Rick Steves' Europe
Travel Bites 926: Islamic Art, Ramadan, and the Blue
Clip | 4m 57sVideo has Closed Captions
Istanbul offers a chance to better understand Islam.
Istanbul offers a chance to better understand Islam. Surrounded by the artful calligraphy and architecture of the Blue Mosque, the call to prayer, and the faithful fasting during Ramadan you feel the force of a faith two billion people practice.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Distributed nationally by American Public Television
Rick Steves' Europe
Travel Bites 926: Islamic Art, Ramadan, and the Blue
Clip | 4m 57sVideo has Closed Captions
Istanbul offers a chance to better understand Islam. Surrounded by the artful calligraphy and architecture of the Blue Mosque, the call to prayer, and the faithful fasting during Ramadan you feel the force of a faith two billion people practice.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Where to Watch Rick Steves' Europe
Rick Steves' Europe is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship[upbeat music] As a city which is over 90% Muslim, Istanbul offers a good opportunity to better understand Islam.
Visitors are welcome to visit mosques, and, in doing so, better understand a religion that about 2 billion people practice.
The Blue Mosque was the 17th century triumph of Sultan Ahmet I. Architecturally, with its six minarets, it rivaled the Great Mosque in Mecca, the holiest in all of Islam.
Its grand courtyard welcomes the crowd that gathers for worship.
As with all mosques, you park your shoes at the door, and women cover their heads.
If you don't have a scarf, you'll find loaners at the door.
Countless beautiful tiles fill the interior with exquisite floral and geometric motifs.
It's nicknamed "the Blue Mosque" because of its blue tiles.
Blue is a popular color in Turkey.
It impressed early French visitors enough for them to call it "the color of the Turks," or "turquoise."
While churches portray people like this, Muslims believe the portrayal of people in places of worship draws attention away from worshiping Allah as the one god.
In mosques, rather than saints and prophets, you'll see geometrical designs and calligraphy.
This explains why, historically, the Muslim world excelled at non-figurative art, while artists from Christian Europe focused on painting and sculpting the human form.
Artful Arabic calligraphy generally shows excerpts from the Quran and quotes from Muhammad.
As a church would have Jesus and God front and center, in a mosque, elaborate medallions high above the prayer niche read "Muhammad" and "Allah."
Large ceremonial candles flank the mihrab.
That's the niche that points from here to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where Muslims face when they worship.
[call to prayer] Like churches have bell towers, mosques have minarets.
According to Muslim tradition, the imam, or prayer leader, would climb to the top of the minaret to call the faithful to prayer.
These days, the prayer leader still performs the call to prayer live.
But, rather than climbing the minaret, it's amplified by loudspeakers.
[call to prayer] Five times a day, the message is always the same-- Allah Akbar, God is great.
Witness, there's only one God.
Muhammad is his prophet.
Come join the prayer.
Come join the salvation.
When this happens, practicing Muslims drop into a mosque, face Mecca, and pray.
Then, after a short service praising God, workaday life resumes.
Here, gathered in a park between two beloved mosques, people reflect on the meaning of Ramadan as they wait to break their fast.
Fasting daily for a month each year during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.
From sunup to sundown for 30 days, no eating, drinking, or smoking.
It's all about self-control.
Muhammad taught that loosening ties to the material world makes it easier to enter into eternity, as if unchained.
It's an opportunity to share a sacred moment with family and community.
They're primed, meals ready, awaiting the call to prayer initiated by the setting of the sun.
[call to prayer] It's scenes like this, so similar to family holidays of my own, that remind me why I travel-- to experience cultures different than my own, only to find out how similar we are.
For more information, visit RickSteves.com.
NewTravel Bites 971: Passeggiata and Rome After Dark
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 59s | Join Romans for the beloved evening passeggiata. (3m 59s)
NewTravel Bites 970: Jewish Rome and Monti
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 6s | Rome’s ancient Jewish community shares its extraordinary story of endurance and resilience. (5m 6s)
NewTravel Bites 969: Rome's Colorful Trastevere Neighborhood
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 23s | Across the river, Trastevere invites travelers into intimate lanes. (4m 23s)
NewTravel Bites 967: St. Peter’s and Vatican City
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 45s | Cross into the world’s smallest country to explore magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica. (4m 45s)
NewTravel Bites 966: Borghese Gallery’s Baroque Masters
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 2s | Rome’s fabulously wealthy patrons transformed collecting and commissioning art into dazzling display (3m 2s)
NewTravel Bites 965: Art in Rome’s Churches
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 45s | Step into Rome’s often unassuming churches to discover masterpieces in their original settings. (2m 45s)
NewTravel Bites 964: Rome’s Back Street Riches and Piazzas
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 4s | Rome’s public spaces transform an ordinary morning stroll into a memorable sightseeing adventure. (4m 4s)
NewTravel Bites 963: Testaccio: A Roman Food Tour
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 40s | In earthy Testaccio, a lively food tour through a neighborhood market provides a delicious taste. (5m 40s)
NewTravel Bites 962: Catacombs and Early Christianity
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 29s | A bike ride along the ancient Appian Way leads underground into Rome’s catacombs. (5m 29s)
NewTravel Bites 961: Pantheon: Rome’s Perfect Temple
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 33s | The best-preserved temple of ancient Rome showcases engineering genius. (1m 33s)
NewTravel Bites 960: Imperial Rome in Art
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 18s | Trajan’s Forum, the Circus Maximus, and Rome’s National Museum reveal the empire at its peak. (3m 18s)
NewTravel Bites 959: Colosseum and Caracalla Baths
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 28s | Rome’s colossal engineering comes alive at the iconic Colosseum. (3m 28s)
NewTravel Bites 958: Eating Like a Roman
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 23s | A convivial Roman meal celebrates seasonal ingredients and regional specialties. (2m 23s)
NewTravel Bites 957: Capitoline Hill’s Ancient Treasures
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m | Rome’s historic Capitoline Hill brings ancient Rome vividly to life. (3m)
NewTravel Bites 956: Its Birth Story
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 4s | Tracing the story of Rome in a nutshell. (4m 4s)
NewTravel Bites 955: Paris: A floodlit tour
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 10s | The fabled “City of Light” is also the city of flood light. (2m 10s)
NewTravel Bites 954: Paris’ Other Great Museums
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 35s | After Versailles, the Louvre, and the Orsay, Paris’ less famous museums are also worth a visit. (5m 35s)
NewTravel Bites 953: Versailles, Europe’s Palace of Palaces
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 40s | This ultimate royal palace is Louis XIV’s lavish explosion of baroque bling. (3m 40s)
NewTravel Bites 952: The Orsay Gallery
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 8s | The paintings of the Orsay take you from 1848 to 1914. (3m 8s)
NewTravel Bites 951: Paris's Louvre Museum
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 38s | The Louvre—with masterpieces from Ancient Greek to Renaissance and Romantic—is a must to visit. (5m 38s)
NewTravel Bites 950: Paris: Boulevards, Les Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 38s | Grand boulevards like the Champs-Élysées connect great sights with edible memories. (5m 38s)
NewTravel Bites 949: Paris: Haussmann buildings and grand boulevards
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 1m 37s | The elegance of Paris is no accident. Broad boulevards, grand monuments, people-friendly greenbelts. (1m 37s)
NewTravel Bites 948: Eating French Cliches at a Parisian Bistro
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 55s | Grab a seat for lunch to enjoy a kir, French onion soup, escargot, croque madam, steak tartare. (3m 55s)
NewTravel Bites 947: Paris’ Marais neighborhood
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 6s | The Marais is a hub of Parisian history and culture—with its Jewish Quarter, and Bastille prison,. (4m 6s)
NewTravel Bites 946: Shopping for Dinner on Paris’ Rue Cler
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 6s | Paris’ most inviting market street is Rue Cler. (4m 6s)
NewTravel Bites 945: Two Grand Parisian Churches: Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 28s | Paris’ two most popular churches are the beloved Notre-Dame and the exquisite Sainte-Chapelle. (2m 28s)
NewTravel Bites 944: The Eiffel Tower
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 15s | Paris’ Eiffel Tower, a muscular symbol of France’s Industrial Age, has been entertaining since 1889. (2m 15s)
NewTravel Bites 943: Paris’ River Seine
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 35s | The Seine River defines Paris’ Right and Left Bank. (4m 35s)
NewTravel Bites 942: The Regeneration of London’s Industrial Heritage
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 23s | London’s once abandoned industrial corners have morphed into popular people and culture zones. (6m 23s)
NewTravel Bites 941: The British Library
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m | London hosts the national archive with 12 million books and one Treasures Room. (2m)
NewTravel Bites 940: A Proper Afternoon Tea
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 6s | Afternoon tea is a great British tradition and London does it with style. (2m 6s)
NewTravel Bites 939: London’s East End Food Tour
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 40s | London’s happening East End survives and thrives just beyond a tsunami of skyscrapers. (4m 40s)
NewTravel Bites 938: London’s Victoria and Albert Museum
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 34s | “Albertopolis” is the corner of London built by and celebrating the vision of Prince Albert. (4m 34s)
NewTravel Bites 937: The Tower of London
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m | The Tower of London entertains and inspires. (2m)
NewTravel Bites 936: St Paul's Cathedral, London’s Pride
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 37s | St. Paul’s Cathedral is architect Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, the greatest dome in Britain. (2m 37s)
NewTravel Bites 935: The City of London
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 34s | London’s historic core is called “The City.” (3m 34s)
NewTravel Bites 934: Britain’s National Portrait Gallery
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 35s | The National Portrait Gallery is the perfect place. (2m 35s)
NewTravel Bites 933: London’s Westminster and Whitehall, Home of Britain’s Government
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 8m 40s | The core of royal London. (8m 40s)
NewTravel Bites 932: Istanbul's Grand Main Drag, Istiklal Caddesi
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 38s | The best way to feel the pulse of urban Istanbul is to explore its teeming main boulevard. (4m 38s)
NewTravel Bites 931: Whirling Dervishes
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 2m 24s | Mystic Sufi monks whirl themselves into a meditative trance as they embrace the poet Rumi’s wisdom. (2m 24s)
NewTravel Bites 930: Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 27s | Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar remains enchanting, perplexing visitors with its maze-like network of lanes. (3m 27s)
NewTravel Bites 929: Istanbul, the Great Port on the Bosphorus
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 53s | Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus Strait that separates Europe and Asia. (5m 53s)
NewTravel Bites 928: Istanbul’s Topkapi Palace
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 14s | Here we find the storybook image of the Ottomans—sultans, eunuchs, harems. (5m 14s)
NewTravel Bites 927: Hagia Sophia, the Great Church of Constantinople
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 6s | This magnificent church-turned-mosque offers the visitor an opportunity to be inspired. (3m 6s)
Now PlayingTravel Bites 926: Islamic Art, Ramadan, and the Blue
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 57s | Istanbul offers a chance to better understand Islam. (4m 57s)
NewTravel Bites 925: A Turkish Bath in Ottoman Splendor
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 9s | The splendor of Istanbul’s Ottoman Empire is best experienced in a hammam. (3m 9s)
NewTravel Bites 924: Istanbul when it was Constantinople
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 4m 36s | For thousands of years, this place, where East meets West, has been a crossroads of civilizations. (4m 36s)
NewTravel Bites 923: A Leisurely Day on a Burgundian Canal
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 5m 39s | A crack-of-dawn trip to the bakery before breakfast on our barge. (5m 39s)
NewTravel Bites 922: Burgundy: Wine, Vineyard, and Chateau
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 3m 3s | France’s famed Côte d’Or, or “Golden Slopes,” is all about fine wine. (3m 3s)
NewTravel Bites 921: Barging: A Barge Cruise in Burgundy
Video has Closed Captions
Clip | 6m 3s | France’s Burgundy, with its inviting canals and iconic vineyards. (6m 3s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
Distributed nationally by American Public Television