One day, a young sultan falls asleep and sees a dream in which God asks him to build a grand mosque to become a great emperor. When he ascends the throne at the age of 13, his empire stretches from Europe to the Indian Ocean. With the experience of the majestic mosques built during the reigns of his great ancestors, he orders the construction of the most beautiful mosque of the empire, one that will bear his own name.
Today, you know this mosque as the Blue Mosque. It is called so because of the more than 20,000 exquisite Iznik tiles that adorn its interior. But we still call it Sultanahmet Mosque, after the young sultan who built it.
Standing directly opposite Hagia Sophia, at the very heart of the imperial hill, this structure reflects how the Ottoman dynasty embraced the identity of New Rome. Its vast courtyards reveal the Ottoman approach to urban planning, offering a deeper understanding of how cities were shaped in the East.
As we walk through this breathtaking structure together, we will explore how faith influences architecture, how Muslims worship, and how the Turks interpret beauty in design.
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