Blue Mosque reopens for prayer with participation of President Erdoğan

Istanbul's Blue Mosque reopened fully on Friday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, following a restoration effort that began in 2018. It is one of the most significant mosques in the Muslim world and is an active place of worship. It was built at a time when the Ottoman Empire was at its zenith, and the mosque served as a symbol of the Ottoman Empire's power and influence. The decorations on the domes inside the mosque continue to be the best examples of Ottoman culture to this day. Attending the mosque's opening ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described it as 'one of the most important symbols of Istanbul.' In an interview with Anadolu, Hayrullah Çelebi, regional manager of the Foundations Directorate General, said the directorate follows a principle of keeping mosques undergoing restoration open to worship and visit. Çelebi 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. This mosque, called Sultanahmet Camii in Turkish, was built by Sultan Ahmet I in 1609-1616 in the square carrying his name in Istanbul, the Ottoman capital. Due to the heavy use of blue, the mosque is also known as the 'Blue Mosque' around the world. It is the only mosque in Türkiye with six minarets.