AMonumentIndependent states
Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)
A six-minaret mosque built in 1609–1617, its interior adorned with thousands of blue İznik tiles.
Sultan Ahmed I built the mosque opposite Hagia Sophia, beside the old Byzantine Hippodrome. Its architect was Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, a pupil of Mimar Sinan.
The interior is decorated with more than 20,000 İznik tiles, and because blue dominates, Europeans called it the "Blue Mosque". Its six minarets were unusual for the time and set it apart among Ottoman mosques.
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is still an active mosque and one of Istanbul's most visited sights. It is part of the UNESCO site "Historic Areas of Istanbul".
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Updated: October 2, 2026