Green Painted Cement: count the minarets, kids...first to 50 gets a lolly.

Whilst the religious interests of the citizenry of this country scream from different sides the spectrum; I'll attest that there are more churches at home standing in unrequited decay for each time I say "jesus" than there are mosques lacking piety for each "al-lah, al-lah."

Although a slight blip in the trajectory of assumed circumstance is often equivocally the catalyst for such retorts.

And so: the internal domes marked by the omnipresent minaret.

Aya Sofya (Sultanahmet, İstanbul)

...was built as a cathedral during the Byzantine Empire and later converted into a mosque after the Ottoman takeover. A tourist mob, yes. A relatively exquisite building, yes.

The Virgin Mary and baby-jee are on the center dome, adjacent to the archangel Gibrael (side panel).

Both of which hold mention in the Qu'ran and the Bible; the angel Gibreel being he who passed the revelation of the Qu'ran to Muhammad. That Aya Sofya was initially built as a church and then converted into a mosque, is of no correlation.

I know not the relevance of the birdman, though perhaps this is a contribution to me thinking his mural best.

Blue Mosque/Sultanahmet Camii (Sultanahmet, İstanbul)

Built in the early 1600's by Sultan Ahmed, the colour reference in the popular name is about as convoluted of a proper noun as the formal one.

Yeni Camii (Sirceçi, İstanbul)

One of the many mosques that dot the horizon in İstanbul. The massive circular shields of Arabic script vie hard for my love.

Ulu Camii (Bursa)

Just over the Sea of Marmara about three hours from Istanbul is Bursa; a modern/ prosperous/liberal/etc city and the beholder of this exquisite domed gem.

Towering murals of Islamic calligraphy and a mesmerizing game of thought association.

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nargileh.