Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

MOSAICS

In Justinian’s day, the great dome, the semidomes, the north and south tympana and the vaults of the narthexes, aisles and galleries were all covered in gold mosaics. Remnants exist, but one can only imagine what the interior looked like when overlaid with glittering and gleaming tesserae (small glass tiles incorporating gold leaf). There were no figurative mosaics at this time – these date from after the iconoclastic period, which ended in the early 9th century. When the church was converted into a mosque, the mosaics were considered inappropriate; fortunately, most were covered with plaster and not destroyed. Some were uncovered and restored during building works in the mid-19th century, and, though once again covered (by paint), were left in good condition for a final unveiling after the mosque was deconsecrated.

Vikings are said to have left the ‘Eric woz here’–type graffiti that is carved into the balustrade in the upstairs south gallery. You’ll find it near the Deesis mosaic.

Nave Made ‘transparent’ by its profusion of windows and columned arcades, Aya Sofya’s nave is as visually arresting as it is enormous. The chandeliers hanging low above the floor are Ottoman additions. In Byzantine times, rows of glass oil lamps lined the balustrades of the gallery and the walkway at the base of the dome. The focal point at this level is the apse , with its magnificent 9th-century mosaic of the Virgin and Christ Child . The mimber (pulpit) and the mihrab (prayer niche indicating the direction of Mecca) were added during the Ottoman period. The mosaics above the apse once depicted the archangels Gabriel and Michael; today only fragments remain. The Byzantine emperors were crowned while seated on a throne placed within the omphalion , the section of inlaid marble in the main floor. The ornate library behind the omphalion was built by Sultan Mahmut I in 1739. The large 19th-century medallions inscribed with gilt Arabic letters are the work of master calligrapher Mustafa İzzet Efendi, and give the names of God