Istanbul’s Blue Mosque looks magnificent in LEGO microscale

Completed in 1617, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, commonly known as the Blue Mosque, is one of Istanbul’s most iconic structures and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Scott Wilhelm gives this masterpiece of Ottoman architecture the LEGO microscale treatment in a sprawling build that includes Sultan Ahmet’s mausoleum, gardens, and a madrasa. For the mosque’s six minarets, Scott uses white Technic axle extenders broken up by bevel gears and bushes topped with a drill bit. The many small domes are represented with knit caps. If you’re wondering why the mosque rooftops are grey when it’s called the Blue Mosque, the nickname comes from the decorative tiles inside.

A rear view of the mosque offers a better view of the madrasa and mausoleum, seen here on the right. The ornate curves on the mosque rooftop are the most eye-catching technique, but Scott employs innovative microscale detailing throughout the build. Taking a closer look at the decorative grey elements in the perimeter wall, I’m pretty sure it’s just a 1×1 round tile upside down on top of an inkwell, held in place by friction. I especially like the colonnade around the sahn, or courtyard, that uses cheese slopes for the myriad arches.

Here we can see the complex from a bird’s eye view and appreciate the challenges Scott faced in capturing subtle angles that break the grid. For the network of walkways, Scott mixes tiles and SNOT techniques. Most impressive is how the not-quite-right angles yield no gaps between garden and wall. A lesser model might have skipped these subtleties, but Scott’s commitment to accuracy elevates an amazing architectureal build. The sultan deserves nothing less than perfection.

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