The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

We visited the stunning Blue Mosque during our stay in Istanbul, Turkey.
It was busy and warm inside, but definitely a sight worth seeing.

The Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Camii as the locals call it, is an impressive historical mosque, and a popular tourist attraction situated in the heart of Istanbul in Sultanahmet Square.

Sultan Ahmed Camii is referred to as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles adorning the interior walls.

Construction of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque began in 1609 and was completed by 1617. The Ottoman architect Sedefkâr Mehmet A?a designed the building which stands on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium, on the South-Eastern side of the Hippodrome.
Construction of the Blue Mosque began with Islamic architecture during the Ottoman era, followed later by Christian-influenced Byzantine architectural additions.
The Blue Mosque has six slender minarets, and eight domes. Initially the six minarets caused quite a stir, because it was more usual for mosques to have four, two or just one minaret.
Some say that the reason for the six minarets was a misunderstanding, as the sultan had instructed the architect to make gold (altin) minarets, which was misunderstood as six (alti) minarets. Urban myth? I don’t know. Whatever the truth, the resulting design is magnificent, especially when seen from far away.
Apparently once the Masjid al-Haram, Grand Mosque, in Mecca had an extra minaret added to it, the six minarets at the Blue Mosque were accepted.
The cascading design of the domes of the Blue Mosque are an impressive sight as they flow beautifully down from the amazing engineering of the central dome.
The diameter of the central dome may be 33.4 metres with a height of 43 metres. Or maybe not, I’ve read several differing measurements. Whatever the exact size, it’s big.

The mihrab in the Blue Mosque is made from finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it.
On the right-hand side of the mihrab is the ornately decorated minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands to deliver his sermon during noon prayer on Fridays, and on holy days. The mosque has been designed in such a way so that even when it’s fully packed with worshippers they are all able to see and hear the Imam.

The royal kiosk in the Blue Mosque is in the South-East corner, it has its own mihrab, a platform, a loggia, and two small retiring rooms, with access to the royal loge in the South-East upper gallery of the mosque.The royal loge (hünkâr mahfil) is supported by ten marble columns.

The interior of the Blue Mosque is illuminated by 260 windows featuring beautiful stained glass. The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the Signoria of Venice to the sultan.
As well as the windows, there are what feels like millions of electric lights hanging from hundreds of low level chandeliers. Obviously they’re aren’t millions of bulbs, but because of the natural daylight flooding the interior, it just feels like there’s many more than there actually are. The large circular iron chandeliers hold the electric lights inside glass shades. The combination of natural and artificial light inside the Blue Mosque works very well, creating a wonderful warmth.

The floors in the Blue Mosque are covered with carpets, donated by faithful people, which are replaced regularly as they get a lot of wear.

The interior of the Sultanahmet Camii is covered with twenty thousand handmade ceramic tiles on the lower level and at each pier. The tiles were made under the supervision of the master potter Kasap Haci and Baris Efendi from Avanos Cappadocia in Iznik, the ancient Nicaea. The designs on the tiles are beautiful, reportedly featuring over fifty different tulip images.
The tiles covering the gallery level are slightly more exuberant, with designs including cypresses, flowers, and fruit.
As the price for tiles increased over time during construction, the quality of the tiles used in the Blue Mosque decreased, because the price for each if the tiles required to cover the interior had been fixed by the sultan’s decree.

The calligraphy inscriptions in the Blue Mosque are reported to be the work of Hattat Seyyid Kas?m Gubari of Diyarbak?r. He was commissioned to write verses from the Koran throughout the mosque. He was also said to be one of the greatest calligraphers of his day.

The courtyard at the Blue Mosque is almost as large as the mosque itself, surrounded by an unbroken vaulted arcade. There are facilities for ablutions on either side of the court. The hexagonal fountain in the centre looks small compared to the size of the courtyard.
Apparently the weighty metal chain hanging in the West side entrance of the court was hung there to remind the sultan to lower his head as he entered on horseback. The hanging of the iron chain was a symbolic gesture insuring humility of the ruler in the face of the divine.

This Blue Mosque is one of the premier historical sights in Istanbul. Admission is free, donations are gratefully received.
As it’s an active mosque it is closed to non-worshippers for about half hour every day during the five daily prayers. From midday on Fridays, Muslim holy day, it may be closed for longer.

Video of The Blue Mosque, Istanbul

Click here to view the embedded video.

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