HN7J0982

The Mosque of Sultan Ahmet I, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque, so called for the original dominant color of blue in the interior tile work. Sultan Ahmet I wanted to build a mosque that would be grander than the Sancta Sophia, the nearby church built by the Eastern Orthodox Byzantines who the Ottomans had driven from Istanbul in 1453. Ironically, the mosque is not commonly known by the name of the Sultan who built it as a monument to his reign, but by the color of its tile. It was built between 1609 and 1619. The lighted words roughly translate to "Human life will end but charity is eternal." Charity is one of the five most important tenants of Islam. Istanbul, Turkey.