Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Istanbul audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~45 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~45 min
- Istanbul Istanbul guide
_(8396648956).jpg){kind=link}
About Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Built for Sultan Ahmed I between 1609 and 1617, this working mosque wears six minarets and more than 20,000 blue Iznik tiles that gave it its nickname.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, popularly the Blue Mosque, stands in the Fatih district of Istanbul, on the site of the Byzantine Hippodrome and facing Hagia Sophia across Sultanahmet Square. It was built between 1609 and 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, to a design by Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, a pupil of the great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan. The mosque is known for its six minarets, an unusually high number for the period, and for a plan of one central dome, four semi-domes and many smaller domes.
Its popular name comes from the blue Iznik tiles lining the interior; the building holds 21,043 tiles in more than fifty designs. To secure them, Ahmed I effectively monopolised the Iznik kilns and in 1613 forbade the workshops to sell tiles elsewhere until his mosque was finished. The central dome is about 23.5 metres in diameter and rises around 43 metres. It remains an active mosque and forms part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Areas of Istanbul.
Did you know? The interior is lined with 21,043 handmade Iznik ceramic tiles in more than fifty different designs, predominantly blue, which is why visitors long ago nicknamed the Sultan Ahmed Mosque the Blue Mosque.
How long should you spend at Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)?
Plan about ~45 min at Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque). That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) worth visiting?
Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is one of the 40 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Istanbul, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Istanbul
Day 1 of the Istanbul in 2 days itinerary →Day 1 of the Istanbul in 3 days itinerary →
Updated:
Hear the story of Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)
Preview the Istanbul tour free in the Gingerguide app.