Formally known as Sultan Ahmed Camii, this mosque was built by Sultan Ahmed I, over seven years between 1609 and 1616, and is known as one of the world's most beautiful Islamic mosques. Called 'camii' in Turkish, the interior walls of the mosque are decorated with around 21,000 beautiful blue and white Iznik ceramic tiles, giving the mosque its more popular name of 'Blue Mosque'. Some 260 stained glass windows help create a beautifully mystical atmosphere as light streams through them. The mosque is still in use as a place of worship. The main dome is approximately 43 meters high, with a diameter of approximately 23 meters, and is supported by four marble columns, each measuring roughly 5 meters in diameter. The only mosque in the world to feature six minarets, the Blue Mosque is one of Turkey's World Heritage sites.
Sultan Ahmet Camii.
Sultan Ahmet Camii.