The top sketch is of the Topkapi palace; the famous palace of the Sultan and his thousand wife’s. It’s a labyrinth of buildings and courtyards, I made this sketch in one of the less crowded ones. I had problems with the paint, I was standing in the burning sun (pretty hot for Spring), and the paint dried quickly.
Below the view from the 1st floor gallery of the Hagia Sophia, one of the most impressive buildings I know. You feel the weight of the centuries on your shoulders when walking through this (original Roman empire) building.
Boven een schets van het Topkapi paleis, onder een schets van de preekstoel (of hoe heet zoiets in de Islam) vanaf de omloop in de Hagia Sofia.
via rene fijten sketches: Topkapi in Istanbul.