Today I actually went into the Hagia Sophia. The other day I didn’t have time to go in, I just walked around, but today I actually got to go in (for the steep price of 25 TL.) All I can say is I am SO glad that I did! It was absolutely gorgeous! The most interesting part was that there were definite influences of both the Catholic and Islamic faiths. Built in the 6th century A.D. by Jusiniaus I it was originally a Catholic church. This is because the empire at the time was Catholic, but during the Ottoman takeover (an Islamic empire) the building was converted into a mosque. Interestingly enough, 2 centuries later the Blue Mosque was made in the effort to create a “perfect” Hagia Sophia. This was because when the Hagia Sophia was first created, the dome in the top was the biggest of the time in addition to being a perfect circle. As the building aged, the circle morphed into an oval shape, thus creating an “imperfect dome” and the Ottoman emperor felt the need for a perfect mosque.
In 1935 the Hagia Sophia was turned from an active mosque into a museum. This made it more of a tourist attraction and created greater revenue for the government. For instance: the Blue Mosque does not charge an entrance fee because it is an active mosque and people go there to pray. Since the Hagia Sophia is not active anymore, there is no need to keep it readily accessible for believers and therefore they can charge an entrance fee.
The architecture in the Hagia Sophia was absolutely gorgeous. There is Arabic calligraphy all over the walls along with some ancient mosaics from the 6th century when it was first created. I think what amazed me the most was the excessive use of gold in the church. There was literally gold everywhere- on the ceiling, walls, in the dome, and even in the arches. The balcony of the church offered an incredible view over the bay.
After the Hagia Sophia, I waited for my friends while sitting in a local park and people watching. When my friends got there we went to a café to get something to drink. The guy standing outside the café told us he would give us a discount and we were both sweating profusely so we decided to go in. the café offered a great view of the street and there were tons of little kitty cats everywhere that were amusing to watch. I ordered a lemonade and out came a huge glass of freshly made lemonade with some small green apples on the side with mint and lime to flavor it. It was absolutely delicious and when it came time for the check he charged us about 30% of the actual price and gave us his business card. I can honestly say that has never happened to me before.
Then it was time to meander through the streets of Istanbul for awhile. We ran into a couple nice shop keepers including one that gave us yummy apple cider with lemon. He was trying to sell me a scarf and when he started to wrap it around my head he accidentally punched me in the eye (owie!) I think it might give me a bruise tomorrow. One of the other shop keepers that we ran into had the most adorable cat in the world. It had two different colored eyes (considered good luck in Turkey) and was pure white. In addition it was about 3 months old which meant it was in that absolutely adorable stage (and very fluffy too- Margaret- I thought of you J )
After some more walking we stopped back in at the Spice Bazaar for a last minute pick up of some dried fruit (to use as snacks for the next 6 days on the ship) and to say by to the spice shop worker that I had made friends with. He gave us some good pomegranate tea (so of course I had to get some to have on the ship also. J ) He was a really nice guy- meaning he had a very good balance between charming, good businessman, and not too pushy. A lot of the other shop owners are very much in your face and it gets tiring after awhile. But, he made us promise that if (when) I come back to Istanbul I would stop by his shop and he can show me around the city. So, that is something to look forward to in the future J
So, overall a recap of Turkey: I will come back to Istanbul someday. Out of all the wonderful places that I have been on this voyage so far, Istanbul is hands down my favorite. There is no comparison. The people are wonderfully nice, the city is remarkably clean, there is a ton of history, and the beauty surrounds the entire city. In general, I fell in love with Turkey and will be saving up to come back someday J
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