Blue Mosque

Formally named the Sultan Ahmed Mosque and built between 1609 and 1616, this imperial mosque is distinguished by its six minarets — an unusual number that historically caused controversy — and by its interior cladding of over twenty thousand İznik tiles in blue and white. The cascade of domes and semi-domes designed by architect Sedefkâr Mehmed Ağa creates a silhouette that, viewed from the Hippodrome or the Sea of Marmara, defines the classical Istanbul skyline. Interior light filters through 260 windows, shifting in quality and direction through the day.