Istanbul's Glorious National Mosque

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more popularly known as the Blue Mosque, is one of the grandest structures of Turkey's capital city. I visited the mosque -- my first visit to a Muslim holy place -- on my second day in Istanbul.

Located in the touristy Sultanahmet area, the giant mosque is a popular sight with separate entrances for worshiping Muslims and western lookie-loos. I entered through the back with the rest of the tourists, and while we were asked to remove our shoes, the religious structure welcomed people of all faiths (provided they weren't sporting shorts or bare shoulders). Sultan Ahmed, the country's national mosque, began construction in the early 17th century and was completed in 1616. Commonly called the "Blue Mosque" because of the interior's blue-tile walls, the structure is built in the heart of the royal areas from Byzantine and Ottoman times.

The mosque is clearly an impressive stone and marble structure featuring over 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles in its interior. Its size alone is certainly awe-inspiring, but unlike many of the European Christian, Orthodox and Catholic churches, the mosque is not filled with gems, precious metals and other gaudy riches that seem antithetical to the faiths they're supposed to house. That is by far my favorite aspect of the mosque. It was beautiful without exploiting the riches that could go to feeding the poor. (That said, the mosque was once filled with more wealth, but it has since been removed or relocated to museums.) I was equally impressed by how active this major tourist attraction remains as a place of prayer and worship. Five times per day, the mosque uses a public address system to call people to prayer, though one might wish they'd skip the early morning calls at least a few times per week.

Though it's not filled with gold anymore, the mosque does feature over 200 stained glass windows and several glass-lined domes. The mosque also features six minarets, which shoot up into the sky like pencil-shaped flutes.

To the western faithful, the mosque is most famous for Pope Benedict XVI's visit in 2006, which was only the second such papal visit ever to a Muslim house of worship. The Pope removed his shoes and conducted a silent prayer toward Mecca staying beside major Muslim leaders of Istanbul and the mosque itself.

My experience did not involve prayer, but it certainly evolved my appreciation for Islamic culture. The Blue Mosque is an impressive structure that relies on its spiritual devotion to sparkle and not on material treasures.

Bottom right image by Travisreitter courtesy of Wikipedia.