Ahmed I built the Blue Mosque and did not live long enough to see it settle. He died in 1617 at twenty-seven, a year after completion, and was buried in a domed tomb at the corner of his own complex.
The interior is quieter than anything else in Sultanahmet. Iznik tiles cover the walls, light comes through stained glass, and six sarcophagi stand under one dome — the sultan, his wife Kosem, and three sons who each became sultan in turn.
Free to enter, ten minutes to see, closed Mondays. Shoes off and heads covered.
From Romance Istanbul Hotel it is a ten-minute walk, and it is easy to miss even when you are standing beside it.
Category:
History