Tourists who want to visit Istanbul's most prestigious mosque, will now be offered head-to-toe garments they can wear to visit the historical site if they happen to be dressed inappropriately.
The Istanbul Culture and Tourism Department's new practice will be initiated at one of Istanbul's most popular sites, the Sultanahmet Mosque, soon and if deemed necessary, may also be implemented in other historical mosques in the future.
The colorful garments, designed to allow tourists the opportunity to tour the historical site if they are inappropriately dressed, will be made available free of charge for both male and female tourists. For tourists who are wearing, short skirts, shorts, short sleeve tops or tank tops; instead of donning large headscarves, they will be able to put on this simple two piece garment, which has been designed in 6-7 different colors. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has agreed to take on all cleaning costs.
The hours that tourists will be allowed to visit mosques has now been designated as from 08:30 to 19:00 in summer and from 08:30 to 17:00 in winter. On Fridays, the Sultanahmet and Yeni mosques, the highest visited mosques in Istanbul, will be closed to visitors until the end of the midday prayer ceremony.
