Ahmed I built Sultanahmet Camii from 1609-1615. Due to his failures at war, particularly with Persia, he couldn't use war-winnings to pay for the mosque (as was usually done) but instead had to take money out of the treasury to afford it. Symbolic value was heavily considered in the choice of the mosque's location. Several Byzantine emperors had built palaces on the site previously. It stands across from the Hagia Sophia and is located in the hippodrome.
Sultanahmet Camii was designed by Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, and some say it is the last great example of Ottoman architecture. It gets the name "blue mosque" for the beautiful blue tilework of the interior.
Before you go in, you have to walk through a sort of clearance area with signs about rules and appropriate dress. There's a guy there with scarves and wraps that inappropriately dressed tourists can throw on and return at the exit. I thought I'd be in trouble because I had a head scarf but was wearing jeans, but the guy let me right through. Once I was inside I was surprised to see basically none of the dress-rules enforced, including many women bare-headed.
Utterly gorgeous! I'm jealous - it looks like you're getting to see a ton of fascinating places.
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