Blue Mosque in Istanbul / Blue Mosque

What to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting

Blue Mosque (Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii) - the most beautiful and majestic mosque in Istanbul, the most famous architectural symbol of the city. Its image can be seen on tourist products, booklets, brochures, and, of course, it is impossible not to see this architectural miracle with your own eyes. This is the most visited mosque of Istanbul by tourists, sometimes there are long queues at the entrance.

The Blue Mosque got its "popular name", because many blue flowers are used in the decor elements. Its real name is Sultanahmet Jami (Sultanahmet Camii). Construction lasted from 1609 to 1616 on the initiative of Sultan Ahmed I, the Fourteenth Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. Even then, space in the city was in great deficit, and it was necessary to demolish an entire quarter consisting of buildings from the Byzantine and early Ottoman periods.

Interestingly, it is believed that the sultan gave the order to build a mosque with six minarets, which was not allowed, since six minarets were only in Mecca. According to another version, six minarets appeared because of the architect's mistake.

Anyway, as a result, a very beautiful large mosque was built, which became part of the complex, which also includes a madrasa, a hospital, a shelter for travelers (caravanserai). Some of the buildings were subsequently destroyed, but in general the architecture remained unchanged.

You can see the mosque from the outside and inside, you just need to follow the rules of visiting, because this is not just a tourist attraction, but also a functioning Muslim temple, one of the most important for believers in Turkey. You can not enter here in T-shirts, shorts, short skirts, bright provocative clothes, women must cover their heads with a scarf (issued before entering the kiosk for free, but must be returned), which can be taken free of charge at the entrance.

The visit is arranged in such a way that first you get into the courtyard of the complex, from it go to the courtyard of the mosque, and only from there go inside the mosque. At the entrance, you need to take off your shoes and put your shoes in a bag (your own, and they give it out for free), and take it with you, because you will not return back here. After inspecting the interior, you will come out from the other side. Inside there is an area for tourists to visit, but most of the mosque, where believers pray, is separated by a wooden fence. Adults can not go there, only children are allowed. Inside you can take pictures, but you can not use a tripod and shoot believers.

This place is notorious for traditional tourist wiring with uninvited guides. Even on the approach to the mosque, a local resident can "cling" to you with conversations. By asking questions about you, they gain confidence and allegedly want to make friends, then follow you to the mosque and tell you a little about it, and when they leave, they demand money for accompanying them as guides. If you want to visit the Blue Mosque with real Russian-speaking guides, most often look for and order them here online.

You can visit the mosque yourself, walk around it and see the architecture, but it is much more interesting to do it with a tour. Such excursions or individual guides in Russian can be found on one of these trusted sites:

• Excursions from the tour operator TezTour
• Excursions from Sputnik8
• Trips from Tripster