Aya Sofya |
Floorplan of the Aya Sofya |
Entrance to the Aya Sofya Museum |
Aya Sofya (Hagia Sofia) under clear blue skies |
Minaret, Aya Sofya |
Four minarets were added during Sultan Mehmet's conversion from church to mosque |
Aya Sofya minaret and tulips |
Aya Sofya minaret and tulip |
Shops built into the outer walls of the Aya Sofya along Babihümayun Cad |
Shops outside the Aya Sofya |
Domes of outlying buildings of the Aya Sofya complex |
Minor dome, Aya Sofya |
Part of the Aya Sofya complex |
Hagia Sofia |
Minaret, Aya Sofya |
Minaret, Aya Sofya |
Sancta Sophia |
Aya Sofya from the entrance to Topkapi Palace |
Aya Sofya from the entrance to Topkapi Palace |
Final resting place for old columns, Aya Sofya Museum |
Final resting place for old columns, Aya Sofya Museum |
Column carved with a Christian cross |
Repent! |
Ok, so I'm not a good preacher |
Mosaic of Christ as Pantocreator, 9th C. with Emperor Leon VI kneeling (886-912), the Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel |
Mosaic roof of the Inner Narthex, Aya Sofya |
Main hall, Aya Sofya |
8 massive calligraphy panels were added during the mosque conversion, this one bearing the name of Ali |
TurkeyApr06 1461.jpg |
Hagia Sophia |
Small mosaic panel, Aya Sofya |
Muhammad, as-salam "alayhi -- Muhammad, peace be upon him (PBUH) |
Hellenistic urn carved from a single block of marble from Pergamon |
Aya Sofya |
North transcept, Aya Sofya |
Sultan's Loge, Aya Sofya |
Mibrab, in place of the Christian altar, pointing the direction of Mecca, just a bit south of the east-west axis of the church |
Mihrab, Aya Sofya |
Rub al-alameen, Lord of the Worlds, sala allah 'alayhi wa salam, God bless him and grant him salvation (Mohammed) |
Mosaic of the Madonna and Child over the apse, 9th C. |
Madonna and Child, 9th C. |
Bismi Allah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim, In the Name of God the Merciful the Compassionate |
Sultan's Loge, Aya Sofya |
Mosaic of Archangle Gabriel on the right side of the apse, 9th C. |
Aya Sofya |
Caliph Abu Bakr |
Mimbar (pulpit) and calligraphic Allah |
Al-farooq, the second caliph, Omar, "he who distinguises truth from falsehood, may God be pleased with him" |
East semi-dome, Aya Sofya |
Iznik tile panel (16-17 C) left of apse in tunnel |
Column detail |
Aya Sofya |
Mosaic ceiling of southern transept, Aya Sofya |
Mosaic ceiling of southern transept, Aya Sofya |
Chandalier |
Ali and the upper gallery |
Interesting stone over the entrance to the upper gallery ramp |
Mosaic of a Christian cross, Inner Narthex |
Inner Narthex mosaic ceiling |
Upper Gallery |
Upper Gallery |
Uthman (Osman), may God be pleased with him |
Photographic exhibition in the north gallery |
Chandalier from the upper gallery |
Mosaic of Archangel Gabriel from the upper gallery |
Mosaic of the Madonna and Child from the upper gallery |
Main dome, partially obscured by scaffolding |
What the main dome is supposed to look like without the scaffolding |
Mosaic of Emperor Alexandros (912-913), 10th Century, upper gallery |
Loge of Empress, Upper Gallery |
Main hall from upper gallery |
Sultans loge from Empress' loge |
Deisis - famous mosaic of Christ and the Last Judgement Day |
Detail of Christ Enthroned, 12th C |
The Last Judgement Day, Upper Gallery, 12th Century mosaic |
Virgin Mary at the Last Judgement Day |
Mosaic detail of St. John the Baptist, Last Judgement Day, Upper Gallery of Hagia Sophia |
St. John the Baptist, Last Judgement Day |
Christ Enthroned |
Depiction of the complete scene of the Last Judgement Day |
11th C. mosaic of Christ Pantokrator with Empress Zoe and Constantine IX |
Empress Zoe, 1028-1050 |
Detail of Empress Zoe presenting a scroll |
Christ Pantokrator |
Detail of Christ Enthroned, 11th C. |
Detail of Christ's hand and Bible |
Constantine IX (Imperator Konstantinos IX) |
Detail of Constantine IX Monomachus |
Detail of Constantine IX Monomachus presenting a sack of gold |
12th C. mosaic panel of the Virgin & Child with Emperor Johannes Komnenos II, Empress Irene and their son Alexios |
12th C. mosaic panel of the Virgin & Child with Emperor Johannes Komnenos II, Empress Irene |
The Virgin and Child, 12th C. |
Detail of Christ as a child held by Mary |
Detail of the Virgin Mary |
Empress Irene |
Empress Irene presenting a scroll |
Emperor Johannes Komnenos II |
The Sultanahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque) seen through an open window of the Aya Sofya |
Hard to see mosaic of St. Ignatius the Younger |
Central dome of the Aya Sofya |
Map of the upper gallery |
Constantinople |
The Virgin Mary between Constantine (rt) presenting Constantinople and Justinianus presenting the Hagia Sophia, 10th C. |
Emperor Justinian presenting the Hagia Sophia |
Virgin Mary and Child, 10th C. |
Emperor Constantine the Great presenting the city of Constantinople |
Constantine , Mary and Justinian |
Ablutions fountain, Aya Sofya |
Ayasophya - September 2006 |
Christian Mosaics of the Hagia Sophia |
Beautiful mihrab of the Ayasophya from when the church was converted to a mosque |
Mosaic - Emperor Alexandros (912-931 AD) |
This must be one of the most amazing mosaics of Christ in the world |
The Ayasofya is now neither church nor mosque - it was opened as a museum by the fiercely secular Kamal Atatürk |
Ayasofya mosaics |
Mosaics of the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul |
The Blue Mosque from a window of the Hagia Sophia |
The Blue Mosque seen across the park from the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul |
Market against the ancient walls of the Hagia Sophia |
The Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque in 1453 following the fall of Constantinople |
The dome of the Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in 562 AD following numerous earthquakes that resulted in its collapse in 558 AD |
Four minarets were added to the Ayasofya after the Ottoman Turk conquest of Constantinople in 1453 |
The Haigia Sophia was a church for almost 1000 years, then a mosque for nearly 500 years and is now a museum |
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul |
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul |
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul |