BLUE MOSQUE(SULTANAHMET MOSQUE)

The Blue Mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I in 1609-1617 as a rival to Hagia Sophia. The designer of the mosque is Architect Mehmet Ağa. The construction period of the Blue Mosque took 7 years. There are six minarets in the Blue Mosque and one of the two mosques with six minarets in Turkey. It is still an active mosque today.

The original name of mosque is Sultanahmet Mosque. But it got its name from inner decoration. The Architect of mosque has used 21.000 tiles which have mostly blue calour. When the lights are off, you can see that it is in blue decoration. That is why all tourists named the mosque as Blue Mosque. The Blue Mosque was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1985 as “Historical Places of Istanbul”.

Information: The summer visiting hours of the Blue Mosque are 08.30-18.30, and the winter visiting hours are 08.30-17.00. Your dress must be suitable for visits.

The prayer section of the mosque is closed to visitors every Friday. In the morning, cleaning is done to prepare the mosque for worship. Visitor admission starts at 14.30.