The Blue Mosque: Historical & Religious Impacts

1. The Blue Mosque: Historical & Religious Impacts Antoinette N. Lopez

2. History of The Blue Mosque • Located in Istanbul, Turkey • Was constructed between 1609 and 1616, under the rule of Ahmed I. • Sultan Ahmed, at only 19 years old, decides to build a large mosque to compensate his people for the unfavorable result in their wars against Persia. • Nicknamed the “Blue Mosque” its blue tiles, the French named blue “the color of the Turks”, hence the name “Turquoise.”

3. History • Its building provoked controversy since most mosques where paid for with war victories, Ahmed’s Mosque was built with the city’s treasury. • The site the Blue Mosque rests on was occupied by several palaces, so Ahmed requested their purchase and demolition to make way. • Ahmed appoints royal architect, Sedefhar Aga. Creating plans for the Mosque consisted of a massive Eight Volume work of logistics and construction options.

4. History • But the completion was not met until his successor, Mustafa I was in reign signing off on the accounts. • Sultan Ahmet was so anxious for his creation to be completed that he often assisted in the work. Sadly, he died just a year after the completion of his masterpiece, at the age of 27. He is buried outside the mosque with his wife and three sons. • The original mosque complex included a hospital, a primary school, a market, and the tomb of the founder. Most of these buildings were torn down in the 19th century.

5. The Blue Mosque: Place of Prayer • Call to Prayer- “The Adhan”: is the Isalmic call to prayer, and is recited by the “muezzin” at specific times of the day. • The “muezzin” is a chosen person of the mosque who leads call to prayer five times daily. • The “muezzin” is chosen for his good character, voice, and skills to serve the mosque. • The Call of the Muezzin is considered an art form and was traditionally called off the top of a minaret (tall, thin tower of the mosque.)

6. Blue Mosque: Minarets • The Blue Mosque was one of only two mosques to have 6 minarets. • The number of minarets was controversial due to the fact that the Mosque in Mecca had 6 minarets. • Ahmed I solved the problem by adding one odd minaret making 7. • The minarets contained extremely steep, spiral staircases that were ran up and down five times a day by the muezzin for the prayer call. • Today, sound systems are utilized to sound the call to prayer.

7. Blue Mosque: Place of Prayer • http://youtu.be/_Is-u0Gh_qs • Call to Prayer- http://youtu.be/d5aMcuMUh1c

8. Visitations to The Blue Mosque • Pope Benedict XVI, in November 2006 visited the Blue Mosque, marking the 2nd time in history a Pope visits a Muslim place of worship. • During his visitation Pope Benedict removed his shoes, and prayed facing Mecca and stated “May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.” • Today, the Blue Mosque gathers a extreme amount of visitors every year, travelers in awe of the cascade of domes, which exhibit the great architectural skills. Moreover, the ceiling is lined with thousands of decorative- hand-laid blue tiles.

9. TravelersTips • It is recommended that people visiting the Blue Mosque should approach mosque from the west entrance; this is so that there is more exposure in seeing the structures. • However, it is encouraged that non-worshippers enter from the north entrance in order to keep the sacredness of the place. As much as the mosque is a sight to behold, it is also a functioning mosque. Worshippers still use the structure for prayers.