Turkey 5 - Istanbul - Hagia Sophia /first a church then a mosque , next a church and back to a mosque /water damage and hotels offering hospitality during Ramadan

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In 2020 Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of the city’s historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after a court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum. Shortly after Turkey’s top administrative court released its long-anticipated decision Erdogan issued a presidential decree transferring the management of the site from the Ministry of Culture to the Presidency of Religious Affairs which paved the way for its conversion. Erdogan has been a major proponent of the move. I am not sure that the population were entirely happy as this was at odds with the idea of allying Turkey to the West and the EU . I wish we had visited before he had changed its status as viewing was going to be less of an experience than it could have been. There would be so much to see and we not be allowed to view it.

IWith the cistern visit over we walked slowly back to Sultanhamet to meet up with our Headout guide for our skip the line tour of Hagia Sophia . We were getting used to finding the ticket man and using the facility . We were looking forward despite our disappointment at not seeing everything to see what we could of the building that started life as a church. We discussed how unwelcome the change was but knew we had to respect the mosque status . We did over the next few days visit other mosques and had more access than allowed at Hagia Sophia.

The walk from lunch and the cistern took us to the Topkapi Cafe again where we waited to meet up with our guide who would take us to the mosque and take us through the security desks . The sun was shining and the temperature was rising . In all it was a lovely day. I donned my headscarf a requirement of visiting . The queues were long on the opposite side where payment was at the gate. It felt odd paying to see a mosque when all others we were to see where free to view . Not even a box for donations . It seemed that Erdogan should have stopped charging to visit Hagia Sophia but chose to continue with payments to visit . That seemed a little odd.

Security was paramount with all our bags checked and we were scanned . Istanbul certainly was taking security extremely seriously . We had by this time got used to all those searches and knew that we would be checked thoroughily at every site we visited and more so on our way home through Istanbul International Airport . But that would be in a few days time.

Once in we ditched the guide and made our own way around the wonderful building . The ramp up to the gallery was impressive enough for horses to travel up and led to the galleries on the north side.

At the top the mosque opened up to us . The name Hagia Sofia meant Holy Wisdom. Officially the building had begun life as a church. It had swung between church and mosque many times in the past before being given museum status . The building was completed in 537 AD. Over 1500 years of history in one building . Quite hard to take in . The site once was an Eastern Orthodox church from 360 AD to 1204 then converted to a catholic church following the Fourth Crusade . This movement from one religion to another went on over the centuries . It was reclaimed in 1261 by the Eastern Orthodox church where it remained until such time as during hte Ottoman Conquest of Istanbul in 1453 when it converted back to a mosque . The building remained a mosque until 1935 at which time it became a museum . In 2020 sadly for us visitors it was returned to mosque status which meant that non Muslims were not allowed to stand in the main building and view it in all its glory . We were relegated to the balconies where the views were restricted and much of its beauty hidden. You need to stand in the hall itself to see its full height and beauty . Perhaps we should have hired a guide because I am sure we missed much of it. Too many people pushed into too small a space

Justinian built the current structure . Justinian gets mentioned a lot in Istanbul . When built it was said to be the worlds largest interior space and had a full pendentive dome . We entered at the first level and were amazed at the beauty we could see but disappointed at what was hidden from us . The building is said to have changed the history of architecture and we could believe that . It was stunning . It was dark within with the only real light coming from the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and fell way down below us to light the prayer hall space . There were Muslims down there but they came in through a different entrance and could view more of the lovely old building . Crowds leaned on the balconies so we had to wait our time out looking for a gap to stand in and try to take photographs. What I would have given to go down there and look up at the stunning domes .

At some point there were bells in the church as you would expect , an altar iconostasis and a baptistry. They were all removed as they were Christian symbols. The mosaics though remained . Mosaics or Jesus , the Christian saints and angels . These had been plastered over but gradually are being rediscovered . Hard to see though as they were on a lower level to the one we stood on. One sad thing we noticed was damage to the walls and the mosaics through rain dripping in via the roof domes . It seemed little was being done to rectify this . Water had come in and stained many of the mosaics which were in danger of falling off. It seemed the Christian elements were being left to rot .

Four minarets were added to the building together with the mihrab and the style of the building was copied times many in more recent buildings in the city . We were later in our trip to learn about the number of minarets allowed on a building .

We slowly walked round the balconies which spanned the entire level we were standing on . Sometimes we would find a gap to look over and catch glimpses of important features but it was not easy . We loved the massive lights which hung low over the prayer carpets. The yellow lights though spoiled photography as they seemed to take over the photos we took . It is said that the building has a celestial feel and is supposed to reflect the heavens . Again the roof space would have been easier to appreciate from the ground floor level . It did have an other worldly feel and was quiet apart from that odd hum you get when many people whisper to each other .

Most of the surviving mosaics were accessible only from ground level . . We missed Christ on a throne , the marble urns and the Pillar of Gregory the miracle worker . Neither did we manage to find the Viking runes carved into the parapet. Havdan was here - it is supposed to say . The mosaic of the Virgin with Constantine and Justinian was said to be stunning but we had to read about this rather than see it . We could see the Seraphim that were placed on the corners of the walls . Archangel Gabriel was most impressive . . If there was one thing that impressed and will remain long in the memory it has to be the the large wooden plaques filled with islamic calligraphy . They dominated the walls . Eight gigantic circular boards green in colour were hung from the cornice on each of the four piers . For me these were Hagia Sophia . Every picture I had ever seen showed the discs on either side of the apse . They had been designed by the calligrapher Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi who lived between 1801 and 1877. So not as old as I expected ,. They were painted with the names of Allah , Muhammed and the Rashidun who were the first four caliphs - Abu Bakr, Umar , Uthman and Ali . Further discs were inscribed with the names of two grandsons of Muhammed. They were stunning .

So what else did we miss - the Viking runes . There said to be two runic inscriptions in the marble parapets . They may have been engraved by the Vangarian guard who were living in Istanbul during the Viking age . The first was discovered in 1964 and is know as the Halfdan rune and may say Halfdan carved these runes . A Viking Halfdan woz here . The second runes were discovered later in 1975. This suggests that there are still more things to discover in this mosque . Runes were being discovered in the south gallery and the north which suggests that there could be more of them carved into the marble .

We headed out into the sunshine and the light . Time for another coffee and I think Surhat in the hotel . As part of Ramadan the hotel was offering a break in the fast between 4pm and 6pm. They offered free coffee and tea plus a selection of snacks which included bread, croissants , nuts and dried fruit . We were all encouraged to turn up at the restaurant and partake of the food and socialise . The room was full and it was an interesting experience to join in with the celebration with other visitors to the city . I guess it made us feel part of Ramadan .

It had been a long day but we had a date with a ticket machine later down at the railway station. We needed to pick up an Istanbul Transport card which would save our legs as there is such a lot of walking . Now that should be an interesting experience trying to negotiate how to buy the card and would indeed prove an experience that we would long remember . .

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Comments

[Home and Away]

History...
Right now I am reading about the Middle Ages which includes the rise of Islam and the Crusades. Constantinople and the Hagia Sophia feature prominently. I am so pleased that you finally were able to visit.

[JenGog]

reading
I tend to read a lot of fiction these days . I lost my love of reading non fiction after eight years of study but must get back to it . Istanbul was fascinating . We always wanted to do the trip which included the route from Venice to Istanbul and Dubrovnik so have ticked it off finally . We did say that Istanbul would have been the cherry on the top of the cake if we had still got Gabby and taken in the Aegean side of Turkey . It is a lovely city and we are in the middle of compiling our photograph book . We have both said it sometimes takes you to come home and review it to fully realise what you have seen and done . The Bosphorous trip we did was fascinating and I loved the Egyptian Bazaar . Been looking at Malta but cannot fly direct and go business class unless we fly to or travel to London . The choice of airlines here for Malta from Manchester are Ryanair and Easy Jet and are cheap but you can just imagine they are like drunken cattle markets . Been spoiled with Turkish Airlines Business class . Other choice might be Paris (been before but we have not been together ) with Eurostar but it is more expensive here to get down to London than it is to fly business class with Air France !!!!! It defies logic . Amsterdam by ferry from Hull to Rotterdam /Hook of Holland might be another choice . So many thoughts but I am full of a chest infection since I got home . I found the battleground of Ataturks idea of Turkey and the link to the west compared with the current leaders push for Islam and the east extemely telling particularly when we went on the Bosphorous and the guide was clearly anti east and Erdogan and not afraid to say it . The mosques were utterly fascinating too . I am not a spiritual person . I just love the architecture of religion and the mosques were inspiring .