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It is located at the Sultanahmet Square, opposite to the Hagia Sophia church. The Blue Mosque is one of the most famous religious buildings of the world. The mosque is one of several mosques known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior. This Mosque has become one of the greatest tourist attractions of Istanbul. The location of the mosque is just opposite of the Hagia Sophia as it is trying to compete with it.
The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I as a rival to Hagia Sophia and designed by architect Mehmet Aga. Construction on the Blue Mosque began in 1609 and took 7 years. Sultan Ahmet died only a year after the completion of his masterpiece, at the age of 27. He is buried just outside the Blue Mosque with his wife and 3 sons.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque ( Blue Mosque ) is one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets. Each of these fluted, pencil-shaped minarets has 3 balconies, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have 2 balconies.
There is an interesting story of the Blue Mosque. According to story, Sultan Ahmet I wanted to have a minaret made of gold which is altin in Turkish. The architect misunderstood Sultan Ahmet as alti which means six in English. However, when the architect was shivering as "am I going to be beheaded ?", Sultan Ahmed said "I liked minarets very much". Prior to that time, no sultan had a mosque with six minarets. |
