Sultanahmet Mosque also known as Blue Mosque. The mosque became known in the west as the Blue Mosque because of the predominantly blue coloring of paintwork inside the mosque. Blue Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 by order of the Sultan Ahmed I, after whom it is named. It is next to Hippodrome of Constantinople (Sultanahmet Square) and Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya). Blue Mosque is the only mosque in Turkey with six minarets. Its architect is Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa. The interior of the Blue Mosque features a massive dome supported by four grand columns, five metres (16ft) in diameter and are known as elephant feet, as well as characteristic Ottoman tile patterns and brightly-coloured windows.
