My wife and I arrived for our two week tour to Turkey late in the evening. We spent the night at our hotel, the Millennium Golden Horn Hotel in Istanbul. After getting a good night’s rest, we ventured out in the morning to visit the first attraction on our tour, the Blue Mosque.
This iconic mosque was built at the turn of the seventeenth century (1609-1617). We were told a story (urban legend) about the mosque that was somewhat amusing. Sultan Ahmet I built the mosque to rival the nearby Hagia Sophia. His ambition was for the mosque to have golden minarets. The architect, Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, misunderstood the word altin (golden) for alti (six), leading to the six minarets rather than golden minarets. Even though likely not true, I thought it was a fun story to share.
The Blue Mosque is an active mosque. As such, modest in dress and head coverings for females are requested. Visitors must also remove their shoes upon entering. As we approached the entrance, there was a ritual washing area with ample faucets for observers coming for worship.
After removing our shoes, we entered the massive mosque. There was a small area for storing shoes near the entrance. The elaborate tile work throughout the mosque was incredible. While I was expecting a bit more in the hue of blue, the attention to detail in the tiles was intricate. The massive structure was even more impressive considering that it was built more than four hundred years ago!
The Central dome was ornate and impressive. It was smaller than the Hagia Sophia and supported by four archways providing direct support for the dome. While not as old or massive as Hagia Sophia, it is nonetheless impressive. The intricacy of the tiling, colors and designs give it a distinct character that can’t really be compared. We left very impressed.
After returning to the entrance to retrieve our shoes, we exited to a small courtyard where we shod ourselves to continue our exploration of the nearby Hagia Sophia. While I was impressed by the Blue Mosque, I think the Hagia Sophia was far more impressive. With that said, this mosque stands as an impressive example of Ottoman Architecture. I would recommend a visit to both of these amazing historic structures.
The Blue Mosque is open from 9am until 6pm. As an active mosque, prayers are observed five times per day. Visitors are not permitted to enter during scheduled prayer times. However, visitors are permitted to pray during their visit, even if not during prayer times.
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