Tag: Hagia Sophia

ARCHAEOLOGY – Hagia Sophia undergoes most comprehensive restoration

ISTANBUL – Anatolia News Agency

Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum will undergo the most comprehensive and most expensive restoration process in its history, according to officials. All the museum’s ornaments and marbles will be restored

All elements of the Hagia Sophia Museum from ornaments to the marble inside will be cleaned and renovated during the restoration process, which is the most comprehensive one ever seen.AA Photo

The most comprehensive restoration process in the history of the Turkish Republic will begin at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia Museum, soon after 17 years of restoration work were completed.

During the restoration process, some units that were added to the museum during the Ottoman period and the structures that have existed since the establishment of the museum will be restored. Among these structures are the fountain and library of Mahmud I as well as the ornaments and marbles inside the museum.

The deputy director of the Hagia Sophia Museum, Hayrullah Cengiz, said the museum was a historical work of art dating back 1,500 years and one of the world’s most magnificent works. “It is natural that such an old artwork undergoes restoration processes very often.”

Mahmud I fountain

Cengiz said that during the restoration process, both the additional structures and some other units would be renovated, and that in the first phase they had started the restoration of Turkey’s most beautiful fountain, the Mahmud I Fountain built in the 1740s. “Work has been underway for eight months and we are planning to finish it in one to 1.5 months.”

He said the fountain had undergone restoration because it had been damaged in an earthquake that happened in 1894, and had been restored most recently in the 1960s. “All elements of the fountain including the dome made of lead, wood and metal parts, calligraphy and gold leaf are being restored.”

Cengiz said the restoration of the Mahmud I Library in the museum would be done in 400 days. He said similar libraries had been built in mosques, especially in Istanbul, adding that it was a masterpiece.

The library has İznik and Kütahya tiles as well as Tekfur Palace tiles, Cengiz said. “It attracts the attention of many scientists and researchers. We will open this place to visits when the restoration is done.”

Cengiz said the western facade of the Hagia Sophia Museum would also be restored. “We estimate that it will be finished in 550 days.”

He said the restoration of the western facade would give important data for the restoration of the southern and eastern facades. He said that especially the northern and western facades of the buildings in Istanbul suffered from heavy rain, wind and snow.

“The most damaged part of the Hagia Sophia is its northern and western facades. The work that will be done here has not been discussed in the media. Projects took a long time. Finally, an agreement was reached between the scientific council and the protection council,” Cengiz said.

He said the scaffolds would be erected on the western facade after the technical work was finished.

Cengiz said the ornaments and marbles inside the museum would be cleaned during the restoration process and the work would be finished in 600 days.

via ARCHAEOLOGY – Hagia Sophia undergoes most comprehensive restoration.

November 28, 2012
Hagia Sophia: Standing the test of time

Hagia Sophia: Standing the test of time

Padma Ganapati

Eurasia

Turkey, which straddles Asia and Europe, has a rich and varied architecture. The Hagia Sophia (meaning Holy Wisdom), the most celebrated monument in the capital Istanbul, was first a Byzantine Church, then an Ottoman mosque and is now a museum. It bears testimony to Christian, Byzantine, Roman and Islamic influences.

The Roman Emperor Constantinos built the Megale Eckklesia (meaning Great Church), the first church, in AD 360. It was designed as a basilica with a wooden roof. It was partly burnt during a rebellion.It was rebuilt by Emperor Theodosios in AD 415. This also was a basilica with a wooden roof.

The most striking features of the second church were the massive hall and five naves. It was badly damaged by the Nika Rebellion in AD 532. The structure, in its present form, was built by the architects, Isidorous and Anthemios. In AD 537, Emperor Justinanus opened it for public worship.

The Hagia Sophia is unique in that its architecture combines a central dome with the traditional basilica pattern. With its rich mosaics and 107 marble pillars of every hue, it is a masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. It was the centre of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople (old Istanbul) for over nine centuries.

The structure was vandalised by the Crusaders in 1204. In 1453, Mehmet II converted it into a mosque. The Ottomans added a mihrab (niche for prayers), a minbar (pulpit) and a minaret. The mosaic faces were plastered over as Islam prohibits imagery. The bronze lamps on either side of the mihrab were gifted by Suleiman the Magnificent. Over a period of time, different Sultans made additions to the Hagia Sophia.

The Turkish architect, Mimar Sinan, had buttresses built to support the walls holding up the dome and protect the structure from earthquakes. Mehmet II built a madrasa (school) which was ruined. It was reconstructed by Sultan Abdulmecid. Mahmud I installed a fountain in the outer courtyard that served as a gathering place to knit the community together and sustain connectivity.

Between 1847 and 1849, the Fosatti brothers built the Sulatan’s Loge to the left of the mihrab. They added the calligraphic roundels with the names of Allah, Muhammad, the first four caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali and the two grandsons of Muhammad — Hasan and Husayn.

The east end of the monument has the most interesting sights — the mosaic of the Virgin and the Child, and Archangel Gabriel. The upper floor galleries have the best mosaics. The South Gallery, which was used for church councils and imperial ceremonies, was transformed into a place for women to sit during worship. From here, there is a superb view of the nave and the Byzantine mosaics.

The Marble Door opens into the South Gallery. Inside is the Deesis Mosaic — a royal Christ with Virgin Mary and John the Baptist on either side. The two golden mosaics — Christ with Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus and Empress Zoe, and the Virgin and Child with Emperor John II Comnenus and Empress Irene.

The exit is through the Vestibule of the Warriors, where the monarch’s bodyguards waited while he prayed. Just above the exit is a breathtaking mosaic of the Virgin with Constantine (offering her a model of Constantinople) and Justinian (offering the model of the Hagia Sophia Church).

Other interesting places are the Sultan Mahmud Library, the Baptistry, the Sultans’ Tombs, St Irene Museum, and the canon balls left behind by Mehmet II.

via Hagia Sophia: Standing the test of time.

September 9, 2012
Istanbul full of Byzantine masterpieces

Suleymaniye Mosque designed in 1550-1557

By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor

Published: 21:00 August 4, 2012

Gulf News

The historic areas of Istanbul include several architectural masterpieces from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, such as the sixth-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th century Suleymaniye mosque. Hagia Sophia, or Aya Sofya was designed by the Greek professor of geometry Anthemios of Tralles and one of the main Byzantine Greek architects Isidoros of Miletus in 532-537. The vast dome of the architecture reflects not only the architectural expertise, but also the decorative expertise of the sixth century.

The Suleymaniye Mosque complex was designed by the famous architect during the Ottoman Empire Sinan in 1550-1557. Sinan had built many of the famed mosques in Turkey. His works reflected the climax of Ottoman architecture in the 16th century. Other mosques include the 17th century Blue Mosque and the slender minarets of the news Mosque near the port completed in 1664.

Topkapi Palace, which is a large palace in Istanbul was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for nearly 400 years out of their 624 reign. It was described when added to the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985 as “the best example of ensembles of palaces of the Ottoman period”. Apart from being the royal residence, the palace was a setting for a state occasions and royal entertainments. Today, it is a major tourist attraction, and contains important relics of the Muslim world.

The “Historic peninsula” in Istanbul, also includes many properties and architectures that are listed as human treasures under the United Nations, such as bazaars and its surroundings.

via Istanbul full of Byzantine masterpieces | GulfNews.com.

August 5, 2012
Istanbul – a model of hospitality

By Misbahuddin Mirza

“Could you slow down? Please?” I asked the cab driver as he started racing down the freeway, leading away from the Istanbul airport, as if someone had just waved the Indy 500’s start of race flag at him. The driver acknowledged my request, but, made no attempt to slow down. As the distance between my cab and the car in front of it started disappearing at an alarming rate, I resumed fidgeting nervously with my seat belt, hoping desperately for it to click in place, so that I may at least survive what looked like an unavoidable crash. I started visualizing the next day’s newspaper headlines, ‘Why on earth would a senior engineer trained in the US sit unbuckled in the front seat of a cab?’

I started praying. If my dreams of visiting the city of the mighty Sultans, and the invincible jannisaris could not be realized, I may as well go out praying. Bingo! A miracle! Just when my cab was a few inches from rear-ending the car in the front, my cab driver calmly slid into the next lane. For a person terrified at the sight of a roller coaster, this cab ride was going down in history right next to the time when I accidentally got on Epcot center’s Space Mountain roller coaster thinking that it was a benign train ride.

interior of the Dome of Hagia Sofia.
I had booked a hotel in the old city as I wanted to be amongst the Turks, and experience firsthand the history and culture of the people who had so profoundly changed the lives of so many people across the globe – including that of yours truly. The Muslims from India, like me, feel a sense of connection with the Turks. From the Turkic Sultans who ruled India, valiantly protecting us from certain destruction at the hands of the dreaded Mongols; to the Turkish Khalifa who was the Spiritual head, to the beautiful Urdu language and a refined and serene culture that flourishes to this day.

The cab had left the smooth pavement of the freeway, and was now bobbling over the cobble stone roads laid out by the Byzantines. I paid the cab driver, thanked him, and followed the porter to the front desk. Within minutes I was in the shower scrubbing away the airline germs. I emerged from the hotel refreshed. The sun was bright. The air was humid. My first stop was the Shahzade Sulaymaniye Masjid. I walked into the Masjid’s courtyard and was immediately struck by the serenity. A few people were sitting leisurely on the cool marble with their legs dangling into the courtyard. No cars whizzing by, no ringing of mobile phones, no rush for anything. Time appears to have stood still from the time this Masjid was built several hundred years ago, in memory of the Sultan’s crown prince who had died unexpectedly. I performed ablution at the fountains in the middle of the courtyard and walked into the Masjid.

Soon, I was back in another cab, this time sitting safely in the rear seat, driving towards Hagia Sofia. During the Byzantine era this was considered to be a magnificent structure, and the centerpiece of their empire. However, according to today’s standards, it can hardly be considered spacious. I stood between the columns where the empress used to stand while observing the proceedings below. From this vantage point, I observed the intricately crafted Mimbar, Mihrab, and Islamic calligraphy. As an engineer, I felt sad at the poor way in which the Byzantines had reconstructed the earthquake damage to Hagia Sofia, by erecting massive exterior buttresses to shore up the central dome.

Inside Sultan Ahmet Mosque (Blue Mosque), showing the famous Iznik tile work, and chandeliers.
From here, I walked to the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, renowned in the West as the Blue Mosque. This mosque was simply awesome. The lofty minarets reaching out to touch the clouds. The domes, and partial domes could not have been arranged in more perfect harmony. If the view of the Bosphorus joining the Sea of Marmara does not take your breath away, the skyline of the majestic Sultan Ahmet Mosque surely will. If a structure could be built using poetry, this one had no match. The interior was stunning. The famous Iznik tile work, the Circular chandelier, the ornate doors and windows, gave me more reason to wait inside till prayer time, and join the believers for the evening prayers.

I spent some time purchasing souvenirs before taking a cab back to my hotel. It was almost 10 PM. I made my way through the narrow streets to the Sultan Fateh Mosque. I entered the courtyard through one of the side entrances, and headed towards the entrance with the ornate gold roof. I tugged at the door and found that it was locked. I looked around and noticed two young teenage girls walking by, and asked them why the door to the Mosque was locked. ‘Oh, this is not the entrance to the Mosque,’ explained one of the girls speaking in perfect English. ‘This is the entrance to the mausoleum of Sultan Fateh. Please come with us, and we will take you to the Mosque’s entrance.’ They walked me around the spacious court yard that connected the adjoining Mosque’s courtyard. The Masjid courtyard looked like a carnival scene. It was full of people. Children running around playing, bicycling, skating. Grownups sitting idly on the platforms built around trees. A teenage girl pulled deeply at a cigarette as if she was participating in some sort of intense sports competition. ‘What time do these kids go to bed?’ I wondered. I walked past several stray cats that were periodically petted and fed by passerby. I went into the mosque and blended in with the locals many of whom appeared to have just returned from work. After the prayers, I walked up to the Imam, complimented him on his turban, and asked where I could buy one similar to it. On the way back to the hotel, I lost my way; a young man walked me back, striking a friendly conversation. A couple of minutes later, while parting near the hotel, he offered me a small gift.

I had an early, hearty breakfast. This was going to be another long day ahead of me, and I wanted to stretch it by starting early. I hailed a cab and headed straight for the world famous Topkapi Palace. The Topkapi palace lived up to its name and more. In the inner chambers of the palace is a row of rooms that house holy relics. I was able to see the swords of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), and the first four Caliphs’. This was quite an experience.

outside the Askari Muse (Museum of Military history), showing one of the specially designed cannons that was used in capturing Constantinople
I visited the Rumelli Hisari Fort that was built under the personal supervision of Sultan Fateh. I then headed to the famous Egyptian Bazaar and the Spice Market, which is more jam packed with people than an American Shopping Mall on Black Friday. Apparel, toys, perfumes – almost everything is available under one giant covered market. The wares overflow onto the walkways, with merchants soliciting passersby to step in and browse through their merchandise. After absorbing the lively atmosphere, I bought a Turkish outer dress and scarves for my wife, and the famous Mehmet Efendi coffee. Coming out from the spice market, I could not resist taking a ferry ride on the Bosphorous, followed by a leisurely dinner of succulent Turkish Kababs and my favorite Kadaiyf pastries.

The Muezzin’s call to Morning Prayer woke me up. I visited the Dohambace Palace, the Islamic Art Galleries, the Roman Hippodrome, and the Roman aqueducts. It had been an extremely hectic but pleasant whirlwind of a tour. It was time to say goodbye to Istanbul, and to the beautiful people who had been unbelievably hospitable to me – strangers had cared more for my well being, then I cared for myself; every store owner, where I had shopped, had thrown in a small unsolicited gift; everyone I spoke to, had gone out of the way to help me.

At New York’s JFK airport, enroute to Istanbul, I knew that I had already maxed out on my baggage allowance. Now, in Istanbul, I had bought so much stuff, that I was mentally prepared to pay a hefty fee for exceeding the baggage limits. But, the only words I heard were a wish for my safe journey, with a bright smile. Just as the jet took off the ground from Istanbul, I realized that I had forgotten something very dear in Istanbul – my heart.

—
Misbahuddin Mirza, M.S., P.E., a Senior Engineer with the Structures Division of the New York State Department of Transportation. All photos by the author.

http://twocircles.net/2012jun17/istanbul_%E2%80%93_model_hospitality.html

June 19, 2012
Turkish Delight

ISTANBUL: MEDUSA’S HEAD IS upside-down, her snake-hair rippling above the water. The savage beauty – whose look could turn you to stone – is floating above a cistern: the universal word for tank which gains something murky in translation to Irish-English because of its very specific use here.

ANCIENT BEAUTY Sultan Ahmed Mosque at night PHOTOGRAPH: THINKSTOCK

ANCIENT BEAUTY Sultan Ahmed Mosque at night PHOTOGRAPH: THINKSTOCK

But this cistern is a magical, cavernous underground cathedral where stone columns – Ionic, Doric and even leafy Corinthian – stand calmly in the still, vast bath. Medusa heads have been carved at the bases of two of the columns: one sideways and one upside down – the reason apparently being to ward off evil spirits (although it could have been practical: supporting the columns better in these positions).

So much is heavily marketed in our world, skewing our expectations (and, if you are disappointed because descriptions have been overblown, too bad: they’ve got your money now), that when something does turn out to be gorgeous, you reap one of life’s sublime surprises.

A waste-water storage facility isn’t as grand a prospect as a mosque or cathedral, but the Basilica Cistern’s proximity to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, in the old part of Istanbul, brings tourists here as an also-ran.

There are taps outside the Blue Mosque (or Sultan Ahmed Mosque), in recesses in the 17th-century stone wall, where worshippers can clean themselves, as they must do before addressing their God, although the evident lack of people using this very public facility suggests that many nowadays undertake the task at home before being called to prayer. The next task is to take off your shoes – having passed the funeral area outside the entrance – then pad around on the carpet within.

The blue is truly wonderful, the azure ceiling like a brilliant mosaic sky. But its full effect is filtered through thousands of wires hanging from the ceiling to support lamps that dangle just above head height. Tourists are held back, behind a wooden barrier, from the worshipping area where a man stands alone on a far platform, bending in prayer.

In Hagia Sophia – across a courtyard – a stray cat sits on a platform at the front of the mosque showing that this vast, majestic building can easily accommodate all-comers, all the while retaining its stature and capacity to delight. Tourists teem through, walking up its sloping stone-floored tunnel to reach the upper level where a fresco of Jesus has eyes that follow you around the room. The idea was that he was always watching you: be good.

The building has seen many visitors in its nearly 2,000 years of existence. It started as a Greek cathedral, later becoming a Roman Catholic church and then a mosque before being secularised in 1931. It is now a museum.

And that’s illustrative of Istanbul, which spills across water, spanning the Bosphorus and Golden Horn waterways. Symbolically cleaved at the conjunction of Europe and Asia, it is the only city in the world on two continents. Crammed with an estimated 13.5 million people, it has a personality that reflects its geographical positioning.

It feels like a city hankering for the perceived benefits of a westernisation – although, is that gloating I sense from the newsreader presenting the troubles of Greece? – while retaining a strong eastern identity. Christian and Muslim traditions rub shoulders, in a country where the Muslim faith is widely followed but not enshrined in law.

This situation offers freedom for various levels of expression, starkly illustrated at a traditional Turkish dancing evening which descended into belly dancing by surgically appended women jiggling their breasts and hips audience-wise to the obvious delight of one local man, who hollered and laughed, and practically dribbled, all the while hugging his wife – who wore a long dress and headscarf.

Globalisation, and the fact that the city is now becoming a weekend-break destination for Europeans (with a Turkish Airlines flight from Dublin in just under four hours), will bring a greater western influence.

Istanbul’s old city offers rich Turkish tradition, to the joy of tourists who take advantage of having the must-sees all within a walk of each other, near Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is Topkapi Palace, the vast home of Ottoman sultans for 400 years (1465-1856). In that time they acquired vast hauls of jewel-encrusted garb and household goods and constructed a harem building that could hold 300 women. Here you can drink tea by the Bosphorus or, if you visit in the winter, run into the cafe and warm your hands over a bowl of hot coals.

In the Grand Bazaar you can find beautiful carpets, cushions, fabrics and blown glass, as well as soaps and oils of sensuous plants, although there are now also fake handbags (Tod’s and Mulberry) and the main drag of glass-fronted jewellery shops is more Bond Street than traditional market.

Yet there is a real gem, down near the spice market by the Bosphorus. It is a long, thin street running parallel to the river, where locals buy anything they want from guns, frilly gauze to tie on newborns’ cradles, hammers, cheap runners, spades and spices, to handmade steel extractor hoods. There is also coffee, for which there is a huge queue waiting outside a window where young men packing the precious beans at speed.

All these and more can be found dangling from the tops of stalls that are stuffed with goods as well as at waist level on tables and within the small rooms beyond. Anything you want – historically, culturally, religiously, socially and commercially – you can get in Istanbul.

* City breaks to Istanbul are available from wingsabroad.ie, tel: 01-8719444 or a travel agent. A weekend package with Turkish Airlines, Europe’s Best Airline 2011 ( turkishairlines.com), staying at the Seres Hotel costs from €319pps.

June 16, 2012
Turkish Muslims Insist on Converting World’s Largest Church into a Mosque

Raymond Ibrahim June 9th 2012

Mideast Forum

Haghia Sophia

Ostensibly dealing with a building, a recent report demonstrates how Turkey’s populace—once deemed the most secular and liberal in the Muslim world—is reverting to its Islamic heritage, complete with animosity for the infidel West and dreams of Islam’s glory days of jihad and conquest. According to Reuters: Thousands of devout Muslims prayed outside Turkey’s historic Hagia Sophia museum on Saturday [May 23] to protest a 1934 law that bars religious services at the former church and mosque. Worshippers shouted, “Break the chains, let Hagia Sophia Mosque open,” and “God is great” [the notorious “Allahu Akbar”] before kneeling in prayer as tourists looked on. Turkey’s secular laws prevent Muslims and Christians from formal worship within the 6th-century monument, the world’s greatest cathedral for almost a millennium before invading Ottomans converted it into a mosque in the 15th century.

Hagia Sophia—Greek for “Holy Wisdom”—was, in fact, Christendom’s greatest cathedral for a thousand years. Built in Constantinople, the heart of the Christian empire, it was also a stalwart symbol of defiance against an ever encroaching Islam from the east. After parrying centuries of jihadi thrusts, Constantinople was finally sacked by Ottoman Turks in 1453. Its crosses desecrated and icons defaced, Hagia Sophia—as well as thousands of other churches—was immediately converted into a mosque, the tall minarets of Islam surrounding it in triumph. Then, after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, as part of several reforms, Ataturk transformed Hagia Sophia into a “neutral” museum in 1934—a gesture of goodwill to the then triumphant West from a then crestfallen Turkey.

Even though Hagia Sophia is a Christian center under Islamic domination, several Christian authorities are content seeing it remain a museum, including the Ecumenical Patriarchate, spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians: “We want it to remain a museum in line with the Republic of Turkey’s principles,” adding, “if it became a church it would be chaos.”

True enough; one need only recall how back in 2006, when Pope Benedict was scheduled to visit Hagia Sophia, Muslims were outraged. Then, Turkey’s independent paper Vatan wrote: “The risk is that Benedict will send Turkey’s Muslims and much of the Islamic world into paroxysms of fury if there is any perception that the Pope is trying to re-appropriate a Christian center that fell to Muslims.” Before the Pope’s visit, a gang of Turks stormed and occupied Hagia Sophia, screaming “Allahu Akbar!” and warning “Pope! Don’t make a mistake; don’t wear out our patience.” On the day of the Pope’s visit, another throng of Islamists waved banners saying “Pope get out of Turkey” while chanting Hagia Sophia “is Turkish and will remain Turkish.”

All this is yet another reminder of the Islamic world’s double standards: when Muslims conquer non-Muslim territories, such as Constantinople and its churches—through fire and steel, with all the attendant human suffering and misery—the descendents of those conquered are not to expect any apologies or concessions. However, once the same Muslims who would never concede one inch of Islam’s conquests, including buildings, are on the short end of the stick—Palestinians vis-à-vis Israel, for example—then they resort to the United Nations and the court of public opinion, demanding justice, restitutions, rights, and so forth.

Even in the brief Reuter’s report, evidence of such “passive-aggressive” behavior emerges. First, this is not about Muslims wanting to pray; it’s about Muslims wanting to revel in the glory days of Islamic jihad and conquest: Muslims “staged the prayers ahead of celebrations next week marking the 559th anniversary of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet’s conquest of Byzantine Constantinople.” According to Salih Turhan, a spokesman quoted by Reuters, “As the grandchildren of Mehmet the Conqueror, seeking the re-opening Hagia Sophia as a mosque is our legitimate right.”

Sultan Mehmet was the scourge of European Christendom, whose Islamic hordes seized and ravished Constantinople, forcibly turning it Islamic. Openly idolizing him, as many Turks do, is tantamount to their saying “We are proud of our ancestors who killed and stole the lands of Christians.” And yet, despite such militant overtones, Turhan, whose position is echoed by many Turks, still manages to blame the West: “Keeping Hagia Sophia Mosque closed is an insult to our mostly Muslim population of 75 million. It symbolizes our ill-treatment by the West.”

If merely keeping a historically Christian/Western building—that was stolen by Islamic jihad—as a neutral museum is seen as “ill-treatment by the West,” on what basis can Muslims and non-Muslims ever “dialogue”?

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum, from where this article is adapted.

via The Cutting Edge News.

June 12, 2012