The Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque)-Fatih Located directly across from Hagia Sophia – in the area known as Sultanahmet Square or Medan – on lstanbul’s historic peninsula, is the Blue Mosque, which is one of the first places both locals and foreign tourists start their visit in lstanbul. lf a tourist asks where the Blue Mosque is in Sultanahmet, rather than Sultanahmet Mosque, do not be surprised, as it is better known as the Blue Mosque by tourists due to the azure colour of its twenty-one thousand lznik tiles decorating it’s interior.
The Blue Mosque was built in the 17th century by Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, one of Mimar Sinan’s students. The mosque has a total of 16 balconies, as it was built in the name of Sultan Ahmet 1, the 16th ruler of the Ottoman Empire, and its dome is 43 metres high. When its 16 balconies, domes and complexes come together, the Blue Mosque is recognised as one of the largest structures in lstanbul.
The mosque is open every day for visitors to worship, and because of this you will be allowed inside whenever you choose to visit. However, on Fridays and religious holidays, huge crowds flock to the mosque to pray, so please keep this in mind.
Note:
The places we have mentioned as ‘favorites’ above are the most famous places of the historical peninsula of Istanbul. We strongly suggest they are places that visitors coming to Istanbul should definitely see and spend time at, and since our favorite places are within short walking-distance of each other, they are places that you should be able to visit comfortably in one day. If you are interested in shopping, traditional culture and fashion, you can spend more time in the Spice Bazaar and the Grand Bazaar, but while ‘strolling around Istanbul’ and visiting these places, don’t let your belongings weigh you down.
May we suggest therefore that you safely store your suitcases, belongings and shopping bags at ‘ Istanbul Luggage Storage ‘.
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