Blue Mosque in Istanbul reopens for prayer after 6-year restoration

One of Istanbul’s iconic structures, widely recognized by local and foreign tourists, the Blue Mosque, locally known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is scheduled to be reopened for worship on the occasion of Ramazan Bayram, also known as Eid-al Fitr, after undergoing the most comprehensive restoration in its 400-year history for six years.

Preparations for the mosque, which is set to reopen on April 21 for the Ramazan Bayram prayer, have been accelerated. Recently, the mosque, which is the first and only six-minaret mosque of Ottoman architecture, was photographed by a drone, unveiling the building’s current state before its glorious reopening.