伊斯坦布尔：一座洗涤你灵魂的城市_大学英语阅读

伊斯坦布尔：一座洗涤你灵魂的城市

Istanbul is called the “City of 500 Mosques” for a reason, yet each building conveyed the same message that beauty stems from simplicity. Nowhere is that clearer than at the Blue Mosque . After removing our shoes, my friends and I ducked out of the Turkish sun and through the entrance. The interior swaddled us with cool air, illuminated by a low-hanging chandelier that stretched from one end of the building to the other. Compared to European cathedrals, where the stone and the darkness weighs down upon viewers as if to demand submission to God, the abundance of light and the ceilings that seem to float to the heavens invite the faithful to accept God’s embrace. Blue tiles swirled over the marble walls, interlocking with the crimson floral patterns. These intricate patterns were all bathed in a hazy azure sheen from the stained glass perched on each window. Despite the intricacy, each pattern blossomed from just simple geometric shapes or floral designs, which were repeated again and again. Each motif interacted with each other, weaving together as if grown by a florist rather than painted by an artist.

But perhaps the simplest expression of beauty was the active presence of worshippers. Tourists were cordoned off near the back of the building so that Muslims could pray without interruption. Individuals and groups were scattered across the carpeted floor: young and old, rich and poor. As I watched each man kneel in the same rhythm over and over, a little boy with a turquoise baseball cap scampered across the floor. He ran to his father, who had just straightened up from another bow. The father grabbed hold of his son and raised his hand, as if to smack a reminder that the mosque is supposed to be a sanctuary, not a playground. Instead, he simply turned his son’s cap backwards so that it wouldn’t get in the way when he bowed. With a quick hug to his father’s leg, the little boy placed his palms together and began reciting his Arabic prayers. I smiled at this interaction. Despite the products of modern life, this bond between father and son as they practiced age-old traditions is what breathes life into a building that is thousands of years old.