Istanbul is known for its beautiful and inspiring architecture. The capital of Turkey has numerous fine buildings that have made it popular all over the world. There are buildings that date centuries back, but are still standing in all their glory.
Turkey receives its fair share of tourists, who are attracted to this remarkable country because of its amazing buildings, beautiful scenery and rich history. There are numerous mosques and palaces in the country which are the remnants of the glorious era of Muslim rule in Turkey. One such place in Istanbul is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque that is among the few things left from the once powerful Ottoman Empire.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or the Sultan Ahmet Camii in Turkish is more commonly known as the Blue Mosque because of the color of tiles inside the building. The building was designed by Sedefkar Mehmed Aga and the construction started in 1609 during the reign of Ahmed I. It took seven years to complete the mosque and open it to public.
The Sultan Ahmed mosque was constructed to show the power of the Ottoman Empire to the world and it is considered to be the last great mosque to be constructed during the glorious era of Muslim rule. Ahmed I took money from the treasury to build this beautiful mosque which angered some Ulemas. Thousands of people worked on its construction and the mosque was built with six minarets and one large dome that can even be seen from a distance.
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The inside of the Sultan Ahmed mosque is tiled with more than twenty thousand hand-made tiles of various different shades. The inside of the mosque is filled with fine handicrafts made of marble, stone or wood.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still used as a place of worship by the Muslims and there is still an Imam of the mosque who leads the congregational prayers. The mosque is large enough for 10,000 people to assemble to offer the daily prayers. If you ever find yourself in Turkey don’t forget to pay a visit to this beautiful building and you would definitely feel calm in the peaceful and serene environment.
Tourists at Sultan Ahmed Mosque.
Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Sea of Marmara in background
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