Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, in Istanbul

The Blue Mosque, or Mosque of Sultan Ahmet, is the most famous mosque of Istanbul, celebrated for its blue and white ceramics. The Istanbul audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this building constructed between 1609 and 1616 under the reign of sultan Ahmet I, facing Hagia Sophia, whose interior draws inspiration from Chinese porcelain and whose silhouette dominates the Sultanahmet square.

History

Here you are in front of the most famous mosque of Istanbul, that of Sultan Ahmet, in Turkish Sultanahmet Camii, nicknamed the Blue Mosque for its interior covered with blue and white ceramic tiles inspired by Chinese porcelain. Like all the imperial mosques, it was built in seven years, between 1609 and 1616, under the reign of sultan Ahmet I. He wanted to build a great mosque to appease God after the long war of the Ottoman Empire against the Habsburgs. The previous sultans had financed their mosques thanks to their war booty; he, not having shone in combat, had to draw from the treasury, which strongly displeased the ulemas, the theologians who advised the sultan. Ahmet built his mosque anyway, on the site of the former great Byzantine palace, facing Hagia Sophia, then the most venerated of Constantinople, by buying back and destroying several palaces to clear the space necessary for this monumental ensemble. You will visit it with respect, in the calm conducive to contemplation.

What to see

Here you admire, with respect, the most famous mosque of Istanbul, built between 1609 and 1616 by sultan Ahmet I facing Hagia Sophia; its interior covered with blue and white ceramics inspired by Chinese porcelain earned it its nickname of Blue Mosque. The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet is a major place of prayer, to be visited with respect. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Blue Mosque stands on the Sultanahmet square, facing Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, reachable on foot. It is a place of worship in activity, whose access, generally free, is made in the respect of the services and of contemplation, outside the hours of prayer. It is best to enquire before coming, to adopt correct attire and to remove your shoes at the entrance.

Why is the Mosque of Sultan Ahmet called the Blue Mosque?

Because of its interior covered with blue and white ceramic tiles, inspired by Chinese porcelain; built between 1609 and 1616 by sultan Ahmet I, who wanted to appease God after the war against the Habsburgs, it rises facing Hagia Sophia, on the site of the former great Byzantine palace.

Where is the Blue Mosque in Istanbul?

On the Sultanahmet square, facing Hagia Sophia, in Istanbul, in Turkey.