11. Sultan Ahmet (Blue) Mosque.

There is not a ding-dang thing I can say about the Blue Mosque that you couldn't readily read about in any travel guide. But I now can personally attest that it's a beautiful sight to behold, and I'm glad we went this past weekend (even though I swore I wouldn't go to tourist destinations this early in our move).

First picture, a gratuitous shot of a sleeping kitty near one of the entrances to the mosque. Let's just get my feline obsession out of the way first.

Basic historic background: Sultan Ahmet I wanted to build a place of Islamic worship that would rival the Hagia Sophia across the square. He commissioned his mosque when he was only 19 years old--and unfortunately died at the tender age of 27 only one year after it was completed. It was built over the site of the ancient hippodrome and Byzantine imperial palace (whose mosaics can be seen in the nearby Mosaic Museum, which is definitely on my to-do list). Construction began in 1609 and took seven years.

I learned that the original mosque complex included a madrasa, a hospital, a han, a primary school, a market, an imaret, and the tomb of the founder. Most of these buildings were torn down in the 19th century.

     ma·dra·sa \mə-ˈdra-sə, -ˈdrä-\
     noun
     : a Muslim school, college, or university that
     is often part of a mosque

     ima·ret \i-ˈmär-ət\
     noun 
     : an inn or hospice in Turkey

One of the most noted features of the Blue Mosque is visible from far away: its six minarets. This is very unique, as most mosques have four, two, or just one minaret. The six minarets caused quite a scandal back in the early 1600s, because the Haram Mosque in Mecca (the holiest in the world) also had six minarets. In the end, the sultan solved the problem by sending his architect to Mecca to add a seventh minaret. The price of doing business!

Shoes removed, head covered for women, and you can enter for free during non-prayer times. (I wasn't expecting wall-to-wall carpet, nor the Bikram yoga studio dirty feet smell.)  

Brought my own scarf,
but loaners are available (eww!?)

Inside, the high ceiling is lined with the 20,000 blue tiles that give the mosque its popular name. The oldest tiles feature flowers, trees, and abstract patterns--16th-century Iznik designs. And here are several photos that will hopefully make my very enthusiastic friend KTK in Arizona happy!

I was disappointed to learn that the interior 260 windows, which were once filled with 17th-century stained glass, were lost and replaced with "inferior" replicas. Boo. But I'm willing to bet that whoever said this mosque is one of the most exquisite sights in Istanbul--is correct. xx

p.s. OK, one last kitty photo. This sweet girl takes up residence at a small restaurant near the mosque. Loved her and her purriness!