Why go
The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known to almost everyone as the Blue Mosque, was built between 1609 and 1616 for the young Sultan Ahmed I, directly facing Hagia Sophia. Its cascade of domes and six slender minarets make it the defining image of the Istanbul skyline, and inside, the walls and galleries are lined with blue and green İznik tiles that give the building its popular name. Above all it is a working mosque, busy with worshippers five times a day, and visitors are welcome to come in between prayers free of charge.
Few great monuments are so easy to visit. There is no ticket and no booking, only a dress code and a timetable to respect.
What to see
Approach through the large courtyard on the Hippodrome side, which is almost as big as the prayer hall itself and is surrounded by a domed arcade. Inside, four massive fluted columns, nicknamed elephant feet, carry the central dome. Look up at the tiled galleries, the painted domes and the many windows, which once held coloured glass. The carved marble mihrab and the minbar beside it face Mecca, and the sultan’s private gallery stands to one side. The prayer hall has been restored in recent years, and the interior is lighter and brighter for it.
Visitors stay behind a barrier at the back of the carpeted hall, which keeps the main floor clear for prayer, but you can see the whole space from there. Take a moment to sit on the carpet beside the barrier and look up: the domes, the tilework and the hanging lamps are best appreciated slowly rather than in a quick lap of the hall.
Plan your visit
Entry is free. The mosque’s visitor guide gives winter visiting hours, from 1 October to 31 March, of 8.30am to 5pm, and summer hours, from 1 April to 30 September, of 8.30am to 7pm. The last visitors go in 30 minutes before closing. On Fridays, the day of the main weekly prayer, visits start at 2.30pm. On every day of the week the mosque closes to visitors for the noon and afternoon prayers, from 30 minutes before the call to prayer until 15 minutes after the prayer ends. Prayer times shift through the year, so check them on the day.
Dress as you would for any mosque: shoulders and knees covered for everyone, and hair covered for women. Cover-ups are available at the visitor entrance if you need one. Shoes come off before you step onto the carpet, and you carry them in a bag. Keep voices low and do not photograph people at prayer. A visit takes 30 to 45 minutes. Early morning, soon after 8.30am, is usually the calmest time.
Nearby
The Hippodrome, with its Egyptian obelisk, runs along the mosque’s western side, and the Arasta Bazaar of carpet and ceramics shops sits just behind it. Hagia Sophia is across the garden square, two minutes away, and the Basilica Cistern is a short walk beyond. The Sultanahmet stop on the T1 tram is about three minutes from the courtyard gate.
