What is Blue Mosque, Istanbul?
[[File:Istanbul-Sultan-Ahmet-Camii.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, also known and referred to as the Blue Mosque, from the window of the upper gallery of the [[Hagia Sophia]], in Istanbul]] [[File:Blue Mosque.ogv |thumb |Sultan Ahmed Mosque]] The '''Sultan Ahmed Mosque''', commonly called the '''Blue Mosque''', is a [[mosque]] in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]].<ref name=IG>{{cite web |url=http://english.istanbul.gov.tr/Default.aspx?pid=308 |title=SULTAN AHMET MOSQUE (THE BLUE MOSQUE) |author= |website= |publisher=istanbul.gov.tr |accessdate=27 July 2015 |archive-date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926062614/http://english.istanbul.gov.tr/Default.aspx?pid=308 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was built between 1609 and 1616, when [[Ahmed I]] ruled the [[Ottoman Empire]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-blue-mosque |title=Blue Mosque, Istanbul |author= |website= |publisher=Sacred Destinations |accessdate=27 July 2015}}</ref> Like with many other mosques, the founder of the mosque is buried in it. His [[architect]], [[Sedefkar Mehmed Agha|Sedefkar Mehmet Agha]], decorated it like a [[jeweler]] would.<ref name=IG/> There is also a [[madrasah]] and a [[hospice]] associated with the mosque. Today it is one of the greatest tourist attractions in Istanbul. == Story == According to legend, Sultan Ahmed I wanted [[gold]] [[minaret]]s on his mosque.<ref name=Frommer>{{cite web |url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/istanbul/attractions/208901 |title=Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmet Camii) |author= |website= |publisher=Frommers/FrommerMedia LLC |accessdate=27 July 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The word for gold in [[Turkish language|Turkish]] is ''altın''. Apparently this was misunderstood as ''altı'', or six.<ref name=Frommer/> So the mosque has six minarets. == References == {{reflist}} {{multistub|geo|religion}} [[Category:Mosques in Turkey]] [[Category:17th-century buildings and structu