Visiting the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque are essential on any Istanbul itinerary—but visiting a mosque for the first time as a non-Muslim can seem a little daunting. You don’t want to commit a faux ...

Colorful Ortakoy mosque and Bosphorus Bridge in the background. Istanbul is known for its incredible Ottoman-era (and beyond) architecture and that extends to its mosques and other places of worship.

The configuration of the mosque, the worshipping place for Muslims, traces its history to the courtyard of the religion's founder. The first mosques were, therefore, simple open spaces marked for ...