Friday Prayers at The Blue Mosque

August 11th 2023, Istanbul, Turkiye

As with the majority of my bucket list items, this one was not entirely planned in advance but was a chance to fulfill the wishes of my late Grandfather who had often talked of the almost-mystical Blue Mosque in Istanbul. We stopped over for a 3-night stay on the way back to Hong Kong.

As it was our first morning and we were feeling pretty energetic, we took a long walk from our hotel to the Old Town of Istanbul. As we got there a little later than expected, we arrived at the start of Friday 'Jumu'ah' Prayers. Although the signs informed us that access to the Mosque was for Prayers only, we were allowed into the Courtyard where women gathered as the men went inside. As it was predominantly women in the Courtyard area, I took a walk around and as I approached the entrance to the Mosque itself, I saw the men continuing to stream in for their Prayers and on a whim, I joined them. Although I've lived in many Muslim countries - Indonesia, UAE, Qatar, Brunei and Oman - I had never actually attended Friday Prayers so this would be my first experience, and in The Blue Mosque to boot!
 
Once inside, everyone was urged to keep moving forward so as to make space for the scores of men who continued to come in. I went with the flow but soon spotted a gap up against a wooden rail and tucked myself in. The Imam was preaching in what I assume was a mixture of Turkish and Arabic and there were a few familiar and surprisingly comforting phrases mixed in. Despite what I had seen in photos, the men did not all perform their devotions at the same time - some were standing, some sitting, some in the prayer position - so I sort of went with the flow and sat when others around me sat and stood when most people were standing.

Despite worrying that I might be caught out and questioned at any point, it was quite a calming experience and the whole social aspect of the entire community coming together gave me a sense of belonging. There was no segregation - it was old and young, rich and poor, local and non-local all together in one large area - once inside they found any available spot to settle down to pray. There was no difference in the level of prayer either - everyone was performing the same devotions - none 'more holier than thou'. Not to cast aspersions on my own church and my experiences, but there was, and probably still is, a definite level of segregation within. 
 
Although I was fairly settled and could have stayed until the end, after around 20-minutes or so I was aware of the occasional glance in my direction and I felt I should not push my luck. So once I saw one or two others leaving, I also decided to take my leave. After a polite nod to my fellow devotees close by, I grabbed my shoes and scurried towards the nearest exit and into the bright sunshine outside. Prayers continued for another hour or so, so I milled around the Courtyard and soaked in the atmosphere. I was a little bit in awe - perhaps due to the feeling of togetherness along with fulfilling a long-standing family wish.