New York’s Islamic Cultural Center is a building that quite literally defies the city’s street-grid system, angling precisely towards Mecca.
We’re used to the once-sacred becoming commercialized (Christmas in America, anyone?), but occasionally, roles are reversed. The commercial has become
The sensory overload of the vibrant and colorful Spice Bazaar and the tranquil and awe-inspiring Rà ¼stem Pasha Mosque in the Eminà ¶nà ¼ neighborhood are just one example of the cohesive juxtaposition and cultural symbiosis that make Istanbul, Turkey a unique and exciting travel experience.
The Grand Bazaar and the Museum of Innocence: a look at social interactions in Istanbul, Turkey, a city happening and changing in the moment, steeped in Middle Eastern tradition yet with its eyes always on the Western world.
Hammams are usually always divided in female only and male only days, with women generally topless, so if you aren’t used to getting up close and personal with hundreds of nude Parisians, don’t go!
Along the Van Wyck Expressway in Queens, not too far from the Jamaica train station, stands a mosque clearly converted from an old factory. A painted turquoise dome rises above the drab factory exterior as well as a simple minaret. The building has been the New York headquarters of the Imam Al-Khoei Benevolent Foundation.
You might recognize this mosque from the film Paris Je t’aime. A Parisian teenager, Franà§ois, develops a crush on a girl and waits for her outside a mosque. She sees him across the road when she opens the large entrance doors at the intersection of two streets.