This
mosque was built by Sultan Ahmet I
during 1609-1616 in the square
carrying his name in Istanbul. The
architect is Sedefhar Mehmet Aga. It
is the only mosque in Turkey with
six minarets. The mosque is 64 x 72
m in dimensions. The central dome is
43 m in height and is 33.4 m in
diameter. 260 windows surround the
mosque. Due to its beautiful blue,
green and white tilings it has been
named the "Blue Mosque" by
Europeans. The inscriptions were
made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari.
The
interior furnishings of Sultan Ahmet
Camii are typical of those of the
other imperial mosques in
Istanbul.The most important element
in the interior of any mosque is the
mihrab, a niche set into the center
of the wall opposite the main
entrance.The purpose of the mihrab
is to indicate the kible, the
direction of the holy city Mecca,
toward which the faithful mast face
when they perform their prayers.In
the great mosques of Istanbulthe
mihrab is invaribly quite grand,
with the niche itself made of finely
carved and sculptured marble and the
adjacent wall sheathed in ceramic
tiles.To the right of the mihrab we
see the mimber, or pulpit, where the
imam stands when he is delivering
his sermon at the time of noon
prayer on Fridays or on holy
days.The mosque is flooded with
light from its 260 windows.
These were once filled with colored
glass which would have tempered the
too-crude brightness; now they are
slowly being replaced with modern
immitations.The painted arebesquesin
the domes and upper parts of the
building are less good than examples
of this type of decoration from 16th
and 17th century, when they were
reachly elaborate in design and
somberly magnificiant in color.
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