Wednesday, August 7, 2014: Grandeur

Wednesday, August 7, 2014: Grandeur

Truly the word grandeur must have been invented to describe the landmarks of this city. They are mosques, but one of them has not always been. The Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofia) was built as a Byzantine church in the 4th century, and was twice rebuilt after earthquakes and fires. Not much is said about those earlier versions, because the one that stands now, completed by Emperor Justinian in 537, became a masterpiece that was never again equaled in the Byzantine period.

Hagia Sofia dome partially
obscured for renovation work

The Imperial Gate

It isn't the largest mosque, nor is it even considered the most beautiful, but it has such an interesting story to tell that it is its history that makes it unique in the world. It stood as a church for close to 1,000 years before it was converted to a mosque by the Ottomans in 1453, the year they conquered Constantinople for their empire. The dome, designed by master engineer Anthemius of Tralles, was the higher and bigger than anything built before it - 185 feet high and 105 feet in diameter. It towered over the Constantinople skyline, and bystanders traveled from afar to see it raised by the 5,000 architects, bricklayers, plasterers, sculptors, painters and mosaic artists who each had a role to play in it.

View from the upper gallery

The ramp to the upper gallery:
Emperors were carried or rode horseback,
necessitating a ramp instead of stairs.

It's proportions are something that is difficult to describe in words - it needs to be experienced. The Notre Dame dome could fit within it, and the Statue of Liberty "could do jumping jacks" according to Rick Steves. Despite the renovation work which obscured many of the features of the space, it still impressed. A primary feature of the interior are the 8 wooden medallions adorned with Islamic calligraphy suspended at the bases of the arches supporting the central and side domes. They are each 24 feet wide and were hung in the 18th century.

 There were hundreds of people milling around taking snapshots, but somehow it felt like each of these views were for me alone. It was like I saw something different from every other person there. Like the emperors and the sultans who graced this space, I felt as though this space was mine to behold.

Read about these 16th century tiles here

The Hagia Sofia became a museum in 1934, so a veil is no longer required, and one does not see men at prayer as one can in the Blue Mosque and the Suleymaniye. Most of the features visible today are Islamic, but the many Byzantine mosaics, plastered over by the Ottoman conquerers, can be viewed from the upper gallery.

The Hagia Sofia and the Blue Mosque are connected by Sultanahmet Park. It is a place to find some shade and people watch. You can also hear many languages spoken - this is the heart of the tourist area of Istanbul and people come from all over the world. If you want to hear a discussion of the Hagia Sofia's murals in Russian or Japanese, just keep your ears open and you'll find it.

The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque is the most ornate of the three mosques. Completed in 1616 by Sultan Ahmet, it was raised in close proximity to the the Hagia Sophia which had already been standing for more than 1,000 years. The Suleymaniye Mosque had been built only 60 years earlier, and Sultan Ahmet could simply not be out done and needed a monument of his own. Like the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Blue Mosque is still a functioning place of worship, so I needed a veil to enter. Crowds are kept behind a low banister, and Muslims have a much larger space, and less crowded, to move around.

The central dome of the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque

The third mosque, which I've already shared with you, is the Suleymaniye Mosque completed in 1557. Visit my prior post to see pictures.

I've shared a few snapshots with you here, but I must insist you visit airpano.com which provides spectacular aerial and interior views of all three mosques.