The Blue Mosque, the Sultanahmet Mosque, is one of the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul. It was founded in 1609 by Sultan Ahmed I and named in his honour.

The Sultanahmet Mosque is located opposite the Hagia Sophia mosque.

Address: Cankurtaran, At Meydanı Cd No:7, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, google maps

Entry to the mosque is free, you just need to be dressed appropriately, and women must have a headscarf. If you do not have one, it can be borrowed at the entrance. Shoes must of course be removed.

Information about the Blue Mosque

The Sultanahmet Mosque and complex (külliye) are located in the Fatih district of Istanbul. The structure was built on the order of Sultan Ahmed I by the chief architect of the time, Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha. Mehmed Agha, who was one of the outstanding architects trained by Mimar Sinan, completed the construction of the complex between 1609 and 1620.

The Sultanahmet Mosque together with the külliye is one of the largest architectural complexes in Istanbul. When the complex was built, it included: a mosque, a sultan’s pavilion (hünkâr kasrı), a primary school (sıbyan mektebi), a madrasa, an arasta (market arcade), a bathhouse (hamam), a hospital (darüşşifa), a public kitchen (imaret-i âmire), a caravanserai (han), a darülkurra (school for Quran reciters), a mausoleum (türbe), a tabkhane (lodgings for travellers and dervishes), sebils (public drinking fountains), fountains, shops, rooms, cellars, a coffeehouse and residential buildings. Most of these structures that were part of the complex have survived to the present day.

The Sultanahmet Mosque is widely known as the “Blue Mosque” due to the stunning blue tiles used abundantly in the decoration of its walls. The mosque features rich decorative elements: tiles, wall paintings (kalem işi), and wooden, stone and metal ornaments. The tiles were produced in the centres of İznik and Kütahya using an underglaze technique. In total, 21,043 tiles are used in the mosque, arranged in more than fifty different compositions, predominantly with naturalistic patterns.

The mosque follows the classical Ottoman architectural layout with an inner courtyard surrounded by arcades (revak). The large outer courtyard has three entrances from the north and east, and two from the west and south. The prayer hall measures 64×72 metres. The central dome, at a height of 43 metres, has a diameter of 23.5 metres. The mosque is distinguished by six minarets — a decision that was unprecedented at the time. The minarets, built from küfeki stone, are positioned as follows: four at the corners of the prayer hall and two at the corners of the courtyard. – source

The mosque is very large and beautiful.