Inside Aya Sofya on Flickr – by krensucht
Why were Hagia Sophia’s mosaics covered?
Because Islam tends away from representational imagery, many mosaics were destroyed and others were covered with plaster.
Hagia Sophia – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
047 – Hagia Sofia uncovered mosaic on Flickr – by Metatron
plaster & mosaic detail on Flickr – by kenzilicious
049 – Hagia Sofia uncovered mosaic on Flickr – by Metatron
Why aren’t all the mosaics uncovered?
Restoration work in the 20th century was begun in 1932 by the American Byzantine Institute, during which most of the figures were uncovered. Due to its long history as both a church and a mosque, a particular challenge arises in the restoration process.
plaster detail on Flickr – by howtorowacat
The Christian iconographic mosaics are being gradually uncovered. However, in order to do so, important, historic Islamic art would have to be destroyed. Restorers have attempted to maintain a balance between both Christian and Islamic cultures.
Mosaic column detail on Flickr – by SUE&XU
Is there a Mosaic under the Dome’s Calligraphy?
In particular, much controversy rests upon whether the Islamic calligraphy on the dome of the cathedral should be removed, in order to permit the underlying Pantocrator mosaic of Christ as Master of the World, to be exhibited (assuming the mosaic still exists).
Hagia Sophia – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is the Pantocrator Mosaic of Christ under there? – by guranf
Mosaic detail on Flickr – by Mistress B
mosaic detail on Flickr – by feuillu
Mosaic detail on Flickr – by Mistress B
My goodness, I love these photos!!! I just learned about the Hagia Sophia and I’m amazed at these pictures! They’re so pretty!!!!! 🙂
I WAS DOING A SCHOOL PROJECT ON BYZANTINE AND I SAW THESE PICS AND THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL.
THAT IS DO TRUE THEY ARE SO BEAUTIFUL
Beautiful photos! I was very happy to recall our trip to Istanbul in June 2008. Thank you!
Beautiful pictures take me back to my brief visit and will help me plan the next!
Corinna. (Not the 25.6.07. one.)
Hi, great shots!!!
I have been to the Hagia Spphia twice. I tried to shoot fotos of the mosaik oh Holy Michael. Is there anybody out there who suceed in trying to get an proper shot?
Corinna
Hi I just got back from Turkey in March. I was collecting my pictures and searching for spellings and more indepth info on what I saw and might have forgotten. You said you would like to know what those large egg-like containers were in Hagia Sofia. My tour guide told us they held water that was used for the ablution before prayer in the mosque. Hope this helps.
Great Pictures!
-Kyle
Nice shots of Hagia Sophia! I found your site through the WordPress Tag Surfer. You have a really nice site. Have you thought about visiting southern Turkey, namely Adana and Antakya. Antakya claims to have the largest moasic museum in the world. I have some photos from a moasic musumem I visited recently on my Flickr. It was a small musuem in an unassuming town, but the cool thing is that there’s a huge moasic floor in it’s origional location… covered and turned into a musum basically in the middle of nowhere. It’s a great reminder of how much amazing stuff there is underground in Turkey. Enjoy your stay.
Jake
ForeignPerspective.wordpress.com