Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

(Allah), Mohammed and the early caliphs Ali and Abu Bakr. Though impressive works of art in their own right, they seem out of place here, detracting from the austere magnificence of the building’s interior. The curious elevated kiosk screened from public view is the imperial loge (hünkar mahfili) . Sultan Abdül Mecit I had this built in 1848 so he could enter, pray and leave unseen, thus preserving the imperial mystique. Looking up towards the northeast (to your left if you are facing the apse), you should be able to see three mosaics at the base of the northern tympanum (semicircle) beneath the dome, although they were obscured by scaffolding when we visited. These are 9th-century portraits of St Ignatius the Younger , St John Chrysostom and St Ignatius Theodorus of Antioch . To their right, on one of the pendentives (concave triangular segments below the dome), is a 14th-century mosaic of the face of a seraph (six-winged angel charged with the caretaking of God’s throne). In the side aisle at the bottom of the ramp to the upstairs galleries is a column with a worn copper facing pierced by a hole. According to legend, the pillar, known as the Weeping Column , was blessed by St Gregory the Miracle Worker and putting one’s finger into the hole is said to lead to ailments being healed if the finger emerges moist. Nearby, informative films are shown about Aya Sofya’s structure and history.