Blue Mosque, or the Sultan Ahmet Mosque is one of the most famous monuments of Turkish and Islamic art in the world. Built between 1609-1616, this imperial mosque is the only one that was originally built with six minarets. Befitting his original profession, its architect Mehmet Aga decorated the interior fastidiously like a jeweler. The walls of the galleries surrounding the three sides of the interior chamber are decorated by over 20,000 exquisite blue Iznik tiles. The areas above the tiles and the inside of the domes are decorated with paintwork. From the gate opening to the inner courtyard one can view the domes, rising above one another in perfect harmony, over the symbolic ablution fountain in the middle and the surrounding porticoes.

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