Guided Blue Mosque Tour

The Blue Mosque, Sultan Ahmed's masterpiece

The Blue Mosque is officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, built between 1609 and 1616 for Sultan Ahmed I by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha, a pupil of the great Sinan. It faces Hagia Sophia across a park in Sultanahmet, and together they define the skyline of the old city.

Its six slender minarets are unusual, since most imperial mosques had four or fewer. A well-known story says the number caused controversy because the mosque in Mecca had six at the time, and a seventh was added there. Your guide explains the courtyard, as large as the prayer hall itself, and the best places to photograph the exterior.

Inside the tiled prayer hall

Step inside and the prayer hall opens into a vast space lined with more than twenty thousand handmade Iznik tiles in blues, greens and whites, with tulips, carnations and geometric patterns. They are the reason for the mosque's popular name, and the colour changes as daylight shifts through the windows.

More than two hundred windows around the domes fill the hall with light, and thick carpet covers the floor. Your guide explains how the tiles were made, why blue dominates and how the calligraphy on the walls was designed. With sixty minutes to work with, the pace stays unhurried and nobody is rushed past the central features.

Domes stacked upon domes

Above the prayer hall rises a cascade of domes and half-domes that step down from the central dome to the outer walls, held up by four huge piers sometimes called elephant feet. The central dome is about twenty-three metres wide, and your guide explains how each dome carries the weight of the one above in plain terms.

Looking straight up from the centre of the hall shows the system most clearly, and it is often the moment visitors pause longest. The guide gives time for photographs before moving on. The design owes much to Hagia Sophia, which the architect studied, so many people enjoy seeing both on the same day.

A working mosque, with respect

The Blue Mosque is not only a monument but a mosque still used for the five daily prayers, and the tour is planned around worship. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, remove their shoes and speak quietly, and your guide explains the etiquette, whether you are Muslim or a curious traveller.

This is also a chance to ask honest questions about the mosque's religious role and about Islamic architecture. Sultan Ahmed I is buried in a tomb outside the prayer hall, in the grounds beside the mosque. Visitors are not usually admitted during prayer times, so this fixed 14:00 slot helps you plan your day around them.

Timing and meeting point

The tour departs at 14:00 and lasts sixty minutes, six days a week; it does not operate on Tuesdays. Our confirmation gives the exact meeting point, so you know where to find your guide before the appointed time rather than searching a crowded courtyard.

Arrive a few minutes early to enjoy the courtyard and gather with the group. Afterwards you can walk to Hagia Sophia, the Hippodrome and the Basilica Cistern, all within a few minutes, and our desk can help plan the rest of your day around the historic peninsula.