Skip to main content
Shop travel
Shop travel
Shop travel
Stays
Stays
Flights
Flights
Cars
Cars
Vacation Packages
Vacation Packages
Things to do
Things to do
Cruises
Cruises
Support
My Trips
Sign in
Members can access discounts and special features
Sign in
Create a free account
AARP Member Savings
AARP.org
Join
Renew
Middle East
Istanbul
Türkiye
Middle East
Istanbul
Türkiye
The Blue Mosque with crescent moon (new moon) -Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Blue Mosque with crescent moon (new moon) -Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey.
The Sultanahmet Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles that are used to decorate the interior) is one of the grandest and most famous mosques in Istanbul. The mosque was criticized early on for having 6 minarets – the same number of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Sultan Ahmet overcame this problem by ordering a 7th minaret to be built at the Great Mosque. One local anecdote claims that the original design called for several gold minarets. The architect realized that there wasn't enough gold in the empire to construct gold minarets, so he built six minarets instead. When questioned about his decision, the architect claimed that he mistakenly heard the instruction to be six ("altı" in Turkish) minarets rather than gold ("altın" in Turkish) minarets. #StunningStructures #Trovember
These fabulous gates are in the grounds of the palace and that's the Bosporus you see beyond! #river #palaces
Istanbul
25
See all 25 photos
Check-in
Check-out
Guests
Search
Popular cities in Istanbul
Istanbul
Known for Dining, Historical and Shopping
Experience the cafes, museums, and churches in Istanbul!
Reasons to visit
Hagia Sophia
Blue Mosque
Galata Tower
Explore City
Find Hotels
Top cities in Istanbul
Adalar
Akcakese
Anadolu Kavağı Mahallesi
Arnavutköy
Beykoz
Catalca
Cayagzi
Celtik
Eyup
Gümüşdere
Istanbul (and vicinity)
Kabakoz Mahallesi
Riva
Rumeli Kavağı Mahallesi
Sariyer
Selimpasa
Silivri
Tuzla
Yolcati
Zekeriyakoy
Çekmeköy
İmrenli Köyü
İçmeler Mahallesi
Şile
474aa236-3674-4b0f-9ce0-8bafe0af31c1
b25a10e5-097a-4fb2-a230-a0bbbb1eab30