The Treasure Of Istanbul SULTANAHMET mosque - Blue Mosque

The Treasure Of Istanbul SULTANAHMET, All you really have to do to experience all the many different cultural and historical dimensions to this great city that had been home to so much civilization is to visit Sultan Ahamet.

Blue Mosque

Sultanahamet is one of Istanbul's most breathtaking historical treasurers. This massive square has been Istanbul;s most important area since the time of the roman Empire, and had been home to some of the most extraordinary buildings and monuments over the millennia,this place is must-see not only for locals but also for visitors and tourists, as it includes such opulent and unique monuments as the Haghia Sophia, the Sultanahmet (Blue) Mosque and the underground Cisterns, to name a few. Now , to accommodate the growing numbers of tourists flocking to this historical treasure trove, there are ample hotel options to choose from, and all of them virtually a few steps from the main square.

Blue Mosque

It was built up between 1609 and 1616, on the rule of Ahmed I. As a lot of other masjids, it also represents a grave of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice. As still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has as well turn a popular tourist attraction.
After the peace treaty of Zsitvatorok (1606) and the unfavourable final result of the wars with Persian Empire, Sultan Ahmed I decided to build up a big mosque in Istanbul as recompense. This would be the 1st imperial masjid to be built up in more than 40 years. Whereas his predecessors had paid for their masjids with their war booty, Sultan Ahmed I accepted to withdraw the funds from the treasury, because he hadn't won any notable victories. This provoked the anger of the ulama, the Muslim legal scholars.

SULTANAHMET mosque

The figure of the Sultan Ahmed masjid is the culmination of 2 centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Eastern Church development. It contains some Byzantine elements of the neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Muslim architecture and is counted to be the finale great mosque of the classic period. The designer has ably synthesised the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and splendour.

The masjid was to be built up on the land site of the castle of the Byzantine emperors, facing the Hagia Sophia and the hippodrome, an internet site of big symbolical significance. Big parts of the southern face of the mosque rest on the foundation and vaults of the Great Palace.

SULTANAHMET mosque