Elevated view of the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, overlooking the Bosphorus river, Istanbul, Turkey

Elevated view of the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, overlooking the Bosphorus river, Istanbul, Turkey Stock Photo
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Image details

Contributor:

Gavin Hellier / Alamy Stock Photo

Image ID:

B2X2A8

File size:

60.2 MB (3.3 MB Compressed download)

Releases:

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Dimensions:

5616 x 3744 px | 47.5 x 31.7 cm | 18.7 x 12.5 inches | 300dpi

Date taken:

15 April 2008

Location:

Elevated view of the Blue Mosque in Sultanahmet, overlooking the Bosphorus river, Istanbul, Turkey

More information:

Istanbul's Blue Mosque was built partly as an effort to show Christians that Ottoman culture could produce something to rival the Hagia Sophia. The architect, Sedefkâr Mehmet Aÿa, was looking to rival the visual experience of Istanbul's famous church. And it is in fact an architectural masterpiece. And it is built so that visitors to the city can see both the mosque and the Hagia Sophia, and can compare the two. The mosque is also one of the most noticeable landmarks in Istanbul, particularly as you stand on the Asian side of the city, along the shore of the Sea of Marmara. If size and location alone don't distinguish it for visitors, its unusual array of six minarets make the mosque unmistakable.