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Bright Sun
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What's
so blue about the Blue Mosque?
Not much.
Istanbul's
imperial Mosque of Sultan Ahmet
I (Sultan Ahmet Camii) is
called the Blue Mosque because
of its interior tiles,
mostly on the upper level and difficult
to see unless you're right up there
with them.
Forget
the blue tiles! The mosque
(built 1603-17) is the masterwork
of Ottoman architect Sedefkâr
Mehmet Ağa. It's built
on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium,
on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome (map).
With
its six minarets and
a great cascade of domes, the mosque
is a worthy sibling to Ayasofya (Hagia
Sophia) just a few minutes' stroll
to the north.
The Blue
Mosque has fascinating
secrets revealed in my travel memoir, Bright
Sun, Strong Tea, and
on the Magic
of the Blue Mosque page.
This
is one of Istanbul's
premier sights, and you're welcome
to visit at most times of day, for
free (donations gratefully received).
But
it's also a working mosque,
so it's closed to non-worshippers
for a half hour or so during the
five daily prayers (here
are the prayer times),
and may be closed for a longer time
from midday on Friday, the Muslim holy
day.
The
way to properly appreciate the splendid
architecture of the Blue
Mosque is to approach it from the Hippodrome (that
is, from the west) so you can appreciate
the Magic
of the Blue Mosque.
If
you are a non-Muslim visitor, you
must enter
by the door on the south side of
the mosque (to the right as you enter
from the Hippodrome. If you're entering
from the Ayasofya side,
the tourist entrance is on the opposite
side of the mosque.)
For
lots more photos of the Blue Mosque,
see the TTP
Photo Galleries of Istanbul and Istanbul
in Winter.
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