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TURSAB
TURKEY INFO => Istanbul
Blue Mosque
The Blue Mosque has been constructed between the years 1609-1616 by Mehmet Aša who was one of the famous architects of the period. The mosque , originally called “I. Sultan Ahmet Mosque” is situated at the Sultanahmet square where important Byzantine buildings stand too. The mosque complex includes a bazaar, bath and caravanserai. The Main Entrance of the Sultanahmet Mosque is on the side where the hippodrome from the Roman Empire time stands. The mosque comprises four semidomes and a dome with a height of 43 meters supported by four pillars. The inner part is reached through three portals from the courtyard in the north of the mosque. The interior of the building is decorated with 20.143 tulips, hyacinths, carnations and ivy’s. The mosque is also called “Blue Mosque” due to the blue tiles used in the interior decoration of the mosque. During the restoration works of the tiles dark blue colour was used instead of the original light blue colour. On the west side of the mihrab in front of the main entrance there stands the marble pulpit. The mausoleum of Sultan Ahmet is situated to the north and the bazaar of the complex to the east of the building. The mosque is the only mosque having six minarets. Today in the park in front of the Sultanahmet Mosque several light and sound shows are displayed during summer and Ramadan.
