Turkey4U: SULTANAHMET MOSQUE

The 400 year-old Sultanahmet Mosque is the most evident piece of the classical Istanbul silhouette. It is seen from almost every part of the city center including Ortakoy, Asian Side and Beylerbeyi. 20.000 iznik tiles adorn the interior walls of mosque.

Having lent its name to the district wherein it is located today, the Sultanahmet mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I. Construction started with a great ceremony in 1609 and it was completed after 8 years, in 1617. Being one of the biggest buildings of the city, the Sultanahmet Mosque complex is comprised of many buildings, including madrasas, hammams, bazaars, fountains, tombs, hospitals and primary schools, some of which could not survive to the present. Known in the West as the "Blue Mosque" due to approximately 20,000 blue ceramic tiles in the interior, it is the only mosque in the world with six minarets.
The architect of Sultanahmet Mosque, Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, was a student of Architect Sinan, who has been accepted as the peak personality of Turkish architecture. Sedefkar Mehmet Aga was originally a goldsmith, and he obviously benefited from his main profession when constructing the Sultanahmet Mosque. The main entrance of the mosque is located on the Hippodrome side. The main area surrounded by an outer courtyard is situated on a high platform. When one looks at the mosque from the outside, she sees the glamorous domes which appear to arise one from the other. There are three gates opening to the mosque. Upon entering through these gates, one becomes hypnotized by the beauty of its fine handmade porcelain tiles and stained glass. Indeed the rich porcelain tile collection rather than its architectural design is the main source of the fame of Sultanahmet Mosque. More than 20.000 iznik porcelain tiles adorn the walls of the balconies encircling the lower levels of the interior in three direc¬tions. The upper levels and domes' inner sides are painted. Originally the painted decorations were not done in blue. Blue was used in subsequent restoration works. Next to the mihrap, which is the niche of the mosque indicating the direction of Mecca, located just across from the main entrance, there is the finely-carved marble minber, or pulpit. The raised platform area at the other side was used as the Sultans' lodge. The only one-domed tomb and madrasa building of the Sultanahmet Mosque is located on the Hagia Sophia side of the mosque. Today, various music and light shows are arranged in Sultanahmet Park on summer nights. The minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque are other examples of the classic Turkish architectural style. For four centuries, ezan, the Islamic calls to prayer have been announced in these minarets with their spiral stairs. The tops of the domes and minarets are covered with lead. The crescents and the stars on them are made of gold-plated copper. The mihrap and minber sections were built using white marble brought from Marmara Island known for centuries for its high quality marble. Pearly embossments over the gates and windows and carvings on the wooden and metallic surfaces have been protected in their original condition, and all are worth seeing.

Iznik porcelain tiles
The magnificent flower and tree figured porcelain tiles that decorate the interior of the Sultanahmet Mosque were handmade in Iznik during the peak period of this town's ceramics production, iznik is accepted as the central base of the Turkish porcelain tile art. The sunlight entering into the mosque through 260 windows illuminates perfectly these mostly blue and turquoise tiles.

Elephant feet
Sultan Ahmet 1 chose to locate Sultanahmet Mosque just opposite Hagia Sophia and intended it to surpass Hagia Sophia in size, though this could not be achieved with its 23.5 m diameter dome. The big dome is 43 m in height and is supported by four grand pillars which are 5 m in diameter. These grand pillars, known as the "elephant feet," portion the huge weight of this dome and enlarge the central area. Sunlight enters through 260 windows of colored glass arranged in 5 levels reaching to the high
dome.

Arasta bazaar
As Istanbul's sole remaining, open-topped historical bazaar today, the Arasta Bazaar was constructed in order to procure funds for the Blue Mosque In the 17th century and particularly attracted attention with its handmade rugs and carpets.
The bazaar, which mainly sold equipment to Spahias (equestrian soldiers) ring the Ottoman period, burned down in a huge fire in 1912. Over 70 shops in the bazaar, which were stored in the 1980s, sell gold and silver jewelry, various leather souvenirs, objects made of valuable and semi-precious stones, and handmade rugs, many of which are antiques.