The Blue Mosque was built in 1609 and 1617 by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. The Blue Mosque, built by Sedefkar Mehmed Ağa, one of the valuable architects of the time, is known as the "Blue Mosque" because it is decorated with white and blue colored Iznik tiles and the inside of its domes are decorated with blue colors. The Blue Mosque, which has approximately 20 thousand Iznik tiles, is accepted as one of the largest and most important works in Istanbul, together with its social complex. Islamic architecture predominates in the Blue Mosque, which carries traces inspired by Hagia Sophia, right across it. Architect Sedefkar Mehmet Ağa created the Blue Mosque with the idea of "reflection of grandeur, majesty and splendor in size". While wandering around the interior and surroundings of the Blue Mosque, you can see that it carries a spiritual integrity, and you can deeply feel that they create a different richness in the historical peninsula as a harmonious duo with Hagia Sophia. The Blue Mosque Complex, which is the first stop for those who visit Istanbul today, continues to be remembered as one of the works that best reflects its magnificence and the cultural harmony of the past. Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum The first Turkish museum where works of Turkish and Islamic art are collected, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum was built in 1913 and opened to visitors in the soup kitchen building in the Süleymaniye Mosque complex. Later, it was moved to İbrahim Pasha Palace in Sultanahmet Square in 1983 and took its current form. Inside the İbrahim Pasha Palace, which is the only private palace that has survived to the present day, apart from the Sultan's palaces, there are ceramic objects from different countries of the Islamic world, woodwork, manuscript books, Turkish carpets and many other valuables. While the works of art belonging to the Islamic world in the museum are dazzling, the peaceful texture of the trees in the courtyard will refresh your day, you will realize that silence pervades you and you connect with the past.
Süleymaniye Mosque was built by Mimar Sinan in 1551 for one of the most powerful sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent. The Süleymaniye Mosque was built as one of the layers of the Süleymaniye Complex, which consists of many areas of use such as a madrasah, library, hospital, school, and bath. The most striking aspect of the mosque is that it is a journeyman work of Mimar Sinan, one of the most valuable architects of the Ottoman Empire, and that not a single column was damaged despite all the earthquakes in Istanbul. So much so that the soot created by the oil lamps in the mosque is collected in one place, the air flow is ensured to circulate comfortably, and the soot belonging to the oil lamps directed to the room above the main entrance door is then used in ink production. Suleymaniye Mosque, which the most valuable masters have worked hard to bring into a whole, is placed on the highest hill of the historical peninsula, which overlooks the Golden Horn, Bosphorus and Topkapi Palace. In this magnificent structure, which can be seen from many points of Istanbul, the tiles made by the valuable tile masters, the sultan's mahfili and the altar, the images on the main dome, domes, minarets and many other historical works are among the places to be visited in the Magnificent Istanbul Tour.
Şehzadebaşı Mosque, also known as Şehzadebaşı Mosque or Şehzade Mehmet Mosque, is the work of Mimar Sinan, which is located in Fatih district and defined as an apprenticeship work between 1543 and 1548. What makes the Şehzade Mosque different is its high domes, the fountain courtyard consists of 12 columns and 16 domes, its double minaret has two balconies, and the Şehzade tomb has a different texture with its colorful tiles. The acoustics in the mosque are immediately evident in the style of Mimar Sinan.
The Spice Bazaar, named after the taxes collected from Egypt, is one of the oldest bazaars in Istanbul. In the Spice Bazaar, which is one of the most important points of Sultanhamam, there are shops where various spices, medicinal drugs, rare root plants, dried fruits and flower seeds are sold, and jewelers offering colorful visuals. The Spice Bazaar also has different doors and when you enter, you will feel like you are in a fairy tale land of ancient times with the colors and smells surrounding you. With the Istanbul Ottoman Artifacts Tour, you will not be able to get enough of visiting the historical buildings and historical artifacts that have survived from the Ottoman period throughout the day, and you will witness that your knowledge and bewilderment increase as time progresses.
