Blue Mosque

Introduction
The design of the Blue Mosque also known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque is the
culmination of two centuries of both Ottoman mosque and Byzantine church
developments. It incorporates some Byzantine elements of the neighboring
Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture and is considered to be the last
great mosque of the classical period of Ottoman Empire. The architect has
applied the ideas of his master Sinan, aiming for overwhelming size, majesty and
splendour.

Minarets
The Blue Mosque is first one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets.
Second one is the Sabanci Mosque in Adana. When the number of minarets was
revealed, the Sultan was criticized for being presumptuous, since this was the
same minarets number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca. He overcame
this problem by ordering a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.
Four minarets stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque. Each of these fluted,
pencil-shaped minarets has three balconies (Called Serefe) with stalactite
corbels, while the two others at the end of the forecourt only have two
balconies. Before the muezzin or prayer caller had to climb a narrow spiral
staircase five times a day to announce the call to prayer.
Today, a public announce system is being used, and the call can be heard across
the old part of the city, echoed by other mosques in the vicinity. Large crowds of
both Turks and tourists gather at sunset in the park facing the mosque to hear
the call to evening prayers, as the sun sets and the mosque is brilliantly
illuminated by colored flood lights.

Mihrab & Minbar

The marble minbar and mihrab emphasize the reality of the place with all
simplicity with white in the middle of the diversity created by the floral
1
ornament within the all blue atmosphere created in the interior space of the
mosque. The concave part of the mihrab was left completely plain and the
mirror parts were finished with golden gilts and decorated with floral patterns.
The marble columns extending on either side of the mihrab reinforce this
simplicity further. The minbar was decorated by engraving gold-gilded and
embossed geometric interlaced motives in the form of lace on the marble. The
Muezzin lodge is positioned adjacent to the pier in the direction of the mihrab
and stands on ten octagonal columns. It is again in marble to create a harmony
with the mihrab and minbar, and has marble a parapet with geometric
hemstitches. The preaching chair and the window frames in the mosque are
ornamented with geometric and floral compositions engraved with pearl
inlays.

Dome
The architecture of the Blue
Mosque was designed by the
2
palace architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha. Mehmed Agha supported the central
dome of the Blue Mosque with four half domes and many quarter domes. The
elegance of these domes gives an exquisite look from the outside. Domes
descending from the central dome towards the walls are very aesthetic.
The most striking architectural
feature of the Blue Mosque is
the giant columns inside the
mosque. These columns are
placed to support the central
dome is called Elephant Legs. In
order to make these giant
columns look beautiful to the
eye, they are covered with
marbles and decorated with
pencil works. Decoration starts from the top of the columns and extends to the
dome through arches and gives a sense of integrity.

Interior
At Blue Mosque lower levels and at every pier, the interior of the mosque is lined
with more than 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles, made at Iznik city (Nicaea) in
more than fifty different tulip designs. The tiles at lower levels are traditional in
design, while at gallery level their design becomes flamboyant with representing
flowers, fruit and cypresses. More than 20,000 tiles were made under the
supervision of the Iznik master potter Kasap Haci, and Baris Efendi from Avanos,
Cappadocia. The price to be paid for each tile was fixed by the sultan's decree,
due tile prices in general increased over time. Result is, the quality of the tiles
used in the building decreased gradually. Their colors have faded and changed
and the glazes have dulled. The tiles on the back balcony wall are restorated tiles
from the harem in the Topkapı Palace, when it was damaged by fire in 1574.

3
The upper levels of the Mosque interior are dominated by blue paint. More than
200 stained glass windows with intricate designs admit natural light. On the
chandeliers, ostrich eggs are found that where meant to avoid cobwebs inside
the mosque by repelling spiders. The decorations including verses from the
Qur'an, many of them made by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, regarded as the greatest
calligrapher of his time.

The floors are covered with carpets, which is donated by faithful people and are
regularly replaced as they wear out. The many spacious windows confer a
spacious impression. Each exedra of the Mosque has five windows, some of
which are blind.
Each semi dome has 14 windows and the central dome 28 windows (four of
which are blind). The colored glass for the windows was a gift from the Signoria
of Venice to the sultan. Most of these colored windows have been replaced by
current modern versions with little or no artistic merit.

4
The most important element of the Mosque interior is the mihrab, which is made
of finely carved and sculptured marble, with a stalactite niche and a double
inscriptive panel above it. Adjacent walls are sheathed in ceramic tiles. But due
to many windows around it make it look less spectacular. To the right of the
mihrab is the richly decorated minber, or pulpit, where the Imam stands when
he is delivering his sermon at the time of noon prayer on Fridays or special holy
days. The mosque has been specially designed so that even when it is at its most
crowded, everyone in the mosque can see and hear the Imam.
The royal kiosk is situated at the south-east corner comprises a platform, a loggia
and two small retiring rooms. It gives access to the royal loge in the south east
upper gallery of the Blue Mosque. These retiring rooms became the
headquarters of the Grand Vizier during the suppression on the rebellious
Janissary Corps in the year of 1826. The royal loge (called hünkâr mahfil in
Turkish) is supported by ten marble columns.
The many lamps inside the Blue Mosque were once covered with gold and gems.
Among the glass bowls each one could find ostrich eggs and crystal balls. All
these decorations have been removed or pillaged for museums in Istanbul.
The great tablets on the walls are inscribed with the names of the caliphs and
verses from the Quran, originally by the great 17th century calligrapher Ametli
Kasım Gubarım, but time by time they have frequently been restored.

Exterior
The facade of the spacious forecourt was built in the same manner as the facade
of the Süleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul, except for the addition of the turrets on
the corner domes. The court is about as large as the mosque itself and is
surrounded by a continuous vaulted arcade. The central hexagonal fountain is
rather small in contrast with the dimensions of the courtyard. The monumental
but narrow gateway to the courtyard stands out architecturally from the its
arcade. Its semi-dome has a fine stalactite structure, crowned by a small ribbed
dome on a tall tholobate.

5
A heavy iron chain hangs in the upper part of the court entrance on the western
side of the Mosque. Only the sultan was allowed to enter the court of the Blue
Mosque on horseback. The chain was put there, so that the sultan had to lower
his head every time he enter the court in order not to get hit. It was done as a
symbolic gesture, to ensure the humility of the ruler in the face of the divine.

Conclusion
6
This majestic mosque is the symbol of great Muslim architecture and symbolizes
a magnificent Muslim era in the region. Such splendid craftsmanship infers to
great Muslim history to today's world and the crest they touched on their golden
era. Some characteristics of Islamic architecture were inherited from pre-Islamic
architecture of that region while some characteristics like minarets, muqarnas,
arabesque, Islamic geometric pattern, pointed arch, multifoil arch, onion dome
and pointed dome developed later.