Masked Man3 viewsAttila warned us that there was a danger of avian flu and told us that we should wear masks to Aya Sophia. I had brought some surgical masks to wear on airplane flights, so this was an opportunity to make good use of them.
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April Fool4 viewsOf course I was almost the only one who fell for it, never suspecting that April Fool's Day might be a thing in Turkey too. It didn't take long for Attila to "unmask" the hoax.
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Remains1 viewsThe objects exhibited here are remains of an older Aya Sophia, built during the reign of Emperor Theodosius II, who dedicated it in 415 AD, and destroyed during the Nika riots of 532.
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Lambs3 viewsOne of several marble blocks with reliefs depicting 12 lambs representing the 12 Apostles of Christ; originally part of a monumental front entrance to the Theodosian Aya Sophia, destroyed in 532.
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Column Fragment1 viewsCapital of a column that supported the roof of the Theodosian Aya Sophia.
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Narthex Door1 viewsA bronze door providing entry to the narthex (antechamber). Each door in Aya Sophia seemed to have a different figure.
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View from the Narthex3 viewsLooking into the interior of the church through one of the doors in the narthex. The scaffolding seen on the right in this picture enabled workers to climb to the dome to perform repair work.
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Imperial Gate Mosaic1 viewsOnly the emperiors could enter via the Imperial Gate. The mosaic above the Imperial Gate depicts the emperior bowing before Christ, with the Virgin Mary on the left and the Archangel Gabriel on the right.
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Upper Galleries1 viewsThe western gallery was the Empress' Loge, the northern was for the court women, and the southern for the emperor. The hexagonal structure at lower right, below the gallery, is the Sultan's Loge, a 19th-century addition.
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Medallion3 viewsThe huge circular medallions date from the renovation of 1847-49 undertaken by Sultan Abdulmajid. They are inscribed with the names of Allah, Muhammad, the first four caliphs, and the grandchildren of Muhammad.
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Ceiling Detail1 viewsIn the Empress' Loge.
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Gallery View1 viewsThe northern gallery, as seen from the southern.
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