Blue Mosque in Istanbul sightseeing and curiosities

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul is one of the attractions in the historic area of Istanbul, located near landmarks such as Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern. It is also one of the places I have planned to visit during our stay in Istanbul.

In the article below, I will share my experience visiting the mosque, whose official name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and I will also briefly touch on its history and complex past. I have gathered a lot of information and interesting facts about this unique monument. All the information you will find in the article comes from knowledge acquired during my visit to the mosque and from publicly available sources. If you have visited the Blue Mosque and would like to add any information that I might have missed, I would be happy to hear it.

Blue Mosque in Istanbul, practical information to help you organize your visit

The Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul’s main attractions and the last of the great projects built during the classical period of Islamic art in this part of the world. Visiting this enormous structure is a wonderful experience, but it’s important to remember that it is a functioning mosque, where worshippers come to pray alongside tourists. Therefore, during your visit, it’s essential to follow a few simple rules to avoid any unpleasant incidents or more serious issues.

The mosque’s official name is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, and it is located in the Sultanahmet district, part of Istanbul’s historic area. Getting there is very straightforward, and with good planning, you shouldn’t encounter any difficulties. However, I recommend staying in one of the many hotels near the city’s major attractions. This way, you can explore the old part of Istanbul at any time of day or night, without being hindered by the crowds of tourists that flood the city.

Getting around Istanbul is basic, as long as you understand the rules of using public transportation. A great option is to purchase the Istanbul Tourist Pass. This pass allows you to visit over a hundred attractions across the city and beyond. It’s incredibly useful, and we always use it whenever we visit the city. Not only does it offer discounted public transport tickets, but it also provides access to the internet via an eSIM card.

The easiest and quickest way to reach the area around the Blue Mosque is by taking the tram. The T1 tram line runs close to the mosque and other attractions in the old city. Alternatively, you can travel around the city by bus, but keep in mind that this option often involves dealing with heavy traffic.

The Blue Mosque is completely free to enter, but I highly recommend organizing a guided tour. This way, you’ll gain a lot of information that’s difficult to find in guidebooks or online. A knowledgeable guide can share fascinating stories, helping you understand the significance of this monument and why it holds such importance for Turkish Muslims. It’s also possible to purchase a package that includes several nearby attractions, saving you both time and money.

You can visit the mosque during the following hours: from 8:30 AM to 12:15 PM, then from 2:00 PM to 3:45 PM, and finally from 4:45 PM to 5:30 PM. However, on Fridays, the mosque opens at 2:30 PM.

Blue Mosque tour

We chose to visit the Blue Mosque early in the morning, right after the dawn prayers. Unfortunately, this did not save us from having to stand in a long queue. Thankfully, the visit went smoothly, and the line of curious tourists moved forward quickly. Keep in mind that prayer times in mosques are not fixed and depend on the position of the sun in the sky. Therefore, these times change throughout the year, so plan your visit accordingly. It is not possible to visit the mosque during prayer hours.

Our visit took about an hour, though many people simply entered and left within a few minutes—it all depends on how interested you are in the interior of the monument. The mosque is built on a rectangular plan, measuring approximately 51 meters by 53 meters, which is almost square. The structure is surrounded by a large courtyard with five gates, and at its centre stands a decorative midha, a fountain used by worshippers for ritual ablutions. As I mentioned, this is an ornamental fountain, since the functional midha is located in the outer courtyard.

According to Islamic tradition, three gates from the courtyard surrounding the mosque lead to the inner courtyard, adorned with arcades adjacent to the mosque. These arcades are topped with decorative domes and lead to the theological Muslim school known as a madrasa. This is an integral part of any major mosque, as in the Islamic world, education and religion are inextricably linked. Initially, only theological sciences were taught in these temple schools, but nowadays, they also teach natural sciences. The madrasa includes a library, rooms for students called hujras, and classrooms.

Another element of every mosque is the minaret—slender, tall towers with balconies where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer. Today, instead of a live muezzin, speakers are often mounted on the minarets, broadcasting a pre-recorded call to prayer. An interesting fact is that the number of minarets indicates the significance of the mosque, and permission from the authorities in Mecca is required to build additional ones. The Blue Mosque has six minarets, and it is said that Sultan Ahmed requested permission for a seventh, even trying to bribe the appropriate officials, but was ultimately denied.

Before entering the mosque, you must take off your shoes and leave them on specially designated shelves. Many people take their shoes with them, storing them in a bag or backpack—not because of thieves, but because occasionally, there are so many visitors and worshippers that finding your shoes on the way out can be challenging.

The interior of the mosque made a giant impression on me, especially the massive dome with a diameter of nearly 23 meters, hanging at a height of 43 meters. The dome, along with the supporting semi-domes and smaller corner elements known as pendentives, appears enormous, and common sense tells you to flee. Logic suggests that something so large cannot simply hang in the air, supported only by fragile, window-filled walls.

Of course, the structure is solid, and the enormous roof is safely supported by four monstrous pillars, each with a diameter of five meters. Due to their size, these pillars in the Blue Mosque are called “elephant legs,” and they certainly look the part.

Earlier, I mentioned the numerous windows—there are 260 in the mosque, all filled with stained-glass. This allows a wealth of light in every possible colour to enter the interior. It looks magical and somewhat surreal. It’s worth finding a quiet spot in a corner with a good view of the entire interior to admire the play of lights—it’s truly beautiful.

Of course, the most important aspect of the mosque’s decor is the faience tiles in a pale blue colour, which give the Blue Mosque its colloquial name. The guide mentioned that the exact number of tiles used to decorate the walls was not initially recorded, and someone had to count them all. Thanks to this unknown hero, we know that there are about 21,000 blue faience tiles. The tiles feature various designs, mostly floral and animal motifs. I must admit, I expected a more vivid blue interior, but in my opinion, it is quite subtle and leans towards green.

Inside, you will also find decorative and very elegant niches and pulpits, known as the mihrab and minbar, made of precious white marble, while the floor is traditionally covered with a soft red carpet. Thanks to the latter, walking around the mosque in just your socks is a real pleasure.

The tour of the mosque took us about an hour, but as I wrote, you can do it faster. I think that when you are in Istanbul, a visit to the historic mosque is a must, and I highly encourage you to do so.

Blue Mosque the history of the largest mosque in Istanbul

The Blue Mosque was the dream of Sultan Ahmed from the Ottoman dynasty, who reigned from 1603 to 1617. Ahmed was an ambitious man, envious of the power of the European Christian empires. The enormous Hagia Sophia, a masterpiece of Byzantine engineers standing in Istanbul, was a particular thorn in his side.

At just 19 years old, he ordered the design of a mosque as grand as Hagia Sophia, which at that time was still a church. The new mosque was to be even more beautiful than the Christian structure and built near it. Construction took eight years, and the ruler was utterly obsessed with the project. By his decree, all the city’s workshops were redirected to produce elements for the mosque. Reportedly, for years, every potter in the city was dedicated to firing the blue tiles used to decorate the mosque’s walls.

The new mosque was built on the foundations of an earlier Roman structure. Centuries ago, this place served as a hippodrome, providing entertainment for the city’s inhabitants and the numerous Roman legionnaires stationed in Constantinople. The scale of the project frightened the Ottoman accountants, but Ahmed was adamant and ultimately had his way.

Construction lasted eight years, engaging most of the empire’s master stonemasons, builders, and the most skilled professionals in other construction-related trades. The demands of the mosque’s construction were so immense that, reportedly, all other projects across the empire came to a halt. The Sultan was so engrossed in the project and its completion that he even assisted in the construction himself.

The work was completed in 1616, and the Blue Mosque became the most important place of worship in the city, beloved by the residents of Istanbul. According to the people, this immense mosque became a symbol of the empire’s might. Unfortunately, the Sultan did not enjoy his creation for long. He died of typhus less than a year after the construction was finished. Today, his name is not only carried by this magnificent mosque but also by the district where the mosque stands.

The Blue Mosque is considered a perfect example of the classical period in Islamic art. It is also the last of the grand projects of this era and, along with the majestic Hagia Sophia, attracts millions of tourists from around the world.

Blue Mosque facts, information, and curiosities

• The construction of the mosque began in 1609 on the orders of Sultan Ahmed I of the Ottoman dynasty.
• When the project began, Sultan Ahmed I was only 19 years old.
• The opening of the temple took place in 1616.
• The architect responsible for the construction of the Blue Mosque was Sedefkar Mehmet Aga.
• The Blue Mosque is the largest mosque in Istanbul. The second largest is the Suleymaniye Mosque.
• Legend has it that in his childhood and early youth, Sultan Ahmed led a dissolute and indecent lifestyle, for which he wanted to outdo Allah. The construction of the mosque was to help him do this.
• The name Blue Mosque comes from the colour of the faience tiles that decorated the interior of the temple.
• 21,000 hand-decorated ceramic tiles were used to decorate the temple.
• The mosque has 260 windows decorated with coloured glass.
• The Blue Mosque has six soaring minarets. They stand in each corner of the temple, and two more were placed at the corners of the courtyard.
• In the whole of Turkey, only five mosques have as many as six minarets.
• The Blue Mosque has five domes.
• A big problem inside the temple were spiders, which spun their webs in every corner. To get rid of them, they burned eggshells like chicken and ostrich eggs in giant chandeliers. I am not sure if this idea was effective.
• Another mosque with the same name is the Blue Mosque of Tabriz in Iran.
• In the mosque you can find books about Islam in different languages, and you can take them for free. Often, people approach tourists in front of the temple and offer to buy the Quran, but you already know that you do not have to pay for it.
• Although the Blue Mosque is not the main mosque in the region, it still attracts thousands of Islamic pilgrims from all over the world.
• The mosque is lit with thousands of lamps, many of which were donated to the temple by the British Queen Elizabeth II.

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