Blue Mosque, Istanbul

thumb |Sultan Ahmed Mosque
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, commonly called the Blue Mosque, is a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built between 1609 and 1616, when Ahmed I ruled the Ottoman Empire. Like with many other mosques, the founder of the mosque is buried in it. His architect, Sedefkar Mehmet Agha, decorated it like a jeweler would. There is also a madrasah and a hospice associated with the mosque. Today it is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Istanbul.

 Story 
According to legend, Sultan Ahmed I wanted gold minarets on his mosque. The word for gold in Turkish is  altın. Apparently this was misunderstood as altı, or six. So the mosque has six minarets.

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Category:Mosques in Turkey
Category:17th-century buildings and structures