Ottoman Empire

Detail of a wooden mimbar at the Selimiye Camii in Edirne. Edirne was the capital of the Ottoman Empire from 1361 to the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. The Selimiye Camii was completed by the master architect Sinan for Sultan Selim II in 1575, and is regarded as a masterpiece of Islamic architecture. The mimbar is a pulpit where the muezzin or imam will stand during Friday sermons. (Press here for 49K jpg)

Panel of antique Iznik tiles, which covers the mausoleum of Abu Eyub al'Ansari in Eyub. He was the standard bearer of the Prophet Mohammed, and his tomb and mosque are a holy pilgrimage site for Turks. The Arabic calligraphy at the center depicts "La Ilah Ila Allah", or "There is no God but Allah". (Press here for 67K jpg)