The Sultan Ahmed Mosque, known in the West as the Blue Mosque for its interior tiles, stands in Istanbul across the square from the Hagia Sophia. It was commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I, and was built between 1609 and 1616 by the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Aga, a pupil of the great architect Sinan. The design combines the traditions of Ottoman mosque architecture with elements of Byzantine church design, with a large central dome supported by half-domes, and it is unusual for having six minarets. Its interior is lined with many thousands of blue Iznik ceramic tiles. It remains an active mosque as well as one of the most visited monuments in Turkey.
Before and after
- 1614Founding of Tirana
- 7 April 1614Death of El Greco
- from 8 November 1614 to 1 June 1615Siege of Osaka
- 13 March 1615Birth of Innocent XII
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- from 1616 to 1912Qing dynasty
- 22 April 1616Death of Miguel de Cervantes
- 23 April 1616Death of William Shakespeare
- from 1618 to 1648Thirty Years' War
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1605Publication of Don Quixote
- 1652Origins of Quakers
- from 1660 to 1725Rise of Classicism
- 1661Construction of Palace of Versailles
- from c. 1730s to 1780sRise of Rococo
- 1759Construction of British Museum
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.