The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, properly the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is the most beautiful of Istanbul's imperial mosques, a graceful cascade of domes and half-domes crowned by six slender minarets, facing Hagia Sophia across a garden square. Built in the early seventeenth century, it takes its nickname from the more than twenty thousand blue Iznik tiles that glow across its vast, light-filled interior, a masterpiece of Ottoman art.

History

Sultan Ahmed I, the first sultan to build an imperial mosque since Selim II, raised it on the south-east side of the old Byzantine Hippodrome, on ground once taken by the Hippodrome's seats and imperial box and later by the palaces of viziers such as Sokollu Mehmet Pasha, which had to be bought at great cost; the ulema protested that an imperial mosque should be paid for with the spoils of victory, which Ahmed lacked. It was built from 1609 to 1617, though some inscriptions give 1616, and Ahmed died around its completion; its grandeur and the ceremonies he staged won the city over, and the quarter around it took his name, Sultanahmet. Much of its painted decoration was redone with stencils in 1883, and a fire in 1912 damaged buildings of the complex, which were restored (Wikipedia, Blue Mosque, Istanbul).

What to look for

• The blue tiled interior - the thousands of blue Iznik tiles glowing within.
• The domes and minarets - the cascade of domes and six slender minarets.
• The courtyard - the great arcaded forecourt.
• The setting - the mosque facing Hagia Sophia across the square.

When to go

Spring and autumn for mild weather; it is a working mosque, so avoid the five daily prayer times and Friday midday for visits, dress modestly with covered shoulders and legs, remove your shoes, and women should cover their hair.

Things to know

It is a working mosque, so it closes to visitors around the five daily prayer times, a modest dress code and headscarf for women are required and shoes come off; scarves and covers are lent at the door. It is free but very busy, so go early or late in the day.

Nearby

Hagia Sophia faces it across the square; Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar are close.

Key facts