Thursday — April 22: Part III
After leaving Kapalı Çarşı, we followed a meandering path that took us towards Sultanahmet Meydanı (Sultanahmet Square), an area that has an exceptionally rich concentration of sights to explore. We started with a place that dates back to the 6th century and moved on through history from there. I’m going to deviate slightly from the actual order of the places we visited and concentrate on Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) first.
Ayasofya from Sultanahmet Park.
Once known as the “Church of the Holy Wisdom,” Ayasofya is the former Byzantine church (360-1453) that was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans (1453-1934). A museum since 1935, the edifice is considered to be one of the architectural masterpieces of the world. The current building is the third one to be constructed on the site. It was built between 532-537 on the orders of Emperor Justinian. Until the construction of the Seville Cathedral nearly 1000 years later, it stood as the largest cathedral in the world.
When the church was converted to a mosque, the bells and the altar were removed, and many of the mosaics were covered over with plaster. Islamic features (such as the mihrab, mimber, and four minarets) were added over the course of the years that the building served as the principal mosque of İstanbul. During that time, it also served as the model for many of the mosques the Ottomans built in the city, including Sultanahmet Camii, which stands across the park from the Ayasofya.
I’ve been to Ayasofya before, but this was the first time I was toting a camera capable of taking photographs in the dim light inside. I could have spent an entire day there. Since time was limited, however, I made do with a short visit, exploring bits and pieces of the museum with Murat while Aylin and mom relaxed in the plaza outside.
I have to digress a moment to recount a hilarious story (or maybe it’s a you-had-to-be-there kind of story). While they were waiting for us, Aylin and mom were approached by a Korean tourist. He spoke very little English, but they managed to gather from the sign language he was using that he wanted a photograph. At first, they thought he was asking them to take a picture of him. It turns out, he wanted to have a picture taken with mom! We’re still not sure why? Maybe he thought she was someone famous; or as mom said, maybe he was intrigued by her silver hair. In any event, she obliged him. Too bad I don’t have a copy of the picture to post here.
Thanks to the MüzeKart, we didn’t have to join the long line to buy a ticket.
(my card has now officially paid for itself)
By the way, the entrance fee to Ayasofya at the time of this writing is 20TL, or about $13. The price is the same for locals and foreigners.
Diagram of Ayasofya and the Ottoman tombs on the museum grounds.
(courtesy of Planetware)
The door at the end of the inner narthex leads to the upper gallery;
the oversized door on the right is the grand portal into the nave.
Left: Murat shares a name with Ottoman sultans. Does that qualify him to enter
through the Imperial Door that only emperors were allowed to use?
Right: View of the nave from the upper gallery. The calligraphic roundels flanking the
apse (now the mihrab) bear the names of the Prophet Muhammet (left) and Allah.
The center dome is one reason why Ayasofya is considered an architectural marvel.
(diameter: 102½ feet [~ 31m]; height: 182½ feet [~55½ m])
Note the seraphim in the lower left corner in the photograph above and see the next image (sorry about the quality; they wouldn't let me climb the scaffolding, so I had to resort to some heavy cropping).
Buried beneath seven layers of plaster for 160 years, the face of one of the
four seraphims was uncovered in 2009.
(seraphims are God's 6-winged protector angels)
The “Mihrap” (mihrab), which indicates the direction of Mecca, is one of the
Islamic features added by the Ottomans. This one was built in the 19th century
(over the original one that replaced the altar). The tile inscription below the windows
dates back to 1607-1608. The oversized bronze candlesticks flanking the mihrap were
brought back from the Hungarian campaign by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
(note the cats in front of the lights; perfect spot for them to keep warm)
This 9th-century mosaic of the Virgin and Child (above the apse) is the
oldest of the surviving mosaics at Ayasofya.
The sultan used this loge, built in 1847, to observe rituals at the mosque.
The grills allowed him to remain unseen by the public and, at the same time,
protected him from assassination attempts. Ironically, the four pedestals
that support this Ottoman loge are Byzantine in origin.
The lower half of the sultan's loge is marble carved in the Turkish rococo style.
Left: Panel depicting the Kabe (Kaaba) in Mecca — 16th & 17th century İznik tiles.
Right: Hellenistic period urn, carved from a single block of marble, brought
here from Bergama (Pergamum) during the reign of Sultan Murat III (1574-1595).
The Hellenistic period marble door was probably brought here from elsewhere.
It was used by synod (church council) members to enter and exit the meeting chamber.
Ceiling detail from the upper gallery.
The calligraphic roundels shown here bear the names of Allah (left) and Ebu Bekir
(Abu Bakr), one of the first four caliphs.
Intricately carved Byzantine column capitals have withstood the test of time.
This mosaic of the “Deesis” dates back to 1261.
It’s a traditional representation of the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist
imploring Christ for the salvation of man.
(note the inset of what is believed to be the complete mosaic)
This 12th Century mosaic was probably made during the reign of John II Comnenus.
The Virgin Mary, standing between the Emperor and his wife Irene, is holding the
child Christ, who is giving his blessings with his right hand and holding a scroll with his left.
The emperor and the empress are holding symbols of their donations to the church.
This 11th Century mosaic shows Jesus sitting on a jeweled throne, blessing with his
right hand, and holding the bible with his left. On his left, is Empress Zoe, offering
a scroll symbolizing her donations to the church. The face of her consort is believed
to have changed three times to reflect each of her husbands (current face is of her
final spouse, Constantine IX Monomachus).
I really enjoyed my time at Ayasofya. I’ll leave you with a virtual 360 tour — enjoy exploring on your own.
After Murat and I rejoined mom and Aylin, we walked across the park to one of the great Ottoman mosques that was modeled after Ayasofya — Sultanahmet Camii (Blue Mosque). Our timing was off; it was time for one of the five daily “namaz” (prayer) rituals and the doors were closed to visitors. I had to be satisfied with a quick walk around the courtyard this afternoon; time permitting, we’ll return to peek inside the mosque.
Sultanahmet Camii
As the afternoon had grown late, we decided to head back to our hotel in Beyoğlu to rest a bit before dinner. That was our intent, but then, my eye was caught by the entrance to the Ottoman tombs on the south side of the Ayasofya grounds. I’ll make that visit a part of the next post …
Next Up: A Byzantine Cistern & Ottoman Tombs
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