Istanbul, Turkey: the great Santa Sofia and Blue Mosque

Hello archi lovers!

A new post, a new look at a great trip to the city of Istanbul in Turkey. We have visited wonderful and impressive places, we have admired palatial architectural complexes, but now we go to two unique monuments, and we realize the grandeur and magnificence of their architecture.

And little can be said about two great historical and architectural icons, on the one hand Hagia Sophia, the beautiful Byzantine basilica of the old Constantinople city, later converted into a mosque-museum; and also the great Ottoman Blue Mosque, and we can simply say that they are both wonderful symbols of the city, and of course, the most unmissable places in Istanbul.

Santa Sofia / Hagia Sofia / Anasofya

A unique and somewhat controversial place, it has been the most special place in the city, when the city had other names. Built when it was Byzantium, symbol of the Byzantine Empire, and a wonderful basilica of immense size. A wonder of its time that survived earthquakes and history and after the end of the Roman Empire when Constantinople became Istanbul, it was unfortunately modified, adding minarets and above all, removing its human figures from the interior walls for reasons of Muslim beliefs, and imposing other symbols on top.

But its splendor continues regardless of the centuries, empires or decorations. The architecture itself surpasses time and cultures, making it an eternal symbol of the wonders that human beings can create at their maximum potential and motivation.

Curiously, from the outside we are impressed by its size, but not so much by its strong and robust appearance. The structure with the large dome is what draws our attention as well as the surrounding gardens and some other small elements that accompany the magnificent monument. But the interior is different...

Indoors

When we enter we feel an artistic ecstasy, or an architectural hallucination, because the Byzantine design amazes us. The gold of the walls and decoration blends and enhances the brightness of the magical light that enters through the colorful and artistic stained glass windows, along with the small decorative lights as well, and the whole atmosphere becomes an incredible sensory experience.

We cannot stop looking up, because there are so many elements to see, highly decorated domes, wonderful lights, they make up a space in a totally striking and attractive way. And regardless of beliefs and religions, we can be feeling some kind of spiritual experience there, in fact, that was one of its objectives.

And certainly in some places we can see those Islamic symbols, black shields with inscriptions, which replaced the typical Byzantine iconographies. But we are left with the fascination that the entire architectural monument produces, because it is gorgeous and amazing.

Blue Mosque / Sultanahmet Cami

We leave and face to face with its rival, another monument that blatantly looks at the other, on the same esplanade, they rival each other in majesty. Because the Blue Mosque is one of the most famous in the world, in fact.

It is also imposing in size and striking in appearance, with its domes upon domes, forming a single whole, and all marked with very high pointed minarets at their ends.

Inside there is a porticoed courtyard, which we enter through one of its magnificent doors with more golden decorations. From this large courtyard, everything is grand, it is from where we really access the interior, which is only accessible outside of prayer hours, as it is a fully functioning mosque, and of great symbolism without a doubt.

Thus, from the inner courtyard we can better observe the entire structure, as well as many other elements and details, both of the courtyard, columns, portico, as well as the perimeter and of course, the large main façade and the domes that rise towards the sky.

We were overwhelmed by so much splendor and magnificence, by the wonder of architectural creation, and by the sensations that such beauty can produce in those who visit such great monuments as these ones that I have shared here.

I hope you enjoyed this mystical-architectural experience in Istanbul, the journey and the discovery of more great places will continue soon in the next post!

More about Istanbul here:

• Istanbul, Turkey: magical views on the Bosphorus
• Istanbul, Turkey: the wonderful Topkapı Palace
• Istanbul, Turkey: the amazing downtown in the European part

Istanbul, Turkey 🇹🇷❤️ Europe/Asia

Thanks for reading! Have a charming and nice day.

The text is totally mine and the photos too, by ©Duvinca, helped by DeepL translator and the banners have been created by me using Canva.com -NO AI-