Mosque dress code and visiting rules in Istanbul: shoes, headscarf, prayer times

To enter a mosque in Istanbul you must have your shoulders and knees covered, take your shoes off before the prayer hall and, for women, cover your hair with a scarf, often lent free at the entrance. Visits are free in most mosques but stop during the five daily prayers and for longer around midday on Fridays. This guide details the expected dress, how to take off your shoes, the times to respect and the rules specific to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Rules found in October 2026.

The required dress

Istanbul's mosques are working places of worship, not museums: the same dress is expected in all of them, from the Süleymaniye Mosque to the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Ortaköy Mosque.

Men and women: shoulders and knees covered. Clothes that show your shoulders or knees may get you turned away.
Women: hair must be covered too. A light scarf in your bag solves the question; at the Blue Mosque, scarves are lent free at the visitors' entrance, but stocks can run out at busy times.
Choose loose clothes and shoes that are easy to take off.

The Blue Mosque, whose prayer hall is visited shoes off

Taking off your shoes and behaving

You take your shoes off before entering the prayer hall, where the carpets are reserved for prayer. At the Blue Mosque a plastic bag is provided to carry your shoes with you. Once inside:

speak quietly and avoid running or entering as a noisy group;
do not photograph people at prayer and do not stand in front of them;
do not cross areas marked as reserved for prayer;
silence your phone.

Bring clean socks: the floor is fully carpeted.

Times: prayers and Fridays

Mosques can be visited free and without booking, but they close to visitors during the five daily prayers, whose times change every day with the sun. Check the prayer calendar before you go or come at opening time. On Fridays the midday prayer is the most important of the week and the closure is longer:

Blue Mosque: visitor access stops 30 minutes before the call to prayer until 15 minutes after the prayer ends; on Fridays, visits resume from 2:30 pm.
Hagia Sophia: on Fridays, visits are suspended from noon to 2 pm.

Also avoid religious holidays, and see our page on Ramadan in Istanbul for the fasting month.

Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia: what differs

At the Blue Mosque, entry is free, but visitors do not use the same door as worshippers: follow the signs to the visitors' entrance, on the side of the mosque. Part of the hall remains reserved for worshippers.

At Hagia Sophia, which is a mosque again, the ground floor is reserved for prayer: foreign visitors reach the upper gallery with a €25 ticket, and the same dress is required. Hours and route are detailed in our Hagia Sophia page.

The nave of Hagia Sophia seen from the upper gallery

At a glance

Question	Answer
Shoulders and knees	Covered, for everyone
Hair	Covered for women (scarves lent at the Blue Mosque)
Shoes	Removed before the prayer hall
Entry price	Free (except the Hagia Sophia gallery: €25)
During prayer	Closed to visitors
Friday	Visits resume at 2:30 pm (Blue Mosque), 2 pm (Hagia Sophia)
Photos	Not aimed at people praying