Mezquita Azul

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultan Ahmet Camii), or the Blue Mosque, is a historical imperial mosque from the Ottoman era that can be found in Istanbul, Turkey. It is both a working mosque and a major tourist destination. During Ahmed I's reign (1609–1616), its construction began. The Külliye is home to a madrasah, a hospice, and the tomb of Ahmed. Inside, the walls are covered in hand-painted blue tiles, and at night, the mosque's five main domes, six minarets, and eight secondary domes are illuminated, bathing the entire structure in a calming blue glow. Until the construction of the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia was the most important mosque in Istanbul. In 1985, UNESCO designated the "Historic Areas of Istanbul," which included the Blue Mosque, as a World Heritage Site.

Historia de la Mezquita Azul

Sultán Ahmed, decidí construir una mezquita masiva en Estambul para reafirmar el poder otomano después de la Paz de Zsitvatorok y la derrota esmagadora en la guerra de 1603-18 con Persia. Después de más de cuarenta años, esta sería la primera mezquita imperial que se construirá. Mientras que sus antepasados habían utilizado botijos de guerra para financiar la construcción de la mezquita, Ahmed I prestó dinero del Tesoro debido a su falta de notables victorias militares. A partir de 1609, la construcción de esta estructura duró hasta 1616.

Infuriating the Muslim scholars known as ulama was the fact that the sultan's army had been paid for out of the general budget rather than the spoils of war. The mosque was constructed on the site of the former palace of the Byzantine emperors and faces the Hagia Sophia, the city's primary imperial mosque at the time, and the hippodrome, a prominent symbolic location in the city's southern skyline. The south side of the mosque is built on the foundations and vaults of the previous Grand Palace.

The Blue Mosque's Architecture

The Blue Mosque represents two centuries of development in Ottoman mosque architecture and Byzantine church architecture. It is the last great mosque from the classical period of the Ottoman Empire and combines traditional Islamic architecture with some Byzantine features from the nearby Hagia Sophia. By remembering what his teacher, Sinan, had taught him, the architect made a building of the epic size and opulent beauty.
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Blue Mosque's Minarets

En Turquía, sólo dos mezquitas tienen seis minaretes, y una de ellas es la Mezquita Azul.
The Sabanci Mosque in Adana is the second. The Sultan took some heat for his arrogance after the number of minarets was made public, as they matched the number at the Ka'aba Mosque in Mecca. To solve this issue, he had a seventh minaret added to the Mecca mosque.

The Blue Mosque has four minarets, one at each of its four corners. These minarets, called Serefe, are fluted and pencil-shaped; they each have three balconies supported by stalactite corbels, whereas the other two minarets at the end of the forecourt have only two. Once upon a time, the muezzin, or prayer caller, had to make the ascent of a steep, narrow spiral staircase five times each day to make the call to prayer.

La llamada se transmite ahora a través de un sistema de anuncio público y se puede oír en todo el distrito histórico de la ciudad y eco de otras mezquitas en la zona.A medida que el sol se pone y la mezquita se ilumina brillantemente por luces de inundación coloridas, enormes multitudes de turcos y turistas se reúnen en el parque delante de ella para escuchar la llamada a las oraciones de la noche.

The Blue Mosque's Interior

More than 20,000 hand-made ceramic tiles, made in Iznik (Nicaea), in more than fifty different tulip designs, line the lower levels and piers of the Blue Mosque's interior. Even though the tiles on the ground floor have a classic look, the ones in the upper galleries are more ornate and feature bright colors and elaborate patterns of flowers, fruit, and cypresses. Iznik master potters Kasap Haci and Avanos and Cappadocia native Baris Efendi oversaw the production of over 20,000 tiles. Since the cost of tiles in general went up over time, the sultan issued a decree setting a standard price for them. The building's tiles gradually became of lower quality as time went on. The glazes have dulled, and the colors have faded. The tiles on the rear wall of the balcony are originals that were salvaged from the harem of the Topkapi Palace after it burned down in 1574.

Blue is the predominant color used on the upper levels of the mosque's interior. The building has over two hundred stained-glass windows, many of which feature elaborate designs. Ostrich eggs were hung from the chandeliers to keep spiders out of the mosque and prevent the buildup of cobwebs. Many of the Qur'anic verses adorning the walls were written by Seyyid Kasim Gubari, widely considered the greatest calligrapher of his era.

Los alfombras, proporcionados por los fieles y reemplazados a medida que se desgastan, cubren los pisos.La abundancia de ventanas altas y anchas crea la ilusión de un interior espacioso. Hay cinco ventanas en cada exedra de la mezquita, y algunas de ellas están cubiertas por ciegos.

Hay un total de 28 ventanas en la cúpula central, con 14 en cada una de las dos cúpulas exteriores (cuatro de las cuales son ciegas). las autoridades venecianas presentaron al sultán ventanas de vidrio pintado como un regalo.
The mihrab is the most important part of the mosque's interior. It is made of marble and has intricate carvings, a stalactite niche, and two panels with writing on them.
Las ladrillas de cerámica cubren las paredes adyacentes. Sin embargo, la abundancia de ventanas en la zona disminuye el efecto. El imam entrega su sermón al mediodía los viernes y otros días santos desde un pulpito llamado un minber, que se encuentra a la derecha del mihrab y está elaboradamente decorado. Incluso cuando la mezquita está en capacidad, todos podrán ver y oír al imam gracias al diseño pensativo.

The southeast corner is home to the royal kiosk, which features a platform, loggia, and two small private rooms for the king and queen. You can use it to enter the Blue Mosque's royal loge, which is located in the southeast corner of the mosque's upper gallery. During the 1826 crackdown on the defiant Janissary Corps, the Grand Vizier set up headquarters in these private quarters. In Turkey, this section of the palace is known as the hünkâr mahfil, and it is surrounded by ten marble columns.

Once adorned with gold and precious stones, the Blue Mosque's many lamps are now plain white. Ostrich eggs and crystal balls were hidden in the various glass jars. All of these ornaments were stolen or removed to be displayed in Istanbul museums.

Originalmente escrito por el gran caligráfico del siglo XVII Ametli Kasim Gubarim, los nombres de los califas y versos del Corán adornan las grandes tablillas que enmarcan las paredes.
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The Blue Mosque's Exterior

The large forecourt's facade was inspired by Istanbul's Süleymaniye Mosque but features turrets instead of minarets on the four corner domes. The court, which is enclosed by a continuous vaulted arcade, is roughly the same size as the mosque. The courtyard is quite large for its diminutive central hexagonal fountain. The architectural highlight of the courtyard is the monumental but narrow gateway that leads to it through the arcade. The small ribbed dome atop the tall lobate is topped by a fine stalactite structure.

When entering the Mosque's western court, you'll notice a heavy iron chain hanging from the ceiling. The sultan was the only person permitted to ride a horse into the Blue Mosque's courtyard. To avoid being struck by the chain, the sultan must bend over slightly whenever he enters the court. Symbolically, it served to show the ruler's respect for the divine.

Preguntas frecuentes sobre la Mezquita Azul

q¿Qué es la Mezquita Azul?

a: The Blue Mosque is an old mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. It is also called the Sultan Ahmed Mosque.

q¿Cuándo se construyó la Mezquita Azul?

aLa mezquita fue construida entre 1609 y 1616.

q¿Quién construyó la Mezquita Azul?

aAhmed I, el sultán otomano, fue el que construyó la Mezquita Azul.

q¿Por qué se le llama la Mezquita Azul?

aLa mezquita se llama la Mezquita Azul debido a las ladrillas azules utilizadas en su decoración interior.

q¿Cuáles son las principales características de la Mezquita Azul?

aLa Mezquita Azul tiene seis minaretes, una gran cúpula central y cúpulas más pequeñas que la rodean, así como complejas obras de caligrafía y ladrillo.

q¿Cuántas cúpulas tiene la Mezquita Azul?

aLa Mezquita Azul tiene una cúpula central y ocho cúpulas más pequeñas.

q¿Cuál es la capacidad de la Mezquita Azul?

aLa Mezquita Azul puede alojar hasta 10.000 adoradores a la vez.

q¿La Mezquita Azul está abierta a los visitantes?

aLa Mezquita Azul está abierta a visitantes y turistas, excepto durante los tiempos de oración.

q¿Cuáles son los horarios de visita para la Mezquita Azul?

a: Horarios de visita para la Mezquita Azul son típicamente de 9:00 a 12:00 y de 2:00 a 4:00.

q¿Cuánto cuesta entrar en la Mezquita Azul?

aNo hay tarifa de entrada para entrar en la Mezquita Azul, pero las donaciones son apreciadas.

Puedes reservar un Tour de la ciudad de Estambul con nuestras guías de viaje licenciadas.

Puedes reservar un tour de la ciudad de Estambul con nuestras guías de viaje licenciadas.

Mapa de la Mezquita Azul