saw the above shown photo of Malcolm X as a teenager in a store in the west village of NYC, I would always frequent the shop for books, art, cloths, and personal enlightenment on my persuit of “Knowledge of self”. The photo was hung on the wall behind the shopkeeper. Every time I would go to the store, I would stare at the pic as I spoke to the shop owner. I was so impressed by the composition of the photo, the color, and Malcolm’s seemingly tranquil state that I always wanted to travel to that mosque and have that same red light shower me as it had him so many years earlier.

When I came across the photo again a few months ago online, I quickly saved it, and then did my best with the information I had (none) to find where and when it was taken. I had always thought the photo was from Malcolm's pilgrimage to Mecca and had to this day never shown it to anyone, just a photo I would look at on hard days to calm my soul and think of my trip one day to that place that seem to calm him. I finally posted the photo yesterday in honor of Malcolm X’s life on the day it was taken from us and my friend Megan immediately identified the location of that red light. I would like to introduce you all to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. The trip just got one-step closer. Thanx Megan.

PLEASE CLICK ON ALL PHOTOS TO ENLARGEThe Blue Mosque lit at night from the water

A daytime shot of the front of the Blue Mosque

View of the inner courtyard

Interior view of the mosque; in the back, the mihrab; on the right side at the pier is the imperial loge

Interior Prayer room

Central dome semi-dome with three exedrae; fine overview of the decorations in the mosque

From the Wikipedia entry

"The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is a historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is one of several mosques known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. It was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul."

GVG
~better~