ISTANBUL – Istanbul’s Blue Mosque reopened fully today, the first day of Aidilfitri, following a restoration effort that began in 2018, reported Anadolu Agency.
Attending the mosque’s opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described it as “one of the most important symbols of Istanbul.”
In an interview with Anadolu, Hayrullah Celebi, regional manager of the Foundations Directorate-General, said the directorate follows a principle of keeping mosques undergoing restoration open to worship and visit.
Celebi said that aside from a brief five-month closure over the past five years, the Blue Mosque has remained in operation, albeit with limited capacity.
The mosque, called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish, was built by Sultan Ahmet I in 1609-1616 in the square carrying his name in the then Ottoman capital. It is the only mosque in Turkiye with six minarets. Europeans call it the ‘Blue Mosque” owing to its blue, green, and white tiles. – Bernama, April 22, 2023
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