TRY: Sultanahmet Mosque

7 Atmeydani Street, Istanbul, Turkey
Sat-Thu: 8.30am - 11.30pm, 1.00pm - 2.30pm, 3.30pm - 4.45pm
Fri: 8.30am - 11.30pm, 1.30pm - 2.30pm, 3.30pm - 4.45pm

I was once asked by a guide at Al-Fateh Grand Mosque in Manama, Bahrain, "Do you know the official name of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul?" I thought for a short while, and I could recall that it's Sultanahmet Mosque. The photo of the magnificent mosque below was taken from a rooftop terrace of a particular restaurant.

The mosque was constructed between 1609 and 1616 under the order of Sultan Ahmed I. There are a few entrance gates to go into the mosque complex. Admission is free of charge and only during non-prayer times for visitors who simply want to take a look at the interior of the mosque.

The chains were hung at the gate so that the reigning sultan on his horse had to lower his head every time he entered the court, a symbolic gesture of humility.

The structure includes five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes. Interestingly, it incorporates some Byzantine Christian elements of the nearby Hagia Sophia into the traditional Islamic architecture.

The central hexagonal fountain is pretty small relative to the size of the courtyard.

 It doesn't matter which faith you belong to because all religions lead to the same God, right?

BTW, do take note of the following codes of conduct when visiting the mosque.

Yes, no kissing, please!

When I visited the mosque a few years ago in June, it was crowded. I still joined the snaking queue, but I remember it was moving pretty fast. The mosque draws four to five million tourists a year.

I was thankful for the shelter from the blazing sun.

I saw some women borrowing (coincidentally?) blue-coloured robes due to the need to cover their hair, arms and legs from the knees up. Men should wear trousers, but can wear short-sleeved shirts.

I didn't spend a long time inside, but I was certainly awed by the beauty imparted by the blue ceramic tiles.

The architect, Sedefkar Mehmed Aga, aimed for overwhelming size and splendour as the design of the mosque was supposed to be an imperial show of power alongside Hagia Sophia.

I saw similar lantern glasses arranged in a circular fashion at Al-Fateh Grand Mosque.

 

Sultanahmet Mosque is considered by many to be the last great mosque of the Classical period.

I wonder if that's an excerpt from the Qur'an.

Did you know that Pope Benedict XVI visited the mosque on 30 November 2006? That was the world's second papal visit to a Muslim place of worship in history.