Mosaic Museum and Hagia Sophia
After our morning lesson we headed off to the Mosaic Museum. Murals and floor designs that showed various cultural themes. See if you can recognize the themes of aggression, agriculture, and hunting the Romans (that is what the Byzantines thought of themselves) put into their art.
Visiting the Hagia Sophia was a highlight from the trip. I was awestruck by the sheer size and design elements. The dome actually does appear to float--due to the sunlight coming in from the windows along its base. Built by Justinian in 532 AD, the Church of Holy Wisdom, was turned into a mosque by Sultan Mehmet II after he took control of Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul in 1453. Today, it is secular and a museum...thus, I did not need to wear a head covering while visiting.
2 comments:
Are they doing construction on the Hagia Sophia?
-Megan
Good question--you saw the scaffolding in the picture. They are always doing construction in the Hagia Sophia. Our director said the only way to get a picture of Hagia Sophia without scaffolding is on a postcard!
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