The Blue Mosque is a 17th century mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I and took just 7 years to build, opening in 1617. The mosque was designed to have 6 minarets, as many as the holiest site in Mecca, to demonstrate the Sultan's power. It has over 20,000 blue and white ceramic tiles and 200 stained glass windows that admit natural light. The exterior features 4 tall, slender minarets at each corner and a large forecourt surrounded by vaulted arcades.

1. Introduction
The Blue Mosque is a sanctuary built since 1616 situated opposite the
Hagia Sophia (Former Byzantine Church of Holy Wisdom & Imperial
Mosque) like an unending battle of supremacy that will last for quite a
long time, a quiet war of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods of Istanbul
that has been the capital of two majestic kingdom. It is located in
Istanbul and stand as a grand mosque for the Muslims to perform their
prayers. Nowadays, the Blue Mosque also become a popular tourist
attraction. The mosque is known as the Blue Mosque because of blue
tiles surrounding the walls of interior design.
History
In the glorious days of the Ottoman Empire, it was the premier right of
the sultan to build a mosque with more than two minarets. But when
the Caliph Sultan Ahmed (ruled 1603-1617) requested that the Blue
Mosque to be built with six minarets in the hippodrome, a site of great
symbolic significance in Istanbul, he was told that the Sacred Mosque,
al-Masjid al-Haram, which surrounds the Kaaba in the city of Mecca
must boast more minarets than any other mosque in the Muslim world,
and it had six. Thus, Sultan Ahmed promptly ordered that a seventh
minarets be added to the mosque in Mecca, so that his fantasy might
can be fulfilled. His predecessors had paid for their mosques with their
war booty, however, Sultan Ahmed I had to withdraw the funds from
the treasury, because he had not attained any remarkable triumphs
during his time. This provoked the anger the Muslim lawful scholars,
the Ottoman Ulema. His will was done. The Blue Mosque was built
with six minarets within the outstanding brief span of seven years
(1609-1616) and the ceremony were held in 1617 prior to the untimely
death of its then 27-year old eponymous patron, Sultan Ahmet I.
Architect
Sedefkar Mehmed Aga was Ottoman’s royal architect in 1606. He went
to Istanbul in 1567 and began the study of music but later switched to
architecture. Then he met and became an apprentice of Mimar Sinan,
Turkey’s most famous architect, whom later appointed Mehmed Aga as
his senior assistant. From 1609 until 1616 he worked on the Blue
Mosque. The design was based on the Hagia Sophia, the masterpiece of
Byzantine architecture of his master, Sinan’s work. The organization of
his work was described in conscientious detail in eight volumes, now
found in the library of the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. However, the
completion of some of the functional structures of the complex
continued until 1620 after the death of Sultan Ahmet in 1617.
Function
The functional structures of the complex during the period it was first
established consist of :-
 the mosque,
 Sultan’s pavilion,
 madrasa,
 dar-ül kurra (religious school for the study of the Quran),
 health center,
 hospices,
 mausoleum,
 public fountains,
 arasta (Bazaar),
 hammam (Turkish bath),
 lodging,
 cellars and houses.
Historical Building : Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( The Blue
Mosque )
Muhammad Hasif bin Alias 0316413 & Shane Sim Ee Han 0321288
Taylor’s University
Interior Design
The interior of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade
ceramic tiles which have two different design based on their position.
Traditional design at the lower level while at gallery level their design
become flamboyant representing flowers, fruit and cypresses. They
were all made at Iznik city (Nicaea) in more than fifty different tulip
designs. However, their quality had reduced gradually which lead to
fade and dull colours as a result of cost fixation by the sultan back in
1609. On the upper levels is is dominated by blue paint. More than
200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light.
The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the
caliphs and verses from the Quran, originally by the great 17th
century calligrapher Ametli Kasım Gubarım, but time by time they
have frequently been restored.
Exterior Design
A facade of the spacious forecourt with 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. The central hexagonal
fountain is rather small when compared with the spacious court. At the
entrance, a heavy iron chain is hanged, so that when the sultan enter
the court on horseback, he will lower his head a symbolic gesture to
ensure the humility if the ruler in the face of the divine. Four minarets
stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque. Each of these fluted, pencil-
shaped minarets has three balconies (Serefe) with stalactite corbels,
while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two
balconies. Everyday, the muezzin or prayer caller had to climb a
narrow spiral staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer.