1-343-640 - Art Media/Heritage Images

Sultan Ahmed Mosque, (Blue Mosque), north elevation, Istanbul, Turkey. Regarded as one of the masterpieces of Islamic architecture, the Blue Mosque, also known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built between 1609 and 1616 during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed I. It was built facing the Hagia Sophia and was a calculated statement that Muslim architects could rival the creation of their Byzantine Christian predecessors.