The Blue Mosque

Sultanahmet Mosque was built by Ahmet I between 1609 and 1617 by Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, who is considered among the important architects after Sinan.

Sultanahmet, which was exposed to a lot of criticism after its construction, is the first and only mosque with 6 minarets within the Ottoman borders. The reason why it has been subject to criticism is that it has the same number of minarets as the Mecca Mosque. Another reason for criticism was the high amount of money spent on this mosque, despite the decrease in the income of the Ottoman Empire at that time. Sultan Ahmed I put an end to some of these criticisms by having the 7th Minaret built in the Mecca Mosque.

There are 16 balconies in the Sultanahmet Mosque, and these balconies were thought this way because Ahmet I was the 16th Sultan to ascend to the throne. The Sultanahmet Mosque had a very large area when it was first built, but a large part of the complex, which consists of structures such as the madrasa, the sultan's mansion, the almshouse, the arasta and the bath, has not survived to the present day. The single-domed tomb and sundial of Ahmet I, who died at the age of 28, is located in the garden of the Mosque. There is a cord made of iron at the main gate of the Sultanahmet Mosque, whose courtyard can be entered from 3 gates. This cord was placed at the entrance to convey the message: "Even if he is a sultan who comes to the house of Allah, he must bow when entering."

The interior of the Blue Mosque is covered with a magnificent dome, 43 meters high, built on 4 columns. The diameter of the dome is 23.5 meters. Blue, the dominant color in the patterns in this part of the mosque, was used during repairs in different periods.

Approximately 22000 tiles from Iznik and Kütahya decorate the walls of the mosque. Motifs of different types of flowers are engraved on the tiles, which play a major role in attracting the attention of the mosque. Thanks to the 260 windows that provide illumination of the building, the tiles look very beautiful, especially on clear days.

After Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1924, it became the main mosque of Istanbul.

You can see the Blue Mosque on our daily tours.

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