The Sultanahmet Camii, or more commonly referred to as the Blue mosque, has by far the most stunning interior of all the major mosques visited on this trip. It is, however, also one of the most popular, which makes it hard to stay still in one place to take the time to scan over all the ornate details in the tiles. I have always been fascinated by the tile designs and the math involved in them- to see so many in one place make the mind spin in a million ways.
Notes from Gemini:
The Blue Mosque is world-famous for its interior, lined with over 20,000 handmade ceramic Iznik tiles in shades of blue and green. It famously features six minarets. At the time, only the Haram Mosque in Mecca had six, causing a massive public outcry over the Sultan’s perceived arrogance. Ahmed I resolved the issue by sending his architects to Mecca to build a seventh minaret there.
The Süleymaniye takes a more restrained, elegant approach to its interior, emphasizing massive stone pillars and grand acoustic engineering. It features four minarets with a total of ten balconies, a clever historical nod symbolizing that Suleiman was the fourth Ottoman sultan to rule Istanbul and the tenth sultan overall.
I have had a book series on Islamic art since 2008 and have cracked the first of 3 books open once, but never got further than that. I would very much enjoy being educated in the different configurations. When the words form an object I am particularly interested in the process of laying out the letters.
The sahn is hands down my favorite part of the mosque. The process of preparing to pray is so important in this religion that the area provided it for in width and length almost equal the prayer hall itself.
Hearing the call to prayer was a key experience I wanted and somehow very deeply in my soul needed to hear for myself. We sing as a true expression of what our souls feel we need and this call is nothing less than that. We call to that collective consciousness that we yearn to connect to and when we pray we permit ourselves that acknowledgement. I particularly enjoyed the calls made when multiple mosques are in proximity to each other- did they meet as they did to split Christianity? A funny thought now – and a funny thought then?
p.s. of note to those who are the planners- the prayer times vary based on the time of year (but there are consistent 5 times a day) and most mosques are free to visit but closed to the public during these times. There is lots to do during these worship closure times so a little forethought goes a long way here to make the most of the day.
Address: Cankurtaran, At Meydanı Cd No:7, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye
Website: ARCHNET write up
