Our first stop was the Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia is an important Byzantine structure and one of the world's greatest monuments. It was built as a Christian church in the 6th century (532-537AD) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor, Justinian I. Later it became a mosques, a museum, and a mosque again. It's interesting that the building reflects the different religious changes that have occurred in the region over the centuries. there are minarets and inscriptions of Islam, as well as lavish mosaics of Christianity.
Tobey, Wendy, and I visited here in 2008 and have noticed MANY changes. First, and foremost is the HUGE number of people visiting the sites today. The building is also under renovations so much of the outside has scaffolding surrounding it. We were not able to go into the main level this time, but viewed most of the inside from the second level balconies.
The central building has a huge 105-foot main dome supported on a triangular segment which then has two semidomes. It's hard to explain, but it's impressive architecture. When we visited in 2008, they were doing renovations in the main level so we were able to be down there and look directly up to the ceilings.
In the apse of the Hagia Sophia, the Virgin with Child sit surrounded by a vast expanse of gold. The mosaics are from the 9th century. There were more mosaics in the original building, but because of Muslim law, no images of holy people can be displayed so they were painted over. Surprisingly, these images still remain.
This mosaic is not painted over. Early pilgrims visiting the Hagia Sophia took pieces of the mosaic as mementos of their visit!
There are four angels like this painted around the ceiling dome.
One of the fountains outside.
From the Hagia Sofia we walked to the Sultanahmet Camii, more commonly called the Blue Mosque.
We waited in this huge line around the mosque for our turn to enter. Once you get up the stairs at the far end, you must remove your shoes because it is a holy place. If you are Muslim and go to pray, they have washing stations. They wash their heads, hand, and feet before entering.
These are some other views around the outside of the mosque.
This area inside the mosque is blocked off and only people who come to worship are allowed in.
You can see the beautiful stained glass windows around the top of the mosque.
We were shocked at the changes. We had been able to walk all around the floor area in the mosque and there were very few people. Now the crowds made it difficult to move.
After our short stay inside, we headed out to the Hippodrome of Constantinople, now Sultanahmet Square. The historical monuments and public square outlined the former racetrack where chariot races were held. The Obelisk of Theodosius, the Serpent Column, and the Masonry Obelisk are located in the Hippodrome. The Hippodrome of Constantinople was the heart of the city's political and social life for almost 900 years.
This is the Egyptian Obelisk. It is only the top third of the original obelisk built for the great temple of Karnak in Egypt. The Romans had it cut into pieces and shipped up the River Nile to Alexandria in 390AD. This top section has survived nearly 3,500 years and stands where Emperor Theodosius placed it, on a marble pedestal, to commemorate his 20th anniversary on the throne of Constantinople. The reliefs on the pedestal show Theodosius as he offers a laurel wreath to the victor from the Kathisma (Imperial Box) at the Hippodrome.
The Serpent Column was originally part of a victory tripod which was dedicated to the Sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi by the Greeks in 479BC. It has three snakes twisting around each other and originally three heads branched out of the top of the snake. They were all knocked off by 1700AD. The missing upper heads were discovered in 1848 and are now at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
The Masonry Obelisk is not technically an obelisk because it not made of granite. It is made from limestone blocks. It was originally sheathed in bronze. It was restored in 1895 and traces of lead pipe were found under the pedestal suggesting that it once served as a fountain.
From here we headed to a restaurant for the "included" lunch from EF Tours. There were some appetizers which were pretty good, but I didn't care for the main dish. Tobey got the "beef" option which was a meatball. I took the mixed plate which had a small meatball and some chicken pieces with the veggies. We all got the small pistachio pastry and an unusual ice cream for dessert.
Once lunch was finished, we walked to the Topkapi Palace Museum. Again, we were shocked at how crowded it was and the lines to see the exhibits. Construction began in 1459 and expanded over the centuries after earthquakes and fires. There are four main courtyards and many smaller buildings. We toured the harem, where the female members of the Sultan's family lived, as well as the Relic room which had a fragment of John the Baptist's arm.
The tile mosaics were beautiful.
We headed back to the hotel after our visit to the Topkapi Palace and we were ready for a break. After resting a while, Wendy, Bill, Tobey and I walked to a restaurant for dinner. We split a chicken duran. It was okay, but not as good as the one we had last night.
We all shared the chocolate pudding for dessert.
We didn't have any, but saw these potato crisps as we were leaving. They look like they would be tasty.
Tomorrow we hit the road at 8:00, so it's off to bed.
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