Topkapı Palace is located at the tip of the historical peninsula in Sultanahmet district. The palace is one of the iconic structures of İstanbul. Topkapı Palace was the administrative, educational and artistic centre of the Ottoman Empire for approximately 400 years from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to the 31st Sultan Abdülmecid, as well as housing the dynasty. Sultanahmet Mosque Sultanahmet Mosque, or as it is best known in the West, the“Blue Mosque,” presents visitors with the best examples of the famous İznik tiles. The mosque was built between 1609 and 1616, during the rule of Sultan Ahmed I. Like other imperial mosques in İstanbul, it comprises the tomb of the founder, a madrasa and a hospice within the courtyard.