Blue Mosque, Istanbul Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Blue Mosque, Istanbul
A view of the Blue Mosque from Sultanahmet Square
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
Location
Location	Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
Architecture
Architect(s)	Sedefkâr Mehmed Agha
Architectural type	Mosque
Architectural style	Islamic, Late Classical Ottoman
Groundbreaking	1609; 416 years ago (1609)
Completed	1616; 409 years ago (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
Inscription	1985 (9th Session)

Website
Official website: http://www.sultanahmetcamii.org

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), is a famous historical mosque in Turkey. It was built during the time of the Ottoman Empire. It's still a working mosque today, but it also welcomes many tourists.

The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, when Ahmed I was the Sultan. It includes Sultan Ahmed's tomb, a religious school (madrasah), and a place for travelers (hospice). Inside, you'll see beautiful blue tiles painted by hand. At night, the mosque glows blue as lights shine on its five main domes, six minarets, and eight smaller domes. It stands next to the Hagia Sophia, which was the main mosque in Istanbul before the Blue Mosque was built. The Blue Mosque is part of the "Historic Areas of Istanbul" and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1985.

History
Architecture
Pope Benedict XVI's visit
Gallery
See also

History

After a difficult war, Sultan Ahmed I wanted to build a grand mosque in Istanbul. He hoped it would show the strength of the Ottoman Empire again. This was the first imperial mosque built in over forty years. Usually, sultans paid for their mosques with money from wars. However, Sultan Ahmed I had not won big battles, so he used money from the government treasury. This made some religious leaders unhappy.

Construction began in 1609 and finished in 1616. The mosque was built on the site of an old palace, right in front of the Hagia Sophia and the ancient Hippodrome. This spot was very important because it stood out on the city's skyline.

Architecture

The Blue Mosque has five main domes, six minarets, and eight smaller domes. Its design shows the best of Ottoman mosque building over two centuries. It mixes ideas from the nearby Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture. Many people consider it the last great mosque from the classical Ottoman period.

The architect, Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa, learned from his teacher Mimar Sinan. He wanted to create a mosque that was huge, grand, and beautiful. The upper parts of the mosque are decorated with about 20,000 hand-painted blue tiles. These tiles have 60 different tulip designs. The lower parts are lit by 200 stained glass windows.

In front of the mosque, there's a large courtyard with a fountain. There's also a special area for washing before prayer. A heavy iron chain hangs at the western entrance to the courtyard. Only the Sultan was allowed to ride his horse into the courtyard. He had to lower his head to avoid hitting the chain. This was a way to show that even the ruler had to be humble before God.

Interior

Exterior view of the mosque.

Inside, the lower walls and pillars are covered with over 20,000 handmade İznik ceramic tiles. These tiles come from İznik and feature more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles on the lower levels have traditional patterns. Higher up, near the galleries, the designs become more colorful with pictures of flowers, fruit, and cypress trees.

Details of the central dome and the supporting domes

The upper parts of the mosque's interior are mostly painted blue. More than 200 stained glass windows with detailed patterns let in natural light. Chandeliers also help light up the space. You might notice ostrich eggs on the chandeliers. These were placed there to keep spiders away!

The decorations also include verses from the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. Many of these were written by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, a very famous calligrapher of his time. The floors are covered with carpets, which are gifts from worshippers and are changed regularly. The many large windows make the mosque feel very open and spacious.

The most important part inside is the mihrab. This is a special niche in the wall that shows the direction of Mecca, which Muslims face during prayer. It's made of beautifully carved marble and has many windows around it. To the right of the mihrab is the minber, or pulpit. This is where the imam (the prayer leader) stands to give sermons, especially on Fridays. The mosque was designed so that everyone inside can see and hear the imam, even when it's very crowded.

There's also a special royal area in the south-east corner. It has a platform and small rooms. This area leads to the royal box where the Sultan would pray. This royal box is supported by ten marble columns. It used to have its own mihrab, decorated with jade and gold.

The lamps inside the mosque were once covered with gold and gems. They also had ostrich eggs and crystal balls. Over time, these valuable decorations were removed or moved to museums. Large tablets on the walls have the names of important leaders (caliphs) and verses from the Quran. These were originally done by a famous calligrapher named Seyyid Kasim Gubari in the 1600s.

The mosque began a major renovation project in 2016. It was expected to take about three and a half years to complete.

Exterior

The Blue Mosque is famous for its 6 minarets

The Blue Mosque during evening

The large courtyard in front of the mosque looks similar to the one at the Süleymaniye Mosque. It's about the same size as the mosque itself and is surrounded by a covered walkway. There are places to wash on both sides. The main entrance to the courtyard is grand but narrow. Next to the mosque's outer wall, near the Hagia Sophia, there's an information center. Here, visitors can learn about the Blue Mosque and Islam.

Minarets

Minarets of the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is special because it has six minarets. Only a few mosques in Turkey have this many. There's a story that the architect misunderstood the Sultan's request. The Sultan wanted "altın minareler" (gold minarets), but the architect heard "altı minare" (six minarets). At that time, only the mosque in Mecca had six minarets. When people criticized the Sultan for building a mosque with as many minarets as the holy mosque in Mecca, he ordered a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.

Four minarets stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque. These tall, pencil-shaped minarets each have three balconies, called şerefe. The two other minarets, at the end of the courtyard, have two balconies. In the past, the muezzin (the person who calls people to prayer) had to climb a narrow spiral staircase five times a day to make the call.

Pope Benedict XVI's visit

Pope Benedict XVI visited the Blue Mosque on November 30, 2006. This was a very important event, as it was only the second time a Pope had visited a Muslim place of worship. The Pope took off his shoes and stood in silent prayer for two minutes, alongside the Mufti of Istanbul and the Imam of the Blue Mosque.

The Pope said he was thankful for the visit. He hoped that all believers would feel connected to God and show true friendship to each other. He also said that Turkey could be a "bridge of friendship" between the East and West. He thanked the Turkish people for their kindness, saying he felt "loved and understood."

Gallery

Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I (1603 CE) asked Sedefkar Mehmed Agha to build the Blue Mosque.
Plan and perspective view
Blue Mosque Interior
Blue Mosque Interior
Courtyard of the mosque, at dusk.
Interior view, looking up at the main dome.
Stained glass windows in the prayer hall

Blue Mosque, Istanbul facts for kids

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