Blue Mosque

The guide Jere from Nestravel arrived to the hotel 10am for a private sightseeing tour by foot in Sultanahmet

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First stop: Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmet Camii

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Entrance from the Hippodrome

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Sultan Ahmet 1 commissioned the mosque during a period of declining Ottoman fortunes, and it was built between 1609-16 by Mehmet Aga, the imperial architect. The splendour of the plans

provoked great hostility at the time, especially because a mosque with 6 minarets

was considered a sacrilegious attempt to rival the architecture of Mecca itself.

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The courtyard covers the same area as the prayer hall, balancing the whole building.

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Each minaret has 2 or 3 balconies.
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The Muslim's ritual ablutions conclude with the washing of the feet. The taps outside the mosque are used by faithful for this purpose. As a tourist it's not necessary to wash your feet, but everyone must take off the shoes, put them into a plastic bag which is given and carry them. Inside the mosque,
you can smell the odour of feet...
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The blue mosque takes its name from the mainly blue Iznik tile work decorating its interior.

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Beautiful thick carpet inside the whole mosque.
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Mesmeric designs, employing floiwing arabesques, are painted onto the interior of the mosque's domes and semidomes. Over 250 windows allow light to flood into the mosque.
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A pilgrim dressed in white
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Beautiful, impressive building!
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