I met a friend in "central Istanbul" (where everything is happenin', unlike where I live - in the outskirts of Istanbul) yesterday, where we first had some ice cream from Burger King (and it was awesome) and then we went to the Blue Mosque where I pretended to be Muslim and I snuck into the mosque while they prayed. Gunay, my friend, prays 5 times a day, and she really encouraged me to come in because it would be fun and interesting, and she was right. I didn't think it was right, but she said it was fine. First we performed an ablution (I have no idea how to use that word). There were separate facilities for the women. The men wash themselves with the faucets that are more public, but we went to a more private place. I can't remember the exact order, but we washed our mouth 3 times, nose 3 times, forearms 3 times, then our feet, face, and neck 1 time. It was kind of refreshing. Then we proceeded to enter the mosque. It was closed for tourists because it was prayer time, but Gunay said just to keep walking and they won't say anything. We grabbed some cloth to wrap myself in, took our shoes off, and entered. The interior of the Blue Mosque is one of the most beautiful places in the world, I think. There are again separate places for women to pray if they wish, and we went there. Gunay helped me cover up my legs, arms and head (she came prepared) and we waited a while until we heard the call to prayer, then they started praying. I just followed their movements. It's quite a workout - standing up, standing now, going into a child's pose, then back up again etc. I was not very good at it, standing on my oversized cloths, ripping the velcro, my head covering falling off, my arms poking out, sneezing, you name it. It was interesting though, and I am fortunate to have been able to observe this. Gunay was so open about it, but I feel a little guilty. Praying 5 times a day is also quite a commitment! The washing, the waiting for the call to prayer, then the prayer - very interesting.
