„Sultanahmet Mosque“

Sultanahmet Mosque From Hagia Sophia.

This mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I during 1609-1616 in the square carrying his name in ?stanbul. The architect is Sedefhar Mehmet A?a. It is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. The mosque is 64 x 72 m in dimensions.

The central dome is 43 m in height and is 33.4 m in diameter. 260 windows surround the mosque. Due to its beautiful blue, green and white tilings it has been named the “Blue Mosque” by Europeans. The inscriptions were made by Seyyid Kas?m Gubari.

One of the most notable features of the Blue Mosque is visible from far away: its six minarets. This is very unique, as most mosques have four, two or just one minaret. According to one account, the Sultan directed his architect to make gold (altin) minarets, which was misunderstood as six (alti) minarets.