When I tell people that I'm visiting Istanbul, nine out of ten Americans will respond with a brief pause and then some sort of reference to the city's former appellation bestowed upon it by the Emperor Constantine, and the fact that this name has since been changed. I will never cease to be amazed that at some point in the 20th century, a man named Jimmy Kennedy decided that given a catchy melody, the Ottomans' 1453 takeover and subsequent renaming of the Byzantine capital would make a great pop song, and that the song did indeed become popular enough that, fifty years after its composition, most Americans instinctively reference the song when they hear the name of the largest city in Turkey.
However, there is much, much more to this great city than They Might Be Giants could ever hope to capture in two minutes and thirty five seconds. Istanbul is truly an amazing city, occupying a unique place in both geography and history, sitting in a spot that, apologies to China, could be considered the center of the world. Istanbul straddles the Bosphorus Strait, which separates Europe from Asia, and is the only city in the world to sit on two continents. It is also the only city to have been the capital of two major empires, the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. Between those two, it was a world seat of power for well over a millennium. Today it is one of the largest cities in Europe, a sprawling metropolis of over 18 million people that takes pride in its history and traditions, but still has an eye on the future and is definitely a hip place for artists and party animals.
The Bosphorus Strait- Asia on the left, Europe on the right, and the Sea of Marmara ahead
The old travel writer's cliche holds very true in Istanbul: you could spend a lifetime exploring this vibrant city and never be disappointed by the cultural wealth, both historical and modern, that you would upturn in the process. But in my recent journey to Istanbul, hosting a good friend from college who came to explore Turkey with me, we stuck to the major sights.
Probably any western tourist who ends up in Istanbul immediately heads to the same iconic location on the historic peninsula of Istanbul: the Hagia Sophia. And for good reason; it is not only one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen, but it's also one of the most historically significant.
The Hagia Sofia, or Ayasofya, was constructed by the Roman Emperor Justinian in 532 AD. The entire structure was built in five years, and was the largest church in the world for a thousand years until the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453 and converted it into a mosque, at which point it became one of the largest mosques in the world. After World War I, when the Turkish Republic was established, there was some controversy over which faith held a better claim to the building, and in a move inspired by Solomon, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk determined that the Hagia Sophia would be better off as a museum for people of all religions to enjoy equally.
The jumbled history of the cathedral leads to such odd juxtapositions as this- the Arabic calligraphy on the bottom says "God" on the right, and "Muhammad" on the left, with Jesus and Mary hovering over them in the center
This dome was one of the largest in the world at the time, and utilized a lot of new architectural techniques that went on to influence later works. You can see the top is ringed with Arabic calligraphy done by the Ottomans, although the seraph paintings are clearly from the Byzantine era.
The Hagia Sophia is the pinnacle of Byzantine architecture, but because of its prominence, when the Ottoman Sultan decided to build his own mosque opposite the Hagia Sophia, his architect designed the new house of worship in a similar architectural style, which came to influence all mosque construction throughout Turkey.
Walking through the Hagia Sophia today, you encounter not only literal mosaics, some of the greatest in all of Byzantine history, but a figurative mosaic of history and culture. The Hagia Sophia was never a static work, but one controlled by megalomaniac emperors who wanted to leave their mark on both history and the walls of the Hagia Sophia and therefore commissioned new artwork, sculpture, or, in the case of the Ottomans, new additions to the building such as minarets, a library, and beautifully calligraphed Arabic murals. Some parts of the building are originals from the 6th century; many mosaics and paintings were added on in the 9th or 11th centuries; and the "new" parts were tacked on in the 16th century.
The Sultan had this constructed so that he could pray in a more elevated location than the common man
The Hagia Sophia is also unique in Turkey because the Christian art was preserved. The Ottomans had a tradition of converting all churches in conquered lands into mosques, which means that the Byzantine churches in many cities were preserved. However, Islam harbors a fear that we sinful humans will start to worship the images of God or saints rather than God himself, and prohibits all images and icons in spaces of worship. Because of this, there isn't a lot of great Byzantine church art still remaining; the paintings which remain often have the faces scratched out. However, for some reason the Ottomans decided to simply cover up the magnificent mosaics in the Hagia Sophia rather than dismantle them, which means that in the 20th century, when a team of Harvard archaeologists came to Turkey, they were able to uncover and restore some incredibly beautiful 9th-11th century mosaics depicting Jesus, Mary, and the Byzantine emperors.
The Hagia Sophia is significant in church history for hosting the 2nd ecumenical council in 387 AD, where the early church fathers met to clarify the Nicene Creed (which had been assembled at the council of Nicea, another city in Turkey) and determine the nature of the Holy Spirit's relationship to the other two persons of the Trinity.
It’s a bit mind-boggling to enter a cathedral like this and let the history drench you with its tales of emperors, conquest, ecumenical councils, and the 1,500 years of royalty and peasantry alike who have prayed within its walls. If you ever get a chance, this is a destination well worth the visit, because pictures cannot do it justice.
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