The Blue Mosque is considered the first largest and one of the most beautiful mosques in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque is the greatest masterpiece of not only Islamic but also world architecture. The mosque is located in the historical centre of the city on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. Opposite the Blue Mosque is the Aya Sofia Mosque.
The Blue Mosque is one of the symbols of Istanbul. It has a capacity of 10,000 people. Today there is a tradition: it is here that Muslim pilgrims gather before leaving for Mecca.
History of construction
During the Ottoman Empire, Ahmed I fought two wars at once - with Iran and Austria. The war with Austria ended with the signing of the Peace of Zhitvatorok (11 November 1606), which obliged the Ottomans to refuse the annual tribute from Austria and to recognise the imperial title of Habsburg. This defeat, together with other events, caused the decline of Turkey's authority, so Ahmed I decided to propitiate Allah and build a mosque. The construction of the mosque came in very handy, as no new mosque had been built for 40 years. In August 1609, the construction of the mosque began. Sultans who ruled before Ahmet I built mosques with the money gained in wars. Ahmet had to take money from the treasury. In the library of Topkapı Palace to this day stored 6 volumes of descriptions of work on the construction of the mosque.
Mosque was decided to build near the palace Topkany. Before construction began, several buildings from the early Ottoman and Byzantine periods were demolished at the Hippodrome. The mosque was built by architect Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, a pupil and chief assistant of architect Sinan. The mosque is made in two styles: classical Ottoman and Byzantine. Legend says that according to the sultan's order, the architect had to build 4 golden minarets, but as a result 6 minarets were built.
Interior and exterior decoration of the mosque
The mosque was built for 7 years, and a year before the death of the sultan (1616) was ready. The materials used for construction were stone and marble. Many (over 20,000) white and blue handmade ceramic pieces were used as decorations, which is why the mosque was named the Blue Mosque. The size of the central hall of the mosque is 53x51 m, the diameter of the dome that covers this hall is 23.5 m and the height is 43 m. Inscriptions decorate the dome and half-domes. The dome of the mosque is set on four huge columns, the diameter of which is 5 metres. The patterns with which the mosque is decorated depict lilies, tulips, roses and carnations. Ornaments of different colours are made on a white background. According to the calculations made, more than 50 variations of tulips were used for the patterns. Carpets are laid on the floor of the mosque. There is a lot of light in the mosque, which comes through 260 windows. Glasses brought from Venice were installed during the construction of the mosque, but later these glasses were replaced.
The prayer niche - mihrab - carved from marble is striking. On it is placed a black stone that was brought from Mecca. Near the mihrab is the minbar - the place where the imam reads sermons. There is a special entrance in the mosque, located in the western part of the structure. Above this entrance hangs a chain. The entrance was intended for the sultan, who rode on horseback into the courtyard of the mosque. When entering, the sultan was forced to bend down as the chain hung low. This action signified the sultan's insignificance before Allah.
Minarets of the Blue Mosque
Four of the mosque's minarets are equipped with three balconies, while another two minarets have two balconies. Initially, 14 balconies were built - that was the number of Ottoman sultans, including Ahmed I. A little later two more balconies were completed, due to the fact that the sultans were considered to be the sons of Ahmed I. Near the mosque there is a mausoleum where Ahmed I, his wife and sons are buried. In the north-eastern part of the mosque there is a pavilion of the Sultan, today it is equipped with a Museum of carpets.
After the completion of the Blue Mosque it became clear that the number of minarets, and they were six, corresponds to the number of minarets in the mosque Masjid al-Haram, located in Mecca. In this connection it was necessary to complete the seventh minaret. An interesting fact is that from 1953 to 1976 a 500 lira banknote was in circulation, on which the Blue Mosque was depicted.
On a side note
- Location: Sultanahmet Camii, Sultanahmet Fatih/İstanbul
- Nearest bus stop: "Sultanahmet".
- Official website: http://www.sultanahmetcami.com
- Opening hours: daily 08.30-12.30, 13.45-15.45, 17.30-18.30. Weekend - Monday.
- Tickets: admission is free of charge.
