 For
an antidote to open-air museumitis walk west past the minaret down a narrow,
mud-walled dog-leg to Khodja Zain-al-Din, a compact, introverted ensemble
of working parish mosque, small khanaga and the city's oldest (and most
sewer-like) surviving khauz, Inside the mosque, which is known as the Blue
Mosque, the decoration starts with an eye-level feast of mosaic and proceeds
via intricate gilt designs on light blue on the upper walls to a dark (Heavenly)
blue cupola. Ask before going inside, and ask for the lights to be switched
on. The walls of the near-empty khauz are faced with marble and the design
on the marble spout, which one wishes would actually spout
something, is of a dragon's jaw.
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