As the capital of Ottoman Empire since 1453 and the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul contains a great number of mosques which reflect the Ottoman Islamic Architecture. It is known that Istanbul, today, is home to over 3000 mosques. This makes it difficult to decide which ones to visit throughout a journey in Istanbul. Travel Booking Turkey by Imperial Travel Turkey, which is a well-experienced travel company based right in the Old City of Istanbul, will briefly introduce you to the famous mosques in Istanbul in order to help you make your decision on which ones to visit during your trip within the city.
Among the thousands of mosques in the city, Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Mosque) is undoubtly the largest and the most famous one with over 5 million visitors each year. It sits right in the heart of the historical Sultanahmet neighbourhood and facing the Hagia Sophia which is another famous touristic attraction nearby. It is the only mosque in Turkey which consists of 6 minarets that distinguishes it from other mosques which normally have two or three. Constructed between 1609 to 1616 with the order of Sultan Ahmed I, Blue Mosque absolutely deserves to be the first spot of travelers in Turkey with its significant historical content, unique architecture and fabulous blue tile works ornamenting the interior part of the mosque. Hagia Sophia is another spot that should be in our list though it is not used as a mosque in present day. Having been the largest cathedral in the world for almost thousand years, Hagia Sophia functioned as a mosque for 500 years after the conquest of the city by Sultan Mehmet II and even if it was not built to be a mosque, it had a great influence of Turkish culture. Travel Booking Turkey by Imperial Travel Turkey has created the Istanbul Old City Walking Tour on a daily basis for our guests to explore the highlights of the city in the historical town including the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia with the great assistance and guidance of our agency. Suleymaniye Mosque (the Magnificent) is the second largest mosque in Istanbul and one of the highlights of the city which was built in the 16th century by the Great Architect Mimar Sinan. This vast religious complex perfectly blends Islamic and Byzantine architectural elements. Eyup Mosque and New Mosque (Yeni Camii) are also among the famous mosques in Istanbul that we highly suggest our guests to pay a visit.
Want to know more about the sightseeings in the city? Our Istanbul Turkey Tours category is one click away from you with the best individual and combined packages within the city that will not only guide you to where to go and what to visit but also live Istanbul with the well-organized Turkey Tours. Travel Booking Turkey by Imperial Travel Turkey will remain at your disposal with more and more exciting content like today’s content of famous mosques in Istanbul.
