Leaving the Hippodrome, visitors to Istanbul enter the courtyard of Sultan Ahmet Camii, or the Blue Mosque.

The Blue Mosque of Istanbul with its six minarets towering over the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus is one of the first things a cruise ship passenger will see when sailing into Istanbul from the Mediterranean Sea. The Blue Mosque is perched on a hill overlooking the Marmara, and the magnificent exterior domes and minarets greeting incoming visitors to Istanbul will make you even more eager to explore the city.

The exterior is not blue; the mosque's nickname comes from the spectacular interior wall-covering of over 20,000 blue tiles from Iznik. The Hippodrome, which was once the center of Byzantine Constantinople, is adjacent to the Blue Mosque.

The Blue Mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I in the early 1600's, and it has a classic Ottoman design. He charged Mehmet Aga, the imperial architect, with building a mosque that would rival the nearby Aya Sofya (also called Hagia Sophia or the Church of the Divine Wisdom) built by Justinian a thousand years before. Most visitors to Istanbul today believe that Aga met his charge, but the mosque caused quite a sensation in the 17th century among the more pious Muslims. They thought the six minarets were somewhat sacrilegious, because until that time, only the Great Mosque in Mecca had that many. In addition to the six minarets surrounding the mosque, the exterior of the Blue Mosque is highlighted by a series of domes that are designed to bring the visitors' eyes towards the heavens.

The whole view is really quite awesome.

The Blue Mosque is located in the European Sultanahmet District of Istanbul just a short ride across the bridge over the Golden Horn from the cruise ship pier. The Blue Mosque is probably Istanbul's most famous landmark, and was built by some of the same stone masons who helped construct the Taj Mahal in India. The architect used classical Ottoman design in the mosque, and the numerous domes and half-domes used throughout the mosque continually draw the eyes of the visitors skyward to heaven. Most of these domes and semi-domes are best seen from the courtyard. The six minarets set the Blue Mosque apart from other mosques in Istanbul.

The inside of the Blue Mosque is flooded with light due to the over 250 windows that were formerly filled with 17th century Venetian stained glass. The Venetian stained glass is gone, but the effect is still quite light and airy. One note of caution--you will need to remove your shoes at the entrance of the mosque, and women will need to cover their heads. Men should remove their hats. If the attendants think you are dressed inappropriately for local standards (i.e. bare shoulders or knees), they will lend you a robe to wear.

The 20,000 magnificent blue ceramic tiles covering much of the interior of the Blue Mosque and giving the mosque its nickname are the first things noticed when entering. These tiles are quite splendid and were produced in Iznik, which was once known as Nicaea in early Christian times. Workers in Isnik, about 55 miles from Istanbul, used local deposits of fine clay to create their pottery, which is similar to porcelain. Sultan Ahmet banned others from ordering tiles from Isnik while the Blue Mosque was under construction, which may have contributed to the industry's subsequent decline in the 17th century.

Looking around the inside of the mosque, there's a lot to absorb. Anyone who has never visited a mosque will first notice that there are no images of living things inside (either human or animal), as these are forbidden by Islam. The geometric and abstract artwork is quite impressive, however. Four large 16-foot diameter columns dominate the interior of the Blue Mosque, supporting the huge dome above. The doors and shutters on the windows were intricately carved with latticework, as was the imperial loge where the sultan and his entourage could pray safely behind screens away from would-be assassins. Flowering arabesque designs are painted on the inside of the domes and semi-domes. The mihrab, which is an ornate niche in the wall marking the direction of Mecca, has a piece of the sacred Black Stone from the Kaaba in Mecca. Muslims always kneel and face the Kaaba in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia when praying. Next to the mihrab is the minbar, the high pulpit where the imam delivers his Friday sermon. The mosque has separate prayer areas for women and men. Unfortunately, the prayer carpets covering the floor are no longer hand-woven because people kept stealing them for their value. Muslims are called to pray five times each day, and so all mosques have a clock. The one in the Blue Mosque is a grandfather clock. The exact time to pray is set by the sunrise and sunset each day, so it changes with the seasons. The muezzin used to call the faithful to prayer from the balcony of the minaret, but nowadays loudspeakers broadcast the call across the city.

Tourists exit the Blue Mosque through a side door. We next walked the short distance to the Basilica Cistern, which many consider the most unusual tourist attraction in Istanbul, and then on to the Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya or Church of the Divine Wisdom).

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