Egypt, Turkey and Beyond * Installment 9
Istanbul, Turkey * Sophia the Beautiful and the Hips of the
Hippodrome
The Blue Mosque:
Named for the blue tile work
on the inside walls and ceilings! And oh, what a beauty. The building of this mosque began in 1603 and continued to
1617 and is built on the site of the Great Palace of Byzantium, on the
southeastern side of the Hippodrome.
It has six minarets and lots of domes and is just a short walk from Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) so you
can do them both in about a half day or just a little more (depends on the time
you are given and ultimately how much time you want). 
What an awe inspiring site. Keep in mind – this is a religious
facility so consider being a little more “conservative” in dress. Covering your head or at least shoulders is
expected and one must remove shoes.
As we entered the facility those who did not have shoulders covered were
handed blue shawls that were to be returned upon exiting the facility.
(Note 13: Always keep a head scarf handy – you should never enter a
church or mosque without your head and preferably shoulders covered – more on
this in the notes section)
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya):
The Church of the Divine Wisdom. Hagia Sophia (Greek), Sancta Sophia (Latin), Ayasofya
(Turkish) was built on the site of the Byzantium acropolis. Her beauty and history so rich, so
amazing it may make you weep when you experience her. From the tight stairwells
to the second level balconies, to the ornate ceilings and amazing marbled
walls, she is breathtaking. There
is a reverence as you walk in and around the rooms, chills will work their way
up your arms and down your neck.
With my granddaughter Sophia on my mind I couldn’t help but be
overwhelmed – seeing the name Sophia splashed about Istanbul, and then in the
Church/Mosque itself.
The Stairway - With the Tiled Domes Above
Said to be the greatest Church of Christendom, Sophia was
transformed into a Mosque by Mehmet the Conqueror soon after his conquest of
the city from the Byzantines in 1453.
She was turned into a museum, in 1935. While still a museum there is a small room that serves as a
prayer place.
Zaina and The Chair of Chairs
The dome is filled with unbelievable mosaic tiles which have
been undergoing restoration for some time. As we entered there was scaffolding from floor to the dome -
- I had never seen scaffolding like this and was struck by its presence, not
merely because it was “there” but it just looked like a delicate puzzle. I wondered about those who might work
in that maze of lumber – for them it would seem to be clearly dangerous, but
equally exciting and fulfilling all at the same time.
The main columns in the central nave area were brought in
from Egypt (no wonder I was totally enthralled). That same main level offered up what seemed to be a stairway
to perhaps a magical place. I was
intrigued and just wanted to start up the stairs (darn it all – it was chained
off from public access). Oberon
found her magic place in the Stele of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus that is said to
have “miraculous” powers. It is
said, if you put your thumb in and make a full turn, your wish will come
true. And Obei did just that.
Oh What a Ceiling it is!
Made me want to lay down
and look to the heavens
Bottom line here – there is not an inch of this wonder of
wonders that you will not be in awe over.
Sometimes as you turn a corner – and look at the beauty she holds, you
may find a tear, how can you possibly help it?
Zaina in an Alcove off the Stairs
to the Mezz
A Very Short Ceiling
We went to the mezzanine level to see the Byzantine mosaics
and that was well worth the walk up the narrow, winding stair case (an
adventure all by itself with its many alcoves – perfect for pictures). We found so many patterns in the
marble, my favorite being the large section that looked like Zebra stripes - -
well, I just had to have my pictures.
Oberon found a beautiful painting, her photo opp - - one as beautiful as
the other.
Good Luck Oberon!
My first granddaughter’s name is Sophia so I had much fun
picking out trinkets and books for her to keep for all time. I am so glad we pushed and that the
beautiful Church, Mosque, Museum was put back on our tour - - just would not
have been right to go to Instanbul and miss her awe inspiring magnificence.
The Hippodrome:
Before entering the grounds of Topkapi Palace we were lead through the
area, a court yard of sorts, of the Hippodrome and here was another really big
WOW! It is now called Sultanahmet
Meydani (also called the Horse Square – and hippos by the way is Greek for
horse). We were shown some amazing
monuments - the Hippodrome was the sporting and/or social center of
Constantinople (capital of the Byzantine empire and the largest city in
Europe).
The Egyptian Obelisk of Theodosis with faces around the bottom
and made out of pink granite; the Serpentine Column (which is one of the most
ancient monuments in Istanbul), The Walled Obelisk (which used to have gilded
bronze plaques on it that had been sacked by Latin troups in the fourth
crusades – you can see where the plaques were attached) and the Kaiser Wilhelm
II fountain. What an amazing
area.
Next, The Spell of Topkapi and The Cistern
