What it is
Sultan Ahmed I built it facing Hagia Sophia in the early seventeenth century, deliberately and competitively. The blue comes from the tiles lining the upper walls, which is why the interior reads cool and the exterior does not.
It is first a place of worship and second a monument. Visitors enter by a separate door from worshippers and the building closes to tourists for roughly ninety minutes around each prayer.
Arriving by car
Same restriction as Hagia Sophia — the pedestrian zone reaches the door and no car crosses it. Drop-off is at the Hippodrome end or on Torun Sokak, then a short walk.
The two buildings face each other across a garden, so plan them as one stop rather than two drives.
Worth knowing
- Bring or borrow a scarf; shoes come off and go in a bag you carry
- Photography is allowed but flash and tripods are not
- The courtyard is worth ten minutes on its own, and it is never as busy as the prayer hall
Close by
Hagia Sophia · The Hippodrome · Basilica Cistern · Arasta Bazaar