Hagia Sophia

I wanted to come to Turkey because as an undergrad, when I minored in architectural history, I remember learning about Hagia Sophia. The pictures were so beautiful that Turkey was immediately added to the list (Brandie and I planned to visit Turkey before, in 2005, but then I got pregnant and the trip was postponed).

Hagia Sophia, now a museum, did not disappoint. It is one of those breath taking buildings where you walk in and just gaze. It was originally built as a church, but later when the Ottoman's took over, they turned it into a mosque. Thank God, I mean thank Allah, they didn't tear it down!

The church was built in the typical Byzantine style of the time. In converting the church to a mosque the mosaics and paintings were painted over (which actually helped preserve them), but the underlying Byzantine style of the church, such as the precise symmetry and intricate stone carvings remained. When I walked in if felt like a mosque to me. Sure, there are giant medallions with Arabic calligraphy, but there are also pictures of the Madonna and child, so it wasn't the art that made the building feel Islamic, it was the building itself.

So, here is what was built as the most magnificent church in the world. Then it became the most magnificent mosque in the world and, hence forward provided the inspiration for mosque design and Islamic art. Now, several hundred years later, I go into it and think it looks Islamic...how ironic that Islamic art has roots in a Christian church.