Hagia Sofia

Day five in Istanbul was a lot like the first four as far as the weather was concerned. Cold, gray, overcast skies and drizzly. We didn't really get going this day until after lunch due to some miscommunication with my brother, but we arrived at Sultanahmet just after 1:00 that afternoon with two things in mind: the Hagia Sofia and the Mosaic Museum.

Now, a quick word about some of the people you'll encounter should you find yourself wandering around Sultanahmet with that perennially upturned gaze and vague air of confusion that tourists never fail to portray as they shuffle their way through unfamiliar surroundings. Just as you would in New York City, Hollywood or Tijuana, you're going to encounter predators. Not the kind that will threaten your physical well being or attempt to steal your belongings by force or sleight of hand. No, these are the kinds of predators who want to corner you and make you feel obligated to buy what they're selling. If you've ever walked down the street in any of those three cities I just named you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. In NYC, it's, "Hey, wanna buy a watch?" In Hollywood, it's cheesy souvenirs. In Tijuana it's...well you know what it is. In Sultanahmet, it's rugs. You can't walk 50 feet without someone offering to give you directions to wherever you're going, quickly followed by an invitation to step into their rug shop and have a look-see. Don't do it. Unless you REALLY want to buy a rug, don't do it. Your chances of coming out without dropping a bundle on a rug of questionable origin is slim, or so I'm told. My brother made sure to warn us in no uncertain terms that these people were to be avoided like the plague. And as I trust my brother's judgment, I'm passing this warning on to you, my loyal reader(s). The Hippodrome I wrote about in my last post is centrally located to the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cisterns, the Hagia Sofia and the Mosaic Museum. It is swarming with rug shop shills. You've been warned.

The Hagia Sofia

The Hagia Sofia. The Haya Sofia. The Aya Sophia. I've seen it spelled with every one of these variations in myriad combinations. You're likely to find any version of Hagia mated with any version of Sophia that you see listed here. So here goes: Hagia Sofia. That's the version I like best and that's the one I'll be using. I know the "Hagia" part is correct (the others are attempts to phonetically spell the word). The "Sofia" part I'm not so sure of. I just like "Sofia". So there.

The Hagia Sofia was originally a Christian church inaugurated during the reign of Constantine I in 360 AD. In 404 AD it was partially burned down during a riot. It was inaugurated once more in 415 AD. In 532 AD, during what was a precursor to modern day sports hooliganism, another riot broke out involving the Blues and the Greens, teams that used to compete against each other in the horse races at the hippodrome (no shit, I am not making this up). They joined forces and decide to have a go at the Emperor of the day, Justinian. This little dust up is referred to as the Nika (sometimes spelled "Nike") riots. In the ensuing melee, the second iteration of the Hagia Sofia burned to the ground. After quelling the riot by putting "tens of thousands" of rioters to the sword Justinian had his architects begin the business of rebuilding the church. In 537 AD, just five years after the church had been destroyed, the Hagia Sofia was inaugurated once more.

This is the most magnificent man made structure I've ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on. To repeat myself from an earlier post, it's as big as a basketball arena and as ornate as a doily. It is a true wonder.

The Hagia Sofia

The Hagia Sofia

Entrance to the Hagia Sofia

The first impression I had of the Hagia Sofia was sheer mass. It is an immense building. The walls are obviously very thick. It is a formidable edifice and it is plain to see at first glance that it is a building of some antiquity. From the outside it appears worn, weathered, almost dingy. But then, you step inside.....

Outer entry hall

Inner Entry Hall. Notice that floors and walls are marble. Every surface that isn't covered
in mosaic or plaster and paint is marble. 

Close up of mosaic ceiling at inner entry hall

At this point, we have literally progressed maybe 50 feet into the interior of the building. So, without further ado, it's showtime....

The Hagia Sofia. Notice the mezzanine level above the main floor. More on that later. 

The ceilings are covered in incredibly intricate mosaic. There are geometrical patterns, angels, images of prophets, the Virgin and child. It is breathtaking to see and, say what you will, it is emotionally overpowering. I was riveted to the spot for some minutes upon entering the main room by a sense of awe. These ancient cultures weren't just trying to build something to keep the rain off their heads when they put shoulder to stone. They were intent on creating beauty. Lasting, permanent, jaw dropping beauty. You can see it not only in their churches and mosques, but in their palaces, their forts, their castles, anything they built was done with an eye to detail and comeliness. These buildings seduce with their sheer, overwhelming beauty. It is a changing experience to see these things. At least it was for me. I never realized how far backwards mankind had regressed until I saw these things.

Interior views of the domes and ceilings. Notice the mosaic angels at the four corners
of the main dome. 

Marble wall panels and mosaic at hallway ceiling. Notice the carved stone trim. 

Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. The mosaics contain approximately (are you ready for this?) 40,000 tiles
per square meter. You do the math.

The Omphalos. Byzantine Emperors were coronated here. 

Marble paneling is everywhere

Fine carving at column head

More marble paneling

Stone floor and threshold worn by centuries of
footsteps

The Mezzanine

The main floor is ringed above by a mezzanine level. The mezzanine was originally called the Gynekoion and was an area in the church reserved for women. Read the word again. Go on. Read it. Now you get it. For women. Gynekoion. Hey, you can't make this stuff up. 

At one corner of the main floor there is a sign pointing the way "upstairs" to the mezzanine area. Don't believe it. There ain't a stair in the joint that I saw. There is, however, a spiraling stone ramp. And it takes a long time to walk up that ramp. I didn't have time to investigate, but the ramp didn't seem to decrease in  width or length all the way up. I'm not sure how they built a stone ramp like that, but these guys were smart. 

To the mezzanine...

The ramp I was telling you about.
Notice how smooth the stones are from wear. 

What you see upon exiting at the top of the ramp.
Notice all the marble? Everywhere?

View from the mezzanine

View from the mezzanine

Originally, the Hagia Sofia was an orthodox church and the name of the city surrounding it was New Rome. Then the Roman Emperor Theodosius changed the name of the city to Constantinople and the Hagia Sofia was still a church. Then in 1453 the Ottomans took over and the Hagia Sofia became a mosque. Through the centuries the interior of the basilica was decorated with many spectacular mosaics depicting religious and political figures. Muslims have a rule against portraying people, especially religious figures, in art. Paintings, sculptures, political cartoons, all verboten. So, when the Hagia Sofia began life as a mosque, all the beautiful mosaics on the walls and ceilings were plastered over. In 1930, the city was officially renamed Istanbul by the Republic of Turkey and in 1935 the Hagia Sofia became a museum. They have since uncovered and are in the process of restoring many of the mosaics. 

The mezzanine area has many of the mosaics that are in mid-restoration. Check 'em out...

I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be Jesus in the middle. Don't
know about the other two. 

Detail of mosaic above. Please do yourself a favor and click
on this picture and check out the work up close. 

I have no idea who these yahoos are. 

I know who these yahoos are, though.
That would be Constantine IX, Jesus and the Empress Zoe.
Who knew they were so tight? It's good to be king. 

I took over 1,600 pictures during my two weeks in Turkey. Fourteen days, 1,600 pictures. I took 195 pictures in the Hagia Sofia alone. That was about two hours worth. I have shared only a few and I hope the best ones. When I started putting this post together three hours ago I fully intended to include the Mosaic Museum. In the interest of not boring you to death, and me being able to get up tomorrow to go to work, I'm going to conclude this post here. I promise I will finish the Mosaic Museum post before the weekend is out. 

I don't know how many, if any, readers I have at this point. But I sure hope somebody's following along. Creating this blog and sharing the sights and experiences is a lot of fun and it really brings back the feelings I had when I was there. I hope you're feeling it, too. 

Until next time...