Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque)

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque was built between 1609 and 1617 for Sultan Ahmed I, to designs by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, a pupil of Mimar Sinan. It faces Hagia Sophia across Sultanahmet Square, and its cascade of domes and six minarets form one of the best-known views in the city. Its popular name comes from the thousands of hand-painted İznik tiles, many in blue tones, that line the walls of the prayer hall.

Inside, the space is broad and lit by more than 200 windows, with four huge columns supporting the central dome. Look up at the painted decoration of the domes and arches, then at the tiled lower walls, where floral motifs of tulips, carnations and cypress trees repeat across the surfaces. The mosque sits within a wider complex, and the large courtyard in front of the prayer hall, surrounded by a domed arcade, is one of the best places to take in the architecture.

This is a working mosque, so tourists are asked to stay out of the prayer hall during the five daily prayers, and longer at Friday midday. The calmest times are usually mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Entry is free. Shoes come off at the door and are carried in bags provided, and modest dress is expected, with women covering their hair and everyone covering shoulders and knees. Coverings are usually available at the entrance if needed.

Plan on 30 to 45 minutes inside and in the courtyard. Visitors use the entrance set aside for sightseers rather than the worshippers' doors, and staff will direct you. Keep your voice down, avoid walking in front of anyone praying and do not use flash. Queues can build in summer, so arriving soon after the morning prayer helps.

The mosque suits everyone, including families and visitors on a tight budget, as it costs nothing to enter. Sultanahmet tram stop on the T1 line is a short walk away. The Hippodrome, with its Egyptian obelisk and Serpent Column, runs alongside the west side of the complex, and the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts faces it. Hagia Sophia and the Basilica Cistern are both within five minutes on foot, so it combines easily with a morning in the old city.