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 We bravely removed our shoes, pulled the heavy curtain aside and tiptoed into Süleymaniye Mosque, our first foray into an Islamic house of worship. The interior was beautiful—I was immediately filled with an inner peace. I spotted the few Islamic objects I knew about: the mihrab, the wall niche indicating the direction of Mecca; the mimbar, the imam's pulpit staircase on whose top step no one should stand (reserved instead for the Prophet Mohammad). Outside in the sunshine, we saw young boys near the mosques dressed up like royalty, often wielding a golden sceptre in one hand and an ice cream in the other. "Today is their big day," Sidar offered. "They celebrate, then they ...you know, go for their circumcision ceremony." |
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