The Blue Mosque ("Sultanahmet Camii") in Istanbul, Turkey, at night
This is the magnificent Blue Mosque of Istanbul. It was constructed between 1606 and 1616 by Mehmet Aga, who had trained with Sinan, the greatest architect of the Ottoman Era. Sultan Ahmet's ambition was to create a monument that could stand up to the grandeur of Hagia Sofia, right opposite to the mosque and it seems that his effort was succesful, although the construction, technically speaking is not as "bold" and "risky" structure as Hagia Sofia was some years before. The blue mosque is as glorious from outside as it is from inside. Its 6 minarets make it one of a kind for Turkey. In fact it was considered rather provocative when it was constructed because the only place someone could see till then a mosque with 6 minarets was at Mecca, the holy city of the Muslims. It's a huge mosque, and if you want to enjoy it's perfect symmetry you should see it from the Hippodrome and not from the side of Hagia Sofia. It's courtyard is equal the size of its interior and around the Mosque you can also see a Medresse (theological school), an Imaret (sort of a poorhouse) and a hamam. Looking at its exterior it doesn't look blue at all, you have to go inside, see the 260 stained glass windows and the beautiful Iznik tiles to understand, where "blue" comes from.
Size: 5268px × 3746px
Location: Sultanahmet square, Istanbul, Turkey
Photo credit: © Hercules Milas / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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