Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko visited Istanbul’s Blue Mosque on December 6 during their official trip to Turkey.

The Blue Mosque, often referred to as the world’s most beautiful mosque, was built in the 17th century.

The mosque is decorated with blue Iznik tiles that were crafted with traditional methods.

The crown prince and crown princess asked about the traditional tiling methods as they observed repair work.

The couple also met with former cabin crew members who worked on a Turkish Airlines flight that rescued 215 Japanese nationals who were stranded in Iran in 1985 during the Iran-Iraq War.

Crown Prince Fumihito expressed appreciation for bringing Japanese nationals home.

A former crew members said they were happy that the Japanese remembered them even after 39 years have passed.

The imperial couple returned to Japan on December 8 from their 6-day trip to Turkey.