The Blue Mosque - The Sultanahmet Mosque
The Sultanahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque) is one of the most impressive monuments in the world. It was built at the behest of Sultan Ahmed I, a very religious minded king who became a monarch at the very young age of fourteen. In his religious fervor, he decided to construct a mosque to surpass the Ayasofya in its glory. He selected the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium for construction. This lies on the southeastern side of the Hippodrome and is a stone’s throw away from the Ayasofya. When one looks from the Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn, the magnificent Suleymaniye Mosque of the architect Sinan seems as dominating on the skyline. The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet and its dependent building were built in the years 1609-1619. The Mosque is surrounded on three sides by a wide courtyard which may be entered by any of five doors.