Blue Mosque

Mosque Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey

What to expect

The Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is a 17th-century mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the most magnificent structures of the Ottoman Empire and is known for its six minarets, many domes and semidomes, and its interior lined with over 20,000 handmade ceramic tiles from İznik. The mosque's architecture is a classical Ottoman layout with a central dome surrounded by four semi-domes over the prayer hall. It is fronted by a large courtyard and flanked by six minarets. The mosque holds about 10,000 worshipers and is a functioning mosque today, with hundreds of Muslims using it for daily prayers five times a day

Plan your family visit to the Blue Mosque with these blog insights 👇

Istanbul with Kids: Aya Sofya, Blue Mosque, Topkapı Palace, and the Grand Bazaar

This family's experience:

Activities: We entered the Blue Mosque, built in 1616. It has 6 minarets and is famous for its blue tile interior. It is under renovation (as of August 2021) and so there wasn’t actually much we could see

Highlights: It wasn’t out of the way though, so it was ok ✨

Best 3-Day Itinerary in Istanbul with Kids

This family's experience:

Activities: We visited the nearby Blue Mosque, a spectacular site that was built more than 1,000 years after Hagia Sophia in the early 1600s during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I

Highlights: The kids enjoyed keeping an eye out for the many cats that roam the city ✨

(Tip!) Istanbul with kids: 20 family activities!

This family's experience:

Activities: We visited this mosque briefly and viewed it inside. Count on seeing it within 15 minutes

Highlights: We enjoyed visiting this mosque briefly and viewing it inside ✨

An Istanbul City Break with Kids, Turkey

This family's experience:

Activities: We sat on wooden benches between the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque in the evenings and enjoyed the views of the city

Highlights: We loved watching the light show as the sun went down, with floodlights illuminating the seagulls and the imams calling the faithful to prayer ✨