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There is an extremely good reason why Istanbul is one
of the most visited city-break destinations in the world. The old
landmarks of former Byzantine and Constantinople stand in the Sultan
Ahmet area and draw in thousands of visitors every month, who are eager
to see the iconic buildings that once belonged to two of the greatest
empires in history. One such building is the stunning and exceptionally
beautiful Blue Mosque. Known as one of the greatest buildings in the
world, it is often first on any must-see list of the city.
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It is also called the Sultan Ahmet cami, (cami is Turkish for
mosque) due to its location in the Sultan Ahmet district, that holds all
sites belonging to the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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It is open every day of the year but closed at prayer times for 90
minutes. Muslims may still arrive at the mosque outside of prayer time,
so visitors are asked to be respectful, and avoid flash photography.
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Construction was completed in 1619 by
Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa, a student of Mimar Sinan who was the favourite
architect of the Ottoman sultans.
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It has 260 stained glass windows
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The 20,000 blue tiles adorning the interior were made in Iznik, an area
that was famous during the Ottoman Empire for its expert production of
ceramic tiles. These tiles also gave themselves to the name of the
mosque.
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The architecture is a blend of Ottoman and Byzantine styles
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The mosque is most famous for its six minarets, accompanied by one
large dome and eight smaller domes.
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In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue mosque. This visit was
repeated in 2014 by Pope Francis
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In 2009, USA president Barrack Obama arrived in Istanbul and toured the
Blue Mosque along with Recep Tayip Erdogan, the former prime minster of
Turkey.
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