Blue Mosque

We traveled to one of the most visited tourist destinations in Istanbul the Blue Mosque. The Mosque is located next to the famous Hangia Sophia. The mosque itself is very large and currently still has calls for prayer up to five times a day. Once inside the Mosque only Muslim men are allowed in the main entrance to pray. It is a requirement to remove your shoes, dress conservatively and wear a cover. I was required to put on a blue cloth to cover my legs since I wore shorts into the mosque.

It is commonly called the “Blue Mosque” but formerly it is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque. It got its name of the “Blue Mosque” for the blue tiles that hang on the walls inside. It was constructed in 1609 and then again in 1616 during Ahmed I rule. Inside the mosque there is a tomb of the founder, a madrasah, and a hospice. The Blue Mosque is an extremely popular tourist attraction. It was interesting to learn that they mosque has 6 call to prayer towers, this was a mistake as the Mosque in Mecca also had six towers, instead of tearing down the 6th tower at the Blue Mosque, the Sultan sent money to Mecca so that a seventh call to prayer tower would be built, and keeping the tradition of the Mosque in Mecca to have the most towers in the world of any Mosque.

Sources: 

Sacred Destinations-online travel guide-2005 http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-blue-mosque

Wikipedia-August 10,2011- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultan_Ahmed_Mosque