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Blue Mosque
ctips you can trust
Why the
Blue Mosque
in Istanbul
is special
This exemplar of Ottoman architecture is one of the world's most striking buildings.
Top 3
Blue Mosque
attractions
Domes
The cascading curvaceous domes gracefully adorn the structure.
Minarets
The slim, elegant minarets number six (a worldwide rarity).
Pray
room
It's sizeable in area, thanks to the four mammoth stand-alone columns that support the dome. Floors are blanketed with donated carpets and the walls bear paintings and tiles with floral, arboreal, and abstract designs.
Blue Mosque
tips & insights
Name
"Blue Mosque" is a nickname, referring to the interior blue tiles (the exterior is gray). The official name is Sultan Ahmed Mosque, a tribute to the early 17th century ruler who built this wonder.
Not
as outstanding
as it once was
Sorry to say, replicas of inferior artistic and workmanship quality have been used to replace aging items like tiles and stained glass windows.
Comparing
it the
nearby Hagia Sophia
No doubt, its ex-mosque neighbor the Hagia Sophia is a greater wonder, partially because its astonishingly enormous dome dates back a thousand years earlier. However, the Blue Mosque wins the beauty contest. So enjoy both.
Wonders of Turkey - Top 10 rankings
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Blue Mosque photo by Rev Stan - CC BY 2.0
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