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Most viewed - Aya Sophia, 4/1/2006
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Turkish Labyrinth699 viewsSandie was late returning to the agreed-upon rendezvous, and I feared that she would become lost in the Grand Bazaar and end up in a harem, enslaved by the janissaries. But luckily she showed up just in time.
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Cenotaph697 viewsActually, this isn't really his tomb, which was destroyed by the Turks when they conquered Constantinople. It is a marker, or cenotaph, placed by Italians in the 19th century near the probable site of the tomb.
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The Comnenus Mosaic697 viewsDates from 1122. The Virgin Mary is in the center, holding the Christ child; on the left is Emperor John Comnenus; on the right is Empress Irene, a daughter of King Ladislas I of Hungary.
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Lustration Urn696 viewsDavid Lindquist with his mascot bear Hero kneels next to one of two huge urns carved from single blocks of marble. They date from the Hellenistic era - 300 BC or so - but were brought here from Pergamon during the reign of Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595).
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Southwestern Entrance Mosaic695 viewsDates from the reign of Emperor Basil II (976-1025). Depicts the Virgin Mary seated in the center with the Christ child on her lap, with Emperior Constantine on the right, presenting a model of the city of Constantinople, and Emperor Justinian on the left, presenting a model of Hagia Sophia.
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Light Show693 viewsI have no idea how Sandie managed to shoot this, but I think it's cool.
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Grave of Enrico Dandolo692 viewsDoge of Venice and leader of the Crusader forces that sacked Constantinople in 1204. In the southern gallery. He died during the expedition and was buried in Aya Sophia.
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Imperial Gate Mosaic690 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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Ablution Fountain689 viewsadirvan (fountain for ritual ablutions), added by Sultan Mahmud I in 1740.
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The Apse687 viewsThe Virgin and Child mosaic appears at the top of the apse, which also features stained-glass windows and other decor, both Christian and Islamic.
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Sandie Takes a Poke682 viewsUnfortunately, the light in this corner of Hagia Sophia was so dim that the camera wasn't able to shoot at the speeds required to freeze motion, so this as well as many other pictures shot inside the cathedral came out blurry.
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Column Fragment681 viewsCapital of a column that supported the roof of the Theodosian Aya Sophia.
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