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Turkey - Table of Contents  ......................  Architecture Around the World

Sultan Ahmet Mosque / Blue Mosque - Table of Contents

Exterior - Sultan Ahmet Mosque / Blue Mosque
Istanbul, Turkey


November 2014 photos





"The Sultan Ahmed Mosque is first one of the two mosques in Turkey that has six minarets, the second one being the Sabancı Mosque in Adana. When the number of minarets was revealed, the Sultan was criticized for being presumptuous, since this was the same minarets number as at the mosque of the Ka'aba in Mecca. He overcame this problem by ordering a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque." - Wikipedia: Sultan Ahmed Mosque (online Dec. 2014)









"... the beautifully-arranged cascade of domes that seem to spill down from the great central dome. The arcades running beneath each dome add further visual rhythm...." - Sacred Destinations  (online Dec. 2014)



Photo courtesy of Nancy LaChiusa ... © 2014 Nancy LaChiusa.
Wudu/Wudhu/Ablution faucets.
Before entering the mosque to pray, believers must recite prayers while washing the following, three times each, in order: hands, mouth, nose, face, arms. Wash the following only once, in order:  hair, feet and ankles. Faucet detail below:



Ablution faucet



Gateway to the courtyard ... Details below:



Photo courtesy of Nancy LaChiusa ... © 2014 Nancy LaChiusa.
Courtyard gateway detail ... Courtyard is seen between open front gate doors



Courtyard gateway detail - Note stalactite imagery at top center



Courtyard gateway detail: Two-balcony minaret at left



Courtyard gateway detail #4: Ablaq - striped layers of stone - pointed arches


Courtyard gateway.
Minarets of the mosque: Four pencil-shaped minarets stand at the corners of the Blue Mosque, each with three balconies,  while - in this photo - one of the two other minarets at the end of the courtyard gateway which have only two balconies.


Courtyard gateway detail: Pencil-shaped minaret with two balconies and spire capped with finial


Courtyard gateway detail: Spire



Courtyard gateway: The finial crescent moon and star is an internationally-recognized symbol of the faith of Islam



Courtyard gateway detail: stone carved swag



Courtyard gateway -  Stalactite corbels ... Note modern speakers






Photo courtesy of Nancy LaChiusa ... © 2014 Nancy LaChiusa.
Note double loggias



Mosque loggia ... Two minarets on the mosque, each having three balconies



Loggia







Stalactite capital



Photo courtesy of Nancy LaChiusa ... © 2014 Nancy LaChiusa.
Stalactite corbels







Stalactite corbel supports balcony



Note scuppers



Scuppers




Photos and their arrangement © 2014 Chuck LaChiusa
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