Sultanahmet Camiisi (Blue Mosque)

The Sultanahmet Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii), also known as Blue Mosque, was built between the years 1609 – 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Located on the Historical Peninsula, in the district to which it gives its name, The Sultanahmet Mosque is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

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Address

At Meydanı No.7 34122 Fatih

Visiting Hours
Phone 0090 212 458 44 68

The Sultanahmet Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii), also known as the Blue Mosque, was built between the years 1609 – 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I.

Located on the Historical Peninsula, in the district to which it gives its name, The Sultanahmet Mosque is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period.

The mosque was built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia and the Hippodrome. One of the great examples of classical Ottoman and Islamic architecture, the mosque’s architect is Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, pupil of the famous Imperial Architect Mimar Sinan.

 

The mosque complex was the largest project yet undertaken in the city at its period. In addition to the mosque itself, there were madrassas, a shopping district, baths, public fountains, a hospital, a primary school, an alms house and rooms for rent. However only some of these survived to this day.

The mosque’s interior is decorated with 20,000 blue, green and white handmade ceramic Iznik tiles. Iznik, which is called Nicea in ancient times is a town in western Anatolia and famous for its production of these unique and beautiful tiles. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes eye catching with flowers, fruit and cypress patterns.
The upper levels of the mosque interior is dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows provide the mosque a natural light. For these reasons the Sultanahmet Mosque is known as the Blue Mosque in English.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is first one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets. When the number of minarets was revealed, Sultan Ahmed I was criticized for being presumptuous, because this was the same minarets number as at the mosque of the Ka’aba in Mecca. Ahmed I, overcame this problem by ordering a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.

The Sultanahmet Mosque became the principal mosque in Istanbul after the Hagia Sophia was converted to a museum in 1934.

To best appreciate the mosque’s design, enter the complex via the Hippodrome rather than from Sultanahmet Park. Once inside the courtyard, which is the same size as the mosque’s interior, you’ll be fascinated by the building’s perfect proportions.

The tomb of Ahmed I, the Blue Mosque’s originator, is in a separate building on the north side facing Sultanahmet Park. Ahmet I, ascended to the imperial throne at the age of 13 and died one year after the mosque was constructed, aged only 27.

 

Mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. It comes from the Arabic word 'masjid' which literally means "a place for prostration". Mosques are also places where Muslims come together for different purposes such as education, social gatherings, public meetings, exhibitions, lectures etc. Although there is no specific requirement for mosques in terms of their architecture, one can see some common features inside and outside of many mosques such as minarets, domes, ablution areas, prayer niche (mihrab), pulpit (minbar) and so on.

Muslims are obliged to perform the ritual worship 5 times a day. They are not required to attend a mosque for each of these prayers however in order to interact with the community they are encouraged to pray in congregation. Friday noon is the only time in a week when Muslims must definitely join the congregational prayer in a mosque after which they can continue their work, education or other commitments.

Azan or the call for prayer is a vocal announcement that one can hear from minarets 5 times a day. The call to prayer is made live -even early in the morning- by a person called 'muazzin'. The muazzins are usually chosen from people with loud and beautiful voices and trained over years to make this announcement beautifully and invite people to worship.

Taksim: The funicular railway inside the Taksim Metro station goes to Kabataş. This is a one-stop station. From Kabataş, take the T1 Zeytinburnu – Kabataş tramline to Sultanahmet.

Atatürk Airport: Havataş shuttle services is in every half hour from the Airport. Get off at Zeytinburnu stop and catch T1 Zeytinburnu – Kabataş tramline for Eminönü. Follow English instructions for the Sultanahmet stop.

Blue Mosque Area: It is located right across the Ayasofya Mosque.

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