Best Blue Mosque Day Trips & Things to Do

The Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmed Mosque, fuses Byzantine elements from neighboring Hagia Sophia with traditional Islamic architecture. Built on the site of the former Byzantine palace under the direction of Sultan Ahmet I, the mosque was meant to symbolize Ottoman supremacy at a time when cracks in the armor were beginning to show. Unique features include six minarets - only one other mosque in Turkey has as many - and the iznik-style blue tiles that lend the mosque its name. The Blue Mosque is closed to visitors during prayers, which take place five times a day, each session for 90 minutes, so plan your visit carefully! Head to the park facing the mosque at dusk to hear the call to evening prayers and see the mosque lit up by colored floodlights.