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Published: March 17th 2008
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Ayasofia Scaffold
Ayasofia is the Turkic version of Hagia Sophia, the monumental church built/renovated under the massive rebuilding projects of Justinian I (the Great). In the center is a huge dome; an architectural design adopted and improved upon by the classical Ottoman architects. Unfortunately for me, many of Turkey's historical monuments are being renovated at the moment, which means that the giant scaffolding is there so that workers can get at the dome. Also unfortunate is that the picture is blurry. Nevertheless, I think it's a good picture, as the scaffolding shows you just how the light is supposed to shine in an a sunny day. I finally got out to see Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque today. There was a group of us out late last night watching a movie with some Turks, and on the way back Josh, Emiel and myself were organizing our trip to Hagia Sophia for today (Saturday) when two other people chimed in that they hadn’t been either. Because we were out so late, we decided to wait until noon today before venturing forth.
Unfortunately, Istanbul is apparently in the midst of renovation and restoration of many of its historical sights, which isn’t supposed to be finished until 2010. This meant that the central space of Hagia Sophia, the space beneath the legendary dome, was filled with scaffolding. Still the place was incredibly impressive. One walks in and is immediately struck but the architecture. On the outside, the Hagia Sophia isn’t much to look at. It’s big, it’s old. But the inside is breathtaking. There are high ceilings, with decorations and adornments all around. The bottom floor is basically all informational. The opening hallway is filled with large signs and pictures detailing the history of the building. I’ve found it impossible to convey through pictures the sense of space
Tourism Police
There are signs all over museums saying "No Flash Photography," because it is supposedly bad for the artifacts/paintings. I'd rather not find out what happens if you forget to switch the flash off. and scale found in these places I visited today, so I’m going to upload the 20-second videos instead of a gratuitous amount of pictures.
(The first video is from the ground floor of the Hagia Sophia, the second is from the gallery (second floor… more or less) and the third is of the Blue Mosque.)
To get from the ground floor to the gallery of the Hagia Sophia is no simple task. There is an indoor ramp that goes back and forth about 4 times before you reach the gallery. The hallway is tiny, with all the surfaces covered in stones worn down and polished through ages of human movement. Entering the gallery level was fantastic, allowing you to view everything. The gallery level, at the moment, is basically an art showroom, with both sides devoted to large exhibits on the art of Istanbul; but there were still niches one could find for seeing the mosaic work of Hagia Sophia in person. I was overjoyed to find one mosaic to which I knew the story to already, but not only that, I knew oodles more than what the accompanying paragraph told the viewer. What is this story? I’m
Cistern
This is a shot from the Basilica Cistern. It's really dark and wet, but also very impressive, as there is a lot of architecture down there. Notice the grooves on the ceiling. Apparently a Bond movie had a scene down here, but sadly, I don't know which one. not telling. It is told better through pictures.
It was fantastic to wander around and try to take in the majesty that was Hagia Sophia. I am definitely coming back before I leave.
Next we visited the Basillica Cistern, which as far as I know was the major water source for this part of the old city, but I could be way off. It was impressive - column after column rising out of the water in a moist, artificial subterranean cave. Hard to take pictures of; but a pretty impressive sight for 3 YTL.
We visited the Cistern because it was really close, and because as we left Hagia Sophia, the call to prayer was announced, and we, as tourists weren’t allowed to enter during prayer time. When we were allowed into the complex, I was stunned. The exterior of the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet) was magnificent. The architecture was just so impressive. The courtyard was expansive and open, and it was a pleasure to wander around trying to get cool pictures.
Entering the actual mosque was great as well. The Sultanahmet, like the Fatih Mosque, were both based upon the ideas (namely, a large central dome)
Sultanahmet
I don't think I've taken a picture of Sultanahmet that I haven't liked. of the Hagia Sophia. So upon entering the Sultanahmet, the first thing one is struck by is the large sense of space that it has. The arches are more elaborately adorned than the Fatih Mosque, and while the Sultanahmet seems larger, it was also much more restrictive. First, visitors were funneled into one side off the entrance, and then barred from proceeding more than a few dozen feet into the mosque (enough to basically reach a point even with the exits). We were also asked to adhere to a dress code: women - headscarf and long dress; men - long pants, no shorts. The restrictions weren’t just for tourists, there were special sections for “women only” for worship, and there were a good number of Muslim women dressed in the traditional all-covering black robes. It was an interesting sight, and the blend of Muslim ideology and Western-influence is intriguing to say the least.
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Asa
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Istanbul...
Having fun in Istanbul...?? I spent a couple of years there, 5 total in Turkey, had a great time, looking at your photos bring back great memories... have fun... Asa