We saw the Haghia Sofia and it is amazing and enormous. It is amazing that the Haghia Sofia is still standing because it has so many cracks and hoop stress from the dome. The Higha Sofia is historic and ancient. It has been changed from a catholic church to a mosque to a museum and you would see why.
The Haghia Sofia is historic. I think is because it is more than 1000 years old and back than it was the biggest, highest, and widest dome for a long time. When it was built it was a Catholic church first. Then converted to a mosque (Muslim church). But after that, they converted it to a museum. If you go there, since the plaster that covered the paintings and tiles of religious people is falling off, you can see Christian Saints and it is really cool. Although it is 1000 years old, it is amazing that it is still standing. The reason that it is amazing it's still standing is that all the butresses are cracked and the columns are leaning outwards even though it has been through lots of earthquakes and snowstorms. So it is very amazing that it is still standing.
The Haghia Sofia has lots of history. The stuff in the Haghia Sophia that is ancient and old is the people that they mosaiced and painted on the walls and ceiling. The plaster that covered the mosaics of Jesus is coming off now, so you can see the Christian Saints. You can tell that it was Christan before it got turned into a mosque, because there are tons of mosaics and paintings and some of them they failed to cover. On the ceiling they have carvings of blue and purple wing like things that look like angels. All but one face is covered up by metal plates when it was turned into a mosque. On the walls they have big circular boards with Arabic writing and they might be covering Christian symbols. On the ceiling, they hang chandeliers that are shaped like a flower and the covers are shaped kinda like wine glasses. They butress the dome with tons of half domes that get smaller and smaller; and then they have to make the walls with big arches and big brick butresses. The collumns are huge! The Haghia Sophia looks bigger on the inside than it does on the outside because everything is really thick.
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| These are the arabic symbol circle things with the domes. |
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| This is the blue and purple wing like things on the sides of two pillars. |
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| Mary and baby Jesus. |
The Haghia Sofia is historic. I think is because it is more than 1000 years old and back than it was the biggest, highest, and widest dome for a long time. When it was built it was a Catholic church first. Then converted to a mosque (Muslim church). But after that, they converted it to a museum. If you go there, since the plaster that covered the paintings and tiles of religious people is falling off, you can see Christian Saints and it is really cool. Although it is 1000 years old, it is amazing that it is still standing. The reason that it is amazing it's still standing is that all the butresses are cracked and the columns are leaning outwards even though it has been through lots of earthquakes and snowstorms. So it is very amazing that it is still standing.
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| Lean pillar with Mia and Kayley. |
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| Cracked buttress outside of the Haghia Sophia. |
Sarah--nice description of the Hagia Sophia. It is amazing that they could build something so big and relatively complicated so long ago. And that it's stayed standing! And I agree with you--the fact that you can see the evidence of the various activities the structure has housed is quite fun.
ReplyDeleteHope you are enjoying your travels and all the things you are seeing! I'll be interested in hearing which experiences really stand out at the end. You will have seen so very much--I'm sure some things will stand out and others rather fade into the dim of memory.
much love, Sweetheart. bippy