The famous Hagia Sofia in Istanbul (sometimes Anglicized to Aya Sofya) is like a cat with nine lives. It was constructed in 537 as an Eastern Greek Orthodox cathedral in Constantinople (today known as Istanbul). At the time, it was it was the largest church within the Byzantine (eastern) Roman Empire, and the structure is … Read more
Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, framed by a door within the Blue Mosque. The museum was closed in July 2020, when the Turkish government converted the Hagia Sophia into use as a mosque.
Five Whirling Dervishes filed slowly into the room, black ankle-length cloaks covering their wide white skirts. Lining up at the side of the room, the men sank to their knees and prostrated, touching tall conical camel-hair hats to the polished wood floor. Standing, they circled three times, bowing in greeting to one another as they … Read more
Hagia Sophia provides backdrop for Istanbul’s Sultanahmet Park. The park is best seen at night, when the fountain in front of the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site explodes in rainbow colors.
