The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I in 1609 and completed in 1616. It was designed by architect Sedefhar Mehmet Aga as the imperial mosque of the Ottoman Empire, located near the Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque has six minarets, large interior spaces decorated with blue tiles and calligraphy, and a courtyard surrounded by arcades and fountains. It is considered the last great mosque of the classical period of Ottoman architecture.

1. Blue mosque,
istanbul

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Introduction
Basic information
Geography
Architecture of blue mosque
Interiors
Exteriors

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Following the Peace of Zsitvatorok (1606) and the unfavourable result of the wars with Persia,
Sultan Ahmed I decided to build a huge mosque in Istanbul.
It would be the first great imperial mosque to be built in more than forty years.
 he had not won any notable victories during his time. This provoked the anger of the Ottoman
ulama, the Muslim legal scholars
The mosque was to be built on the site of the palace of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia
Sophia (at that time it was most venerated mosque in Istanbul) and the hippodrome, a site of great
symbolic significance.
Large parts of the Sphendone (curved tribune with U-shaped structure of the hippodrome) were
also removed to make room for the new mosque
Construction of the mosque started in August 1609 when the sultan himself came to break the
first sod. It was his intention that this would become the first mosque of his empire.

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He did appoint his royal architect Sedefhar Mehmet Ağa, a pupil and senior assistant of the
famous architect Mimar Sinan to be in charge of the Mosque construction
The organization of the work was described in meticulous detail in eight volumes, now found in the
library of the Topkapı Palace. The opening ceremonies were held in 1617 .
The sultan could now pray in the royal box which called hünkâr mahfil.
Sultan Ahmed Mosque(blue mossque) is currently one of the most impressive monuments in the
world.
Its Külliye contains a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice.
Sultan ahmed, ottoman
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5. Location Istanbul , turkey
 Geographic 41.005483°N
 coordinates 28.977385°E
 Affiliation Islam
Architectural description
 Architect(s) Sedefkâr Mehmed aga
 Architectural type Mosque
 Architectural style Islamic, Late
Classical Ottoman
 Completed 1616
Specifications
 Capacity 10,000 people
 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)
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Istanbul , turkey is the best place to learn about religion and culture in this ancient city at the
crossroads of the europe and asia .
Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and
historical heart.
 Founded on the Sarayburnu promontory around 660 BC as Byzantium , the city now known
as Istanbul developed to become one of the most significant cities in history. For nearly sixteen
centuries following its reestablishment as Constantinople in 330 AD, it served as the capital of
four empires: the Roman Empire (330–395), the Byzantine Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453),
the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922)

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The design of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque
and Byzantine church developments.
It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboUring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic
architecture and is considered to be the last great mosque of the classical period of Ottoman Empire.
The architect has applied the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and
splendour.
 Design is clumination of two centuries of Ottoman mosque
Sultan ahmed mosque (Blue mosque) ,Has
one main dome
Six minarets
Eight secondary domes

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At Blue Mosque lower levels and at every pier, the interior
of the mosque is lined with more than 20,000 handmade
ceramic tiles, made at Iznik city (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
representing flowers, fruit and cypresses.
The tiles on the back balcony wall are restorated tiles from the harem in the Topkap Palace, when it was
damaged by fire in 1574
The upper levels of the Mosque interior is dominated by blue paint. More than 200 stained glass
windows with intricate designs admit natural light.

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The decorations including 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
The many spacious windows confer a spacious impression. Each exedra of the Mosque has five
windows, some of which are blind. Each semi dome has 14 windows and the central dome 28
windows(four of which are blind). The coloured glass for the windows was a gift from the Signoria of
Venice to the sultan. Most of these coloured windows have been replaced by current modern versions
with little or no artistic merit.
The floors are covered with carpets, which are donated by the faithful and are regularly replaced as
they wear out

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The most important element of the
Mosque interior is the mihrab, which is
made of finely carved and sculptured
marble, with a stalactite niche and a
double inscriptive panel above it.Adjacent
walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But due
to many windows around it make it look
less spectacular.
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 special holy days. The mosque has been
specially 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 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 Blue Mosque.

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The royal loge (called hünkâr mahfil in Turkish) is
supported by ten marble columns.
The many lamps inside the Blue Mosque were once covered
with gold and gems. Among the glass bowls each one could
find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All these decorations have
been removed or pillaged for museums in Istanbul .
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
On the chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that were meant to avoid cobwebs inside the mosque
by repelling spiders

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The façade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same
manner as the façade of the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul,
except for the addition of the turrets on the corner domes.
It has ablution facilities on both sides. 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 in contrast
with the dimensions of the courtyard.
 The monumental but narrow gateway to the courtyard
stands out architecturally from the its arcade.
 Its semi-dome has a fine stalactite structure, crowned by a
small ribbed dome on a tall tholobate

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A heavy iron chain hangs in the upper part of the court entrance on the western side of the Mosque.
 Only the sultan was allowed to enter the court of the Blue Mosque on horseback.
 The chain was put there, so that the sultan had to lower his head every time he enter the court in
order not to get hit.It was done as a symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility of the ruler in the face of
the divine

14. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is first one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six
minarets
the Sultan was criticized for being presumptuous, since this was the same minarets
number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca.He overcame this problem by ordering a
seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca 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.
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Today, a public announce system is being used, and the call can be heard across the old part of
the city, echoed by other mosques in the vicinity.
 Large crowds of both Turks and tourists gather at sunset in the park facing the mosque to hear
the call to evening prayers, as the sun sets and the mosque is brilliantly illuminated by colored flood
lights.