With its cascade of opulent domes and slender, balconied minarets soaring towards the sky, Istanbul’s Blue Mosque is one of the city’s most striking images. Construction was begun in 1609 under the Ottoman Sultan Ahmet Khan I, who wished to create a place of Islamic worship to rival the Aya Sofya, or Hagia Sophia, constructed under the Roman ruler Justinian II in AD 532 and located across the Hippodrome, the old city’s central plaza. Completed in 1619, the interior of the mosque features a massive dome supported by four grand columns, five metres (16ft) in diameter, as well as characteristic Ottoman tile patterns and brightly-coloured windows. Hundreds of Muslims still use the mosque for daily prayer and worship. Visitors of all faiths who are modestly dressed may enter the Blue Mosque; special slippers and head and shoulder coverings are distributed at the entrance.
Air: Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport. Rail: Train: Sirkeci Station. Tram: Sultanahmet. Road: Bus: Public services. Car: E-80 or D-100 (from Edirne).

Sultanahmet Camii, Sultanahmet Meydani, Istanbul, Turkey
Tel: (0212) 518 1319

Turkey, Istanbul