While even the view of Hagia Sophia is enough for us to fall in love with Istanbul, Sultan Ahmet Mosque, which we respectfully look at and admire every time we go, succeeds in carrying our love completely different dimension. Sultan Ahmet Mosque is one of the most visited historical peninsula works with its story, architectural features, location, and defying history. Due to the color of the magnificent patterns that decorate the interior walls, this place is also known as the "Blue Mosque" among foreign and foreign tourists. Let's take a closer look at Istanbul's magnificent detail, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, which made a difference in Turkish-Islamic architecture in the past years and still maintains this difference with its features.

Contrary to popular opinion, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque architect is not Architect Sinan, but it is a fact that he inspired its beauty. The architect of the mosque is Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa, one of the students educated by Architect Sinan. Built by Sultan Ahmed the First in the 17th century, the mosque was built between 1609-1616. The young sultan, known for his strong spiritual side, laid the mosque's foundation, which was built by Ahmet the first. The pickaxe used by the first Ahmet during the groundbreaking is now on display at Topkapı Palace.

The Blue Mosque is the first and only 6 minarets mosque of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, this is the most distinctive feature that distinguishes this magnificent mosque from other Ottoman mosques. This situation was criticized by the people of the period, because the only mosque with 6 minarets was in the Kaaba until that time. Sultan Ahmet the first, who also had a very religious aspect, was insensitive to this situation and did not want to annoy the people more and solved the situation by adding the 7th minaret to the mosque in the Kaaba. The Blue Mosque minarets also brought a different breath to traditional Islamic architecture. Despite the plain minarets in Islamic geography, the decorations on the minaret of this mosque draw attention.

While giving information about the Blue Mosque, one should not miss the mosque's other external features. The design of the Blue Mosque is interpreted as a synthesis of Ottoman mosque architecture and Byzantine church architecture. We can see that the mosque is inspired by the Hagia Sophia right next to it. The courtyard of this mosque, whose architectural features are completely summarized with majesty and splendor, is as wide as the mosque. At the western entrance of the courtyard, there is a heavy iron cord. Historians say that this cord was made to show that the sultan who entered the courtyard with his horse had to bend down to avoid hitting his head and that even the sultan had to tidy himself up while entering the mosque.

Interior of Sultan Ahmet Mosque with Aesthetics and Splendor

The interior of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque came to life as a result of a great effort. Let's try to explain this with an example: The mosque's decorations consist of more than 20 thousand tiles with 50 different tulip patterns in Iznik. There are flowers, fruits, and cypress on these magnificent tiles made by tile makers in Iznik. All these tiles create a deep blue, peaceful, and magnificent scenery. It is normal for tourists to call it the Blue Mosque because the blue color is quite intense here. The details in the architecture of the mosque are solid. For example, the dome and ceiling engravings of the Sultan Ahmet Mosque are very important. It is so important that it is a piece that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985 under the name of Istanbul Historic Sites (Zones historiques d'Istanbul). Apart from that, the most precious examples of calligraphy also attract attention here. Besides, ostrich eggs were placed in various parts of the carefully created interior to prevent spiders.

One of the most important mosque elements is the mihrab, made of fine craft and carved marble. In addition to the magnificence of the mihrab surrounded by windows, the perfection of the interior acoustics makes it easy to hear the imam's voice even when the mosque is at its most crowded. So much so that architects still appreciate this feature.

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