The Blue Mosque at Sunset by Constantin Barbu licensed under the terms of CC BY 2.0
Also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, this extraordinary structure was completed way back in 1616. It has a capacity of an incredible 10,000 people, and also contains a hospice, a religious school and the tomb of its founder.
The mosque’s six minarets were a source of much controversy when it was originally built, as it was the same number as at the Ka’aba mosque in Mecca. So the sultan simply ordered a seventh minaret to be built at the Mecca mosque.
With its impressive spires and numerous domed roofs, the Blue Mosque looks to the untrained eye like an immense palace.
