Istanbul: Hagia Sophia
I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Istanbul. The city has so much to offer visitors, but I’d have to say my favorite sight was the Hagia Sophia. It was full of people, and rightfully so. The building itself is absolutely stunning, and representative of the rich history of Istanbul and Turkey as a whole.
The Hagia Sophia is pretty old, and has played a lot of different roles throughout its long life. It was originally built in the 500s by the Byzantine Emperor known as Justinian the Great. It was used as an important church in the Eastern Orthodox tradition for about 1000 years. The building was converted into a mosque upon the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire. It was one of the central mosques in the city, until its transformation into a museum in 1935 under the Republic of Turkey. Finally, in 2020, it was converted back into a mosque under orders from the central government.
As you can tell by that all too short overview of the Hagia Sophia’s rich history, it has served many purposes and retains great historical and cultural significance. For this reason alone I believe it is worth a visit. First of all, notice a few interesting things about the architecture and decoration of the building. Most of the decorations are geometric, as mosques do not have imagery of people. Everything is written in Arabic, the universal language of Islam. The whole building is decorated with beautiful gold. There are some mosaics and other paintings around the building from its original design as a church.
Another important thing to notice about the Hagia Sophia is the positioning of the mihrab. There is a mihrab at the front of every mosque to point towards Mecca. However, in the Hagia Sophia, it is slightly off-centered. Since the building was originally a church, it was not designed to point towards Mecca. So, when it was converted, it was decided to make the mihrab off center in order for it to point towards Mecca.
Visiting the Hagia Sophia was one of my favorite experiences in Turkey. The sheer size and beauty of the building is sure to have you awestruck as you enter. If you decide to add the Hagia Sophia to your Turkey itinerary, there are a few mosque best-practices to follow to be respectful. Men and women should both dress modestly and avoid showing their shoulders, knees, and midriffs. Women will also need to wear a headscarf inside the building. You can bring your own or borrow them on your way in. And finally, remember to take off your shoes at the door! There is a convenient rack of shoe cubbies for you to leave your shoes in as you enter the mosque.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend you visit the Hagia Sophia! It is a stunning visual and cultural experience. It was arguably my favorite site in all of Istanbul.
To our friends in the West, keep looking East!
Sydney Sawyer
Sydney Sawyer is a joy all-around! Although she grew up moving all over the states, she claims Huntsville, Alabama as home. She left Rocket City to study accounting at Mississippi College, which consists of lots of running, studying, and goofing off with her friends. Although Syd has only taken two accounting classes, she’s often given the label “beloved resident accountant and human calculator.” Some of Syd’s favorite things include hiking moderately-sized mountains, reading an obscene number of books, and blaring music in her car that is lovingly referred to as “Ethel.” Being Syd’s friend comes along with watching lots of documentaries, eating fajitas every other night, and giggling over the silliest of things. To know her is to love her!