[JoeFromSidney]

During my two semesters as a visiting prof at Marmara U. in Istanbul, I visited numerous mosques, both in Istanbul and elsewhere. I never could figure out the rules. Always I had to take my shoes off. In some cases I could enter while prayers were being said; in other cases no. Because if this uncertainty, I always went as part of a guided tour, so I wouldn't create an international incident.

[fatnotlazy]

Now that I think about it, the tour was conducted when there were no services or prayer. I guess that makes sense though. Would you like a bunch of tourists stomping through your house of worship during services? Plus with all the quiet, you could really take in the marvelous architecture...how ornate and elaborate it was. We had a guide who pointed out different facets of the mosque and explained the historical and religious significance of each. It was really interesting.