Istanbul is a lovely city with enchanted beauty, numerous monuments, and historical significance. Sultan Ahmet Mosque (The Blue Mosque) is a must-see for anybody visiting this picturesque city. It is one of the city’s most prominent landmarks, located in Fatih district and surrounded by various Byzantine and Ottoman-era archaeological sites.
The Blue Mosque is so named because it is adorned on the inside with more than 21,000 ceramic pieces of 50 different species brought from Iznik and Kutahya, all of which are white and blue. The Sultan Ahmet Mosque was unique among Ottoman mosques in that it was the first to include a passage connecting the Sultan’s Palace and the forum, where the Sultan and his entourage pray.
Blue Mosque Renovations
Due to its prominence as one of the most important attractions for tourists from all over the world and one of Turkey’s most frequented mosques, Sultan Ahmet Mosque has received a lot of attention from the Ministry of Tourism and the Turkish government.
Several restorations have been carried out, the most recent of which began in 2017 and has so far been finished to the tune of more than 30%. The renovations are aimed at restoring the mosque’s structure and organising its facilities so that it can host tourists and fulfil its role as a mosque by receiving worshippers.
♦ 5 Days Turkey Tour – Istanbul Ephesus Pamukkale
One of the repair projects is to improve the aesthetic and durability of the mosque’s two major minarets without sacrificing the original design and appearance. The mosque courtyard is undergoing restoration work to preserve its more than 400-year-old mosaic wooden doors. Cleaning the ornamentation in the main dome of the 17th-century mosque is part of the restoration work. Specialist artisans supervise archaeologists and engineers.
Mr Mursel Sari, director of Istanbul’s first region endowments, claimed they discovered dirty groundwater drainage lines beneath the mosque. The team has started cleaning things up, and they are still doing so.
Lead metal was substituted in 26 tiny domes and 30 columns in the lobby of the Blue Mosque during its restoration. The repair of the 43-meter-high main dome is now underway. All cleaning is done with special instruments, such as a surgeon’s scalpel, and with a level of precision equal to that of the procedures.