Sultan Ahmed mosque - wikipedia Sultan Ahmed mosque For other uses, see Blue Mosque ( disambiguation ) and Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( disambiguation ). Sultan Ahmed Mosque Basic information Location Istanbul, Turkey Geographic coordinates 41 ° 00 ′ 19 '' N 28 ° 58 ′ 37 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 41.0053851 ° N 28.9768247 ° E ﻿ / 41.0053851 ; 28.9768247 Coordinates : 41 ° 00 ′ 19 '' N 28 ° 58 ′ 37 '' E ﻿ / ﻿ 41.0053851 ° N 28.9768247 ° E ﻿ / 41.0053851 ; 28.9768247 Affiliation Sunni Islam Website Official website Architectural description Architect ( s ) Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa Architectural type Mosque Architectural style Islamic, Late Classical Ottoman Completed 1616 Specifications Capacity 10,000 Length 73 m ( 240 ft ) Width 65 m ( 213 ft ) Dome height ( outer ) 43 m ( 141 ft ) Dome dia. ( inner ) 23.50 m ( 77.1 ft ) Minaret ( s ) 6 Minaret height 64 m ( 210 ft ) Materials UNESCO World Heritage Site Part of Historic Areas of Istanbul Criteria Cultural : i, ii, iii, iv Reference 356 Inscription 1985 ( 9th Session ) The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultan Ahmet Mosque ( Turkish : Sultan Ahmet Camii ) is a historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. A popular tourist site, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque continues to function as a mosque today ; men still kneel in prayer on the mosque 's lush red carpet after the call to prayer. The Blue Mosque, as it is popularly known, was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed 's tomb, a madrasah and a hospice. Hand - painted blue tiles adorn the mosque 's interior walls, and at night the mosque is bathed in blue as lights frame the mosque 's five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes. It sits next to the Hagia Sophia, another popular tourist site. Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 2.1 Interior 2.2 Exterior 2.3 Minarets 3 Pope Benedict XVI 's visit and silent meditation 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links History Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( Blue Mosque ) was constructed by Sedefkar Mehmed Agha on the orders of Sultan Ahmed I. After the Peace of Zsitvatorok and the crushing loss in the 1603 -- 18 war with Persia, Sultan Ahmet I, decided to build a large mosque in Istanbul to reassert Ottoman power. It would be the first imperial mosque for more than forty years. While his predecessors had paid for their mosques with the spoils of war, Ahmet I procured funds from the Treasury, because he had not gained remarkable victories. It caused the anger of the ulama, the Muslim jurists. The mosque was built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, in front of the basilica Hagia Sophia ( at that time, the primary imperial mosque in Istanbul ) and the hippodrome, a site of significant symbolic meaning as it dominated the city skyline from the south. Big parts of the south shore of the mosque rest on the foundations, the vaults of the old Grand Palace. Architecture The Sultan Ahmed Mosque has five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes. The design is the culmination of two centuries of Ottoman mosque development. It incorporates some Byzantine Christian elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period. The architect, Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, synthesized the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour. It has a forecout and special area for abulation. In the middle it has a big fountain. On the upper side it has a big chain. The upper area is made up of 20000 ceramic tiles each having 60 tulip designs. In the lower area it has 200 stained glass. Interior Interior view, featuring the prayer area and the main dome. At its lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade İznik style ceramic tiles, made at İznik ( the ancient Nicaea ) in more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representations of flowers, fruit and cypresses. The tiles were made under the supervision of the Iznik master. The price to be paid for each tile was fixed by the sultan 's decree, while tile prices in general increased over time. As a result, the quality of the tiles used in the building decreased gradually. The upper levels of the interior are dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light, today assisted by chandeliers. On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations include verses from the Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by the faithful and are regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. The casements at floor level are decorated with opus sectile. Each exedra has five windows, some of which are blind. Each semi-dome has 14 windows and the central dome 28 ( four of which are blind ). The coloured glass for the windows was a gift of the Signoria of Venice to the sultan. Most of these coloured windows have by now been replaced by modern versions with little or no artistic merit. The most important element in the interior of the mosque is the mihrab, which is made of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double inscriptive panel above it. It is surrounded by many windows. The adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. To the right of the mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the imam stands when he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or on holy days. The mosque has been designed so that even when it is at its most crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the imam. The royal kiosk is situated at the south - east corner. It comprises a platform, a loggia and two small retiring rooms. It gives access to the royal loge in the south - east upper gallery of the mosque. These retiring rooms became the headquarters of the Grand Vizier during the suppression of the rebellious Janissary Corps in 1826. The royal loge ( hünkâr mahfil ) is supported by ten marble columns. It has its own mihrab, which used to be decorated with a jade rose and gilt and with one hundred Qurans on an inlaid and gilded lecterns. The many lamps inside the mosque were once covered with gold and gems. Among the glass bowls one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums. The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and verses from the Quran. They were originally by the great 17th - century calligrapher Seyyid Kasim Gubari of Diyarbakır but have been repeatedly restored. Interior view Exterior Ablution facilities The façade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the façade of the Süleymaniye Mosque, except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes. The court is about as large as the mosque itself and is surrounded by a continuous vaulted arcade ( revak ). It has ablution facilities on both sides. The central hexagonal fountain is small relative to the courtyard. The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally from the arcade. Its semi-dome has a fine stalactite structure, crowned by a small ribbed dome on a tall tholobate. Its historical elementary school ( Sıbyan Mektebi ) is used as `` Mosque Information Center '' which is adjacent to its outer wall on the side of Hagia Sophia. This is where they provide visitors with a free orientational presentation on the Blue Mosque and Islam in general. Courtyard of the mosque, at dusk. A heavy iron chain hangs in the upper part of the court entrance on the western side. Only the sultan was allowed to enter the court of the mosque on horseback. The chain was put there, so that the sultan had to lower his head every single time he entered the court to avoid being hit. This was a symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility of the ruler in the face of the divine. Minarets The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is one of the three mosques in Turkey that has six minarets ( the other two being the modern Sabancı Mosque in Adana and the Hz. Mikdat Mosque in Mersin ). According to folklore, an architect misheard the Sultan 's request for `` altın minareler '' ( gold minarets ) as `` altı minare '' ( six minarets ), at the time a unique feature of the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca. When criticized for his presumption, the Sultan then ordered a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque. Minarets of the mosque. Four minarets stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque. Each of these fluted, pencil - shaped minarets has three balconies ( Called şerefe ) with stalactite corbels, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two balconies. Before the muezzin or prayer caller had to climb a narrow spiral staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer. Pope Benedict XVI 's visit and silent meditation Pope Benedict XVI visited the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on 30 November 2006 during his visit to Turkey. It marks as only the second papal visit in history to a Muslim place of worship. Having removed his shoes, the Pope paused for a full two minutes, eyes closed in silent meditation, standing side by side with Mustafa Çağrıcı, the Mufti of Istanbul, and Emrullah Hatipoğlu, the Imam of the Blue Mosque. The pope `` thanked divine Providence for this '' and said, `` May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood. '' The pontiff noted that Turkey `` will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West '', and he thanked the Turkish people `` for the cordiality and sympathy '' they showed him throughout his stay, saying, `` he felt loved and understood. '' Gallery Play media A short movie showing details of the Blue Mosque The Blue Mosque at sunset Seen from Sultanahmet Square, close to the Hagia Sophia Arcaded forecourt with one of the entrance gates Prayers inside Blue tiles Gateway to the courtyard View of the inner courtyard Prayer area Main dome and its blue tiles Arcades in the inner courtyard The blue mosque The Blue Mosque One of the minarets of the Blue Mosque Prayer See also Architecture portal Islam portal Ottoman Empire portal Turkey portal Islam in Turkey Ottoman architecture List of mosques in Istanbul List of mosques in Turkey List of mosques Hagia Sophia Çamlıca Mosque Selimiye Mosque Shah Mosque Notes Jump up ^ Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats, Donald Langmead, Christine Garnaut, page 322, 2001 Jump up ^ `` Blue Mosque ''. sultanahmetcamii.org. Retrieved 12 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` History ''. sultanahmetcamii.org. Retrieved 12 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Architecture ''. sultanahmetcamii.org/architecture-of-the-mosque/. Retrieved 12 June 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Interior ''. sultanahmetcamii.org/architecture-of-the-mosque/. Retrieved 12 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Sultan Ahmet Cami or Blue Mosque ''. MuslimHeritage.com. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 26. Jump up ^ Öz, T., `` Sultan Ahmet Camii ' in Vakiflar Dergisi, I, Ankara, 1938 Jump up ^ Evliya Efendi, Narrative of travels in Europe, Asia, and Africa in the seventeenth century ; London, 1846 Jump up ^ Naima M., Annals of the Turkish Empire from 1591 to 1659 of the Christian Era ; Frazer, London, 1832 Jump up ^ Tournefort, J.P., Marquis de, Relation d'un voyage du Levant, Amsterdam, 1718 ^ Jump up to : `` Exterior ''. sultanahmetcamii.org/architecture-of-the-mosque/. Retrieved 12 June 2014. ^ Jump up to : `` Minarets ''. sultanahmetcamii.org/architecture-of-the-mosque/. Retrieved 12 June 2014. Jump up ^ `` Pope Benedict XVI Visits Turkey 's Famous Blue Mosque ''. Fox News. 2006 - 11 - 30. Retrieved 2011 - 10 - 19. Jump up ^ `` Pope makes Turkish mosque visit ''. BBC News. 2006 - 11 - 30. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 26. Jump up ^ `` Pope : In mosque I prayed to the one God for all mankind ''. Asianews.it. 2006 - 06 - 12. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 26. References Goodwin G., `` A History of Ottoman Architecture '' ; Thames & Hudson Ltd., London, reprinted 2003 ; ISBN 0 - 500 - 27429 - 0 Turner, J. ( ed. ) -- Grove Dictionary of Art -- Oxford University Press, USA ; New edition ( January 2, 1996 ) ; ISBN 0 - 19 - 517068 - 7 Sheila S. Blair, Jonathan M. Bloom -- `` The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250 -- 1800 '', Yale University Press, 1994 ; ISBN 0 - 300 - 05888 - 8 External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sultan Ahmed Mosque. http://www.sultanahmetcamii.org/ Website About Blue Mosque -- Istanbul Mosques in Turkey Ankara Aslanhane Mosque Kocatepe Mosque Maltepe Mosque Melike Hatun Mosque Bursa Bayezid I Mosque Emir Sultan Mosque Grand Mosque Green Mosque Hüdavendigar Mosque Muradiye Complex Veled - i Yaniç Mosque Green Mosque, Iznik Haji Özbek Mosque Diyarbakır Behram Pasha Mosque Great Mosque Hazreti Süleyman Mosque Sheikh Matar Mosque Edirne Evliya Kasim Pasha Mosque Muradiye Mosque Old Mosque Selimiye Mosque Üç Şerefeli Mosque Istanbul Altunizade Mosque Arap Mosque Atik Mustafa Pasha Mosque Atik Valide Mosque Bayezid II Mosque Bebek Mosque Big Selimiye Mosque Bodrum Mosque Burmalı Mosque Church - Mosque of Vefa Defterdar Mosque Dolmabahçe Mosque Emirgan Mosque Eski Imaret Mosque Eyüp Sultan Mosque Fatih Mosque Fenari Isa Mosque Firuz Agha Mosque Gazi Atik Ali Pasha Mosque Gül Mosque Hadim Ibrahim Pasha Mosque Hagia Sophia Handan Agha Mosque Haseki Sultan Mosque Hirami Ahmet Pasha Mosque Hırka - i Şerif Mosque İskender Pasha Mosque, Fatih İskender Pasha Mosque, Kanlıca Imrahor Kalenderhane Mosque Kara Ahmed Pasha Mosque Kariye Kasım Agha Mosque Kefeli Mosque Kılıç Ali Pasha Complex Koca Mustafa Pasha Mosque Küçük Mecidiye Mosque Laleli Mosque Little Hagia Sophia Manastır Mosque Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque Mihrimah Sultan Mosque ( Edirnekapı ) Mihrimah Sultan Mosque ( Üsküdar ) Molla Çelebi Mosque Muhammad Maarifi Mosque New Mosque Nuruosmaniye Mosque Nusretiye Mosque Ortaköy Mosque Pertevniyal Valide Sultan Mosque Piri Mehmed Pasha Mosque Piyale Pasha Mosque Rum Mehmed Pasha Mosque Rüstem Pasha Mosque Şakirin Mosque Sancaktar Hayrettin Mosque Sancaklar Mosque Şehzade Mosque Şemsi Pasha Mosque Şeyh Süleyman Mosque Sinan Pasha Mosque Şişli Mosque Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Azapkapı ) Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Büyükçekmece ) Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Kadırga ) Süleymaniye Mosque Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( Blue Mosque ) Teşvikiye Mosque Vasat Atik Ali Pasha Mosque Yavuz Selim Mosque Yeni Valide Mosque Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque Zal Mahmud Pasha Mosque Zeynep Sultan Mosque Zeyrek Mosque İzmir Başdurak Mosque Hisar Mosque Kestanepazarı Mosque Salepçioğlu Mosque Yalı Mosque İsa Bey Mosque Konya Akşehir Grand Mosque Alâeddin Mosque Aziziye Mosque Eşrefoğlu Mosque Ferruhşah Mosque Hacıveyiszade Mosque Kileci Mosque Selimiye Mosque Taşmedrese Mersin Grand Mosque of Mersin Grand Mosque of Tarsus Muğdat Mosque Mersin Old Mosque Tarsus Old Mosque Güzeloluk Mosque Müftü Mosque Laal Pasha Mosque Bilal Habeşi Masjid Trabzon Fatih Mosque İskender Pasha Mosque Nakip Mosque New Friday Mosque Other places Alaeddin Mosque ( Eskişehir ) Alaaddin Mosque ( Sinop ) Ala Mosque ( Kadirli ) Boyacı Mosque Çapanoğlu Mosque Divriği Great Mosque Grand Mosque of Uşak Great Mosque of Adana Habib'i Neccar Mosque İlyas Bey Mosque İzzet Mehmet Pasha Mosque İzzet Pasha Mosque Kahramanmaraş Grand Mosque Kazdağlı Mosque Kazim Bulut Mosque Kurşunlu Mosque Kuyularonu Mosque Liberation Mosque Mahmut Bey Mosque Murat Pasha Mosque Nasrullah Mosque Niğde Alaaddin Mosque Oil Mosque Omer Pasha Mosque Pertev Pasha Mosque Reşadiye Mosque Sabancı Central Mosque Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque of Lüleburgaz Sivrihisar Grand Mosque Şirvani Mosque Tekeli Mehmet Pasha Mosque Yivliminare Mosque Zagan Pasha Mosque Zeynel Abidin Mosque Complex Islam in Turkey Ottoman architecture Mosques by country Proximate landmarks of Istanbul Hagia Sophia Chora Church Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( Blue Mosque ) Hippodrome of Constantinople Basilica Cistern Theodosius Cistern Galata Tower Grand Bazaar Süleymaniye Mosque Topkapı Palace Ottoman architecture Mosques Altunizade Mosque Bayezid I Mosque Bayezid II Mosque Behram Pasha Mosque Bursa Grand Mosque Dolmabahçe Mosque Emir Sultan Mosque Evliya Kasim Pasha Mosque Eyüp Sultan Mosque Fatih Mosque Green Mosque of Bursa ( Yeşil Mosque ) Green Mosque of İznik Haji Özbek Mosque Hırka - i Şerif Mosque Hüdavendigar Mosque Laleli Mosque Mesih Mehmed Pasha Mosque Mihrimah Sultan Mosque ( Edirnekapı ) Mihrimah Sultan Mosque ( Üsküdar ) Muradiye Complex Nuruosmaniye Mosque Old Mosque of Edirne Ortaköy Mosque Selimiye Mosque Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Azapkapı ) Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Büyükçekmece ) Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque ( Kadırga ) Sokollu Mehmed Pasha Mosque of Lüleburgaz Sultanahmet Mosque Süleymaniye Mosque Şehzade Mosque Üç Şerefeli Mosque Veled - i Yaniç Mosque Yavuz Selim Mosque Yeni Camii ( New Mosque ) Yıldız Hamidiye Mosque Madrasas Caferaga Medresseh Türbes Yeşil Türbe Caravanserais Khan As'ad Pasha Büyük Han Kapan Han Khan al - Umdan Hospitals Bayezid II Külliye Health Museum Bridges Mostar Bridge Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge Fortifications Ajyad Fortress Anadoluhisarı Depedogen Castle of Kars Kilitbahir Castle Rumelihisarı Yedikule Fortress Yeni - Kale Palaces Azm Palace Beylerbeyi Palace Dolmabahçe Palace Grand Serail Hatice Sultan Palace Topkapi Palace Yıldız Palace Clock towers Büyük Saat Dolmabahçe Clock Tower Etfal Hospital Clock Tower İzmir Clock Tower İzmit Clock Tower Jaffa Clock Tower Nusretiye Clock Tower Yıldız Clock Tower Fountains Fountain of Ahmed III Fountain of Ahmed III ( Üsküdar ) Tophane Fountain Sultan Mahmut Fountain Hamams Bath - house of Haseki Hurrem Sultan Hamam Omerye Baths Rudas Baths GND : 4252715 - 6 LCCN : n92046853 VIAF : 132669049 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque&oldid=855561283 '' Categories : Religious buildings completed in 1616 Ottoman mosques in Istanbul Landmarks in Turkey Fatih 17th - century mosques 1616 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Historic preservation in Turkey Constantinople World Heritage Sites in Turkey Hidden categories : Coordinates on Wikidata Articles containing Turkish - language text Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Articles containing video clips Talk Contents About Wikipedia Acèh Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Башҡортса भोजपुरी Български Bosanski Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Қазақша Kinyarwanda Kiswahili Кыргызча Кырык мары Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar Македонски മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Oʻzbekcha / ўзбекча پنجابی پښتو Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina Soomaaliga کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Татарча / tatarça ไทย Türkçe Удмурт Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Tiếng Việt Winaray 中文 66 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 August 2018, at 06 : 46 ( UTC ). 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Question: when was the blue mosque in istanbul built
Answer: between 1609 and 1616