Blue Mosque, Istanbul - Quiz
Blue Mosque Istanbul
  • 1. When was much of the mosque interior's painted decoration replaced by new stenciled paintwork?
A) 1912
B) 1883
C) 2018
D) 2013
  • 2. What major event occurred in 1912 that damaged or destroyed several outlying structures of the mosque complex?
A) A major fire
B) An earthquake
C) A war
D) A flood
  • 3. During preparatory work in which year was it discovered that the northwest minaret had shifted 5 centimetres?
A) 2013
B) 2006
C) 2015
D) 2023
  • 4. How much had the mosque's northwest minaret shifted over time, as discovered in 2013?
A) 10 centimetres
B) 50 centimetres
C) 5 centimetres
D) 2 centimetres
  • 5. When did comprehensive restoration work on the rest of the mosque begin?
A) 1912
B) 2015
C) 2013
D) 2018
  • 6. In which month and year did the mosque reopen after comprehensive restoration?
A) December 2015
B) January 2018
C) November 2006
D) April 2023
  • 7. Who visited the mosque on 30 November 2006?
A) Pope John Paul II
B) Pope Francis
C) Pope Paul VI
D) Pope Benedict XVI
  • 8. Who was the Mufti of Istanbul during the 2006 papal visit?
A) Sedefkar Mehmed Agha
B) Mimar Sinan
C) Emrullah Hatipoğlu
D) Mustafa Çağrıcı
  • 9. Who was the Imam of the Blue Mosque during the 2006 papal visit?
A) Mustafa Çağrıcı
B) Gülru Necipoğlu
C) Emrullah Hatipoğlu
D) Doğan Kuban
  • 10. The design of the mosque is based on that of which earlier mosque?
A) Şehzade Mosque
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Yeni Valide Mosque
D) Ballie Mosque
  • 11. Who designed the Şehzade Mosque?
A) Sedefkar Mehmed Agha
B) Emrullah Hatipoğlu
C) Doğan Kuban
D) Mimar Sinan
  • 12. What area does the prayer hall occupy?
A) 100 by 120 metres
B) 23.5 by 77 metres
C) 50 by 60 metres
D) 64 by 72 metres
  • 13. What is the diameter of the mosque's central dome?
A) 64 metres
B) 23.5 metres
C) 72 metres
D) 5 centimetres
  • 14. How many semi-domes surround the central dome?
A) Four
B) Six
C) Two
D) Three
  • 15. How many smaller semi-domes or exedrae flank each of the surrounding semi-domes?
A) Six
B) Four
C) Three
D) Two
  • 16. How many minarets does the mosque have on the outside?
A) Two
B) Six
C) Four
D) Eight
  • 17. Who is the architect of the Blue Mosque?
A) Doğan Kuban
B) Mimar Sinan
C) Mustafa Çağrıcı
D) Sedefkar Mehmed Agha
  • 18. Where was the architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha from?
A) Istanbul
B) Iznik
C) Ankara
D) Elbasan
  • 19. What other mosque did Sedefkar Mehmed Agha build in Elbasan?
A) Hagia Sophia
B) Ballie Mosque
C) Yeni Valide Mosque
D) Şehzade Mosque
  • 20. What style does the structure of the mosque reflect?
A) Gothic style
B) Early Byzantine style
C) Classical Ottoman style
D) Modern minimalist style
  • 21. The mosque incorporates aspects of Byzantine architecture from which neighboring building?
A) Hagia Sophia
B) Ballie Mosque
C) Yeni Mosque
D) Şehzade Mosque
  • 22. The Blue Mosque was the last great mosque of which historical period?
A) Classical period
B) Baroque period
C) Medieval period
D) Modern period
  • 23. Which architectural historian characterizes Mehmed Agha's style as having a more sculptural approach?
A) Mimar Sinan
B) Doğan Kuban
C) Gülru Necipoğlu
D) Emrullah Hatipoğlu
  • 24. According to Gülru Necipoğlu, what building material was used lavishly, demonstrating an emerging trend towards extravagance?
A) Marble
B) Gold leaf
C) Iznik tiles
D) Stenciled paint
  • 25. Which other mosque shares a similar lack of restraint in decoration and was completed later that same century?
A) Şehzade Mosque
B) Hagia Sophia
C) Ballie Mosque
D) New Mosque
  • 26. In which city is the Blue Mosque located?
A) Istanbul
B) Bursa
C) Izmir
D) Ankara
  • 27. During the rule of which sultan was the Blue Mosque constructed?
A) Mehmed III
B) Selim II
C) Murad III
D) Ahmed I
  • 28. Between which years was the Blue Mosque constructed?
A) 1574 and 1582
B) 1609 and 1617
C) 1620 and 1630
D) 1600 and 1605
  • 29. What is included in the mosque's külliye?
A) A large public hospital and a bazaar
B) A royal palace and a Turkish bath
C) Ahmed's tomb and a madrasa
D) A military barracks and a clock tower
  • 30. In what year was the Blue Mosque included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list?
A) 1975
B) 1985
C) 2000
D) 1995
  • 31. Under what name was the Blue Mosque included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site list?
A) Architectural Masterpieces of Turkey
B) Historic Areas of Istanbul
C) Sultanahmet Cultural Heritage Site
D) Ottoman Monuments of Istanbul
  • 32. What historical event motivated Sultan Ahmed I to build a large mosque?
A) The Peace of Zsitvatorok
B) The Conquest of Constantinople
C) The Siege of Vienna
D) The Treaty of Lausanne
  • 33. Who was the last sultan before Ahmed I to build an imperial mosque?
A) Suleiman the Magnificent
B) Bayezid II
C) Mehmed II
D) Selim II
  • 34. What former structure occupied the site next to where the mosque was built?
A) Hippodrome
B) Byzantine Palace
C) Ancient Theater
D) Roman Colosseum
  • 35. What was discovered in the mosque's courtyard during 20th-century excavations?
A) Some of the ancient seats from the Hippodrome's bleachers
B) A cache of Byzantine gold coins
C) Roman military weapons
D) The foundation of an old church
  • 36. Which islamic legal scholars protested the construction of the mosque?
A) The janissaries
B) The dervishes
C) The ulema
D) The muftis
  • 37. Why did the ulema argue that sultans should fund imperial mosque construction?
A) Using profits from international trade
B) Through voluntary public donations
C) With personal family wealth
D) With spoils of conquest
  • 38. Where did Ahmed I have to divert funds from since he had won no major victories?
A) Military reserves
B) Foreign loans
C) The provincial taxes
D) The treasury
  • 39. In what year was the opening ceremony of the Blue Mosque held?
A) 1609
B) 1620
C) 1616
D) 1617
  • 40. Which scholar noted that the last accounting reports on construction were signed by Mustafa I?
A) Semavi Eyice
B) Doğan Kuban
C) Ekrem Hakkı Ayverdi
D) Godfrey Goodwin
  • 41. What helped overcome the initial public controversy over the mosque's construction?
A) Generous gifts of food to the poor
B) The sudden defeat of Ottoman enemies
C) Its grandeur, luxurious decoration, and elaborate public ceremonies
D) A royal decree forgiving all taxes
  • 42. What is the name of the neighbourhood that was named after the mosque?
A) Eminönü
B) Sultanahmet
C) Fatih
D) Beyazıt
  • 43. Where are the four semi-domes located in the mosque?
A) Around the imperial tomb
B) Over the prayer hall
C) Above the minaret bases
D) Over the outer courtyard
  • 44. What feature is located in front of the mosque?
A) A large courtyard
B) A large public park
C) A monumental fountain
D) A grand obelisk
  • 45. What effect did the mosque's location have on the city?
A) It allows it to dominate the city's skyline
B) It serves as a navigational lighthouse
C) It connects the old and new ports
D) It blocks the view of the Bosphorus strait
  • 46. What architectural feature is used to cover transitions between smaller exedrae and supporting walls or arches?
A) Pendentives
B) Mosaics
C) Frescoes
D) Muqarnas
  • 47. Which side of the prayer hall lacks the two-floor gallery because of the mihrab?
A) Southeastern side
B) Northeastern side
C) Northwestern side
D) Southwestern side
  • 48. Where are the two fountains incorporated in the mosque's prayer hall?
A) The eastern corners
B) The two southern pillars
C) Near the main entrance
D) The two northern pillars
  • 49. What material is used for the floors of the prayer hall?
A) Marble tiles
B) Carpets
C) Wood planks
D) Stone slabs
  • 50. What is the ground-level focus of the prayer hall?
A) The sultan's loge
B) The main fountain
C) The grand chandelier
D) The mihrab
  • 51. What material is used to make the mihrab?
A) Iznik tilework
B) Painted wood
C) Bronze casting
D) Finely carved marble
  • 52. What feature is located to the right of the mihrab?
A) The northern fountain
B) The sultan's loge
C) The minbar
D) The imperial pavilion
  • 53. What tops the summit of the minbar?
A) A silver crescent
B) A carved wooden finial
C) A marble dome
D) A gold-covered conical cap
  • 54. How many marble columns support the sultan's loge?
A) Ten
B) Twelve
C) Four
D) Six
  • 55. What shape does the sultan's loge platform have?
A) Square
B) U-shape
C) L-shape
D) Circular
  • 56. In what year was the auxiliary imperial pavilion structure partly destroyed by fire?
A) 1607
B) 1912
C) 1613
D) 1826
  • 57. After which ancient city is the production center of the mosque's tiles named?
A) Ephesus
B) Nicaea
C) Pergamum
D) Troy
  • 58. In what year did Sultan Ahmed I forbid the production and sale of tiles for any purpose other than his mosque?
A) 1613
B) 1607
C) 1912
D) 1610
  • 59. How many total tiles are found inside the mosque?
A) 11,260
B) 26,043
C) 15,420
D) 21,043
  • 60. Approximately what percentage of the mosque's walls above the tilework is decorated with painted motifs?
A) 60 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 90 percent
  • 61. What is the predominant colour of the paintwork above the tile level?
A) Blue
B) Red
C) Green
D) Gold
  • 62. Who originally made the calligraphic inscriptions with verses from the Qur'an in the mosque?
A) Seyyid Kasim Gubari
B) Mehmed Agha
C) Evliya Çelebi
D) Ahmed I
  • 63. Approximately how many windows does the mosque contain to admit natural light?
A) 260
B) 500
C) 360
D) 150
  • 64. How many windows are in each semi-dome?
A) 5
B) 10
C) 28
D) 14
  • 65. How many windows are in the central dome?
A) 28
B) 14
C) 5
D) 4
  • 66. What objects were traditionally added to chandeliers in the mosque, besides lamps?
A) Ceramic tiles
B) Jade roses
C) Silver bells
D) Ostrich eggs
  • 67. Where is the most monumental entrance of the courtyard located?
A) On the northeast
B) On the northwest
C) On the southeast
D) On the southwest
  • 68. What architectural feature tops the tall projecting portal of the central courtyard entrance?
A) A flat stone terrace
B) A small dome raised on a drum
C) A pyramidal roof
D) A tall spire
  • 69. What is the form of the mosque courtyard on the inside?
A) Classic rectangular peristyle
B) Hexagonal courtyard
C) Square atrium
D) Circular rotunda
  • 70. How many columns support the porticos in the courtyard?
A) 50 columns
B) 26 columns
C) 30 columns
D) 12 columns
  • 71. How many domes are above the courtyard porticos?
A) 40 domes
B) 10 domes
C) 26 domes
D) 30 domes
  • 72. What is at the center of the courtyard?
A) A large marble statue
B) An open garden
C) The shadirvan
D) A tall clock tower
  • 73. What are the outer surfaces of the shadirvan kiosk carved with?
A) Low-relief foliate motifs
B) Geometric star patterns
C) Calligraphic Quranic verses
D) Depictions of animals and humans
  • 74. What was an innovative feature regarding the placement of the water taps?
A) Their connection to underground rivers
B) Their inclusion under arcaded galleries along the outer walls
C) Their use of hot water heating systems
D) Their location inside the central prayer hall
  • 75. What hangs in the northwestern entrance to the outer precinct of the mosque?
A) A heavy iron chain
B) A brass chandelier
C) A velvet curtain
D) A decorative rope
  • 76. Which person was uniquely allowed to enter the court of the mosque on horseback?
A) The chief architect
B) The sultan
C) Foreign ambassadors
D) The head imam
  • 77. What phrase did the architect supposedly mishear as 'altı minare'?
A) yedi minare
B) büyük minareler
C) altın minareler
D) altın kubbe
  • 78. What does 'altın minareler' mean?
A) gold minarets
B) beautiful minarets
C) tall minarets
D) six minarets
  • 79. What did the Sultan supposedly order for the Mecca mosque after the architect's mistake?
A) A golden dome
B) A larger prayer hall
C) A seventh minaret
D) Two new courtyards
  • 80. What is the shape of each of the six minaret towers?
A) Smooth
B) Octagonal
C) Square
D) Fluted
  • 81. What is the Turkish term for minaret balconies used in the text?
A) minaret
B) şerefe
C) muqarnas
D) muezzin
  • 82. What supports each balcony on the minarets?
A) Marble columns
B) Stone arches
C) Wooden pillars
D) Muqarnas-carved corbeling
  • 83. Have the minarets remained unchanged throughout their history?
A) Yes, they were rebuilt once in stone
B) No, they have been repaired many times
C) Yes, they are completely original
D) No, they were completely replaced by concrete
  • 84. Who historically had to climb a narrow spiral staircase inside the minarets five times a day?
A) The architect
B) The Sultan
C) The imam
D) The muezzin
  • 85. How do the other structures of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque complex compare to previous imperial mosque complexes?
A) They are arranged in a strict geometric circle
B) They are not arranged in a regular, well-organized plan
C) They are completely underground
D) They follow a identical layout to all older mosques
  • 86. In what year was the construction of the mausoleum of Ahmed I begun?
A) 1619
B) 1620
C) 1609
D) 1635
  • 87. What is the shape of the floor plan of the tomb chamber of Ahmed I's mausoleum?
A) Circular
B) Octagonal
C) Rectangular
D) Square
  • 88. Which wife of Ahmed I is buried in his mausoleum?
A) Kösem
B) The text does not mention another wife
C) Kosem's mother
D) Hurrem
  • 89. In what year did Şehzade Mehmed pass away?
A) 1620
B) 1619
C) 1621
D) 1635
  • 90. In what year did Şehzade Bayezid pass away?
A) 1618
B) 1635
C) 1621
D) 1640
  • 91. Around what year was the madrasa probably completed?
A) 1609
B) 1620
C) 1619
D) 1635
  • 92. How many student sleeping quarters rooms are there in the madrasa in total?
A) 4
B) 24
C) 6
D) 15
  • 93. What feature is notably lacking in the design of the madrasa compared to earlier ones?
A) A domed portico
B) A courtyard
C) A monumental entrance portal
D) Student rooms
  • 94. In what year was the darülkurra restored?
A) 1970
B) 1935
C) 1609
D) 1620
  • 95. Over what geographic feature were the hospital and public kitchen built?
A) The precinct walls
B) The main courtyard of the mosque
C) The sphendone
D) The Hippodrome square
  • 96. What does 'imaret' mean in the context of the text?
A) A madrasa
B) A soup kitchen
C) A hospital
D) A mausoleum
  • 97. What structure is located to the south, beyond a sloped tunnel?
A) A large fountain
B) A primary school
C) A hammam
D) An arasta
  • 98. What material was the front part of the hammam probably made of?
A) Brick
B) Stone
C) Marble
D) Wood
  • 99. What is an arasta?
A) A primary school
B) A sloped tunnel
C) A bathing facility
D) A market street
  • 100. Approximately how many shops does the arasta contain spaces for?
A) Around 50 shops
B) Around 500 shops
C) Around 1000 shops
D) Around 200 shops
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