Sultan Ahmed I was determined to build a mosque that rivaled the nearby Hagia Sophia, and most would agree that he accomplished this task or, at least, came close. Since the early 1600s ...

One such wonder is the Blue Mosque, or the Sultan Ahmed Mosque as it is known to locals. The Blue Mosque is a striking memento of Istanbul’s nearly 500-year stint as the imperial capital of the ...

The Mosque, contributing to the silhouette of Istanbul, was built by architect Sedefkar Mehmet Aga following the order of Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I ... The hand-drawings on the inner wall of the ...