BLUE MOSQUE - SULTANAHMET

BLUE MOSQUE/ SULTANAHMAD MOSQUE

Construction of the Blue Mosque began in 1609, with the enthusiastic support of Sultan Ahmed I. The location was chosen right opposite Hagia Sophia, where the Old Palace of Constantinople had been demolished many years before the conquest of Istanbul. Sedefkâr Mehmed was appointed to lead the construction of the brand new imperial mosque. He was an apprentice of renowned architect Mimar Sinan, and had learnt many things from his master which he later went on to implement in his own mosque. The nickname Sedefkâr means “one who works with mother-of-pearl,” referring to his twenty years of perfecting mother-of-pearl inlay.

The mosque's groundbreaking opening involved quite a ceremony, and even the Sultan himself contributed personally.  The construction period was generously supported by the Sultan and was finalized  within seven years. The holiest of the nights, Laylatul Qadr in the month of Ramadan, was chosen as the opening day. 

As one might expect from a sultan as religious as Sultan Ahmed I, and an architect who had studied under Mimar Sinan,  they equipped their mosque with as many service buildings as they could. An imperial pavilion, a kindergarten building that serves as a tourist information centre today, a madrasah (college of that time), a timekeeper house, a tomb, a bakery, a kitchen, a public kitchen, a hospital, a public bath and bazaar shops were all added to the complex.

The interior of the mosque features lavish ornamentation and lighting. The ceiling is filled with calligraphy, and the walls, together with the upper part of the “elephant foot” pillars, are adorned with spectacular Nicean tiles. The color blue dominated these decorative elements, leading much later to the name “Blue Mosque,” whereas it was originally named Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

The Blue Mosque is unquestionably the  most famous mosque in the country, hosting more than one million visitors per month during the summer. Some say that without having seen the Blue Mosque, you haven’t truly seen Turkey.