Reflections on the Bosphorus

The Christian iconography is partially veiled — a respectful solution that allows the preservation of these invaluable artworks while ensuring Muslim

The columns in the Hagia Sophia tell fascinating stories of architectural reuse and imperial ambition. Many were brought from older temples from across the empire — porphyry columns from Egypt’s Temple of Helios in Baalbek, as well as columns from the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The flying buttresses at the Hagia Sophia were added centuries after the original 6th century building out of structural necessity, and predate the elegant Gothic buttresses of medieval cathedrals.

Remnants of the second Hagia Sophia under Theodosius II.