There are fascinating things, and then there are absolutely awe-inspiring things. We have seen many interesting buildings and places of cultural significance, yet nothing can compare to what we have seen today. I woke up late, no longer jet lagged, and refreshed. Breakfast was delicious and jump-started my system, giving me energy for today’s touring. We first visited the Basilica Cistern, this huge underground structure whose purpose was to store water. The roof was held up by rows upon rows of reused columns. It was amusing to see how the marble of old temples were repurposed for the cistern, most notably a marble block with a carving of Medusa’s face.
Despite how amazing the Cistern was, it was quite literally overshadowed by the Hagia Sophia. The building itself is colossal, dwarfing everything else in the city. I might have hurt my neck from looking up so much while inside of the building. The history surrounding the very room we were in was overwhelming. The walls were covered with marble that was cut in such a way that it was symmetrical, creating a kind of flower-like effect on many of the slates. After our tour guide finished explaining the significance and history of each part of the Hagia Sophia, we were allowed to explore on our own. I sketched the elaborate door handle of the Library, built by Mahmut I. Places like the Hagia Sophia remind us of just how little we are in the face of history and of something that is over a millennia years old.
This is what the rest of the group had to say about today:
Nathaniel Oppenheimer:
Today, we looked at the grandeur of the Byzantium. The two sites we visited, the Yerebatan Cistern and the Hagia Sophia, were constructed during the heights of the Eastern Roman Empire. While I was looking at these seemingly unexplainable buildings, I kept thinking of how the Byzantines called themselves Romans. Byzantium's feats can be explained by the excellence that being Roman affords. When I saw the Cistern and the Hagia Sophia, I thought of what being Roman meant. It meant dominance unparalleled in human history. It is that dominance that led to the Hagia Sophia, the Cistern, and Byzantium's one thousand years of existence after the fall of Rome.
Also, we had an amazing meal afterwards.
David Kaner:
I think the way today was structured worked out very well. The only thing on our agenda during the day was the Hagia Sophia, which allowed us plenty of time to not only see the structure in detail but also reflect on it afterwards. Since my specialty is architecture, I did a video podcast about the site and why it is a milestone in the history of architecture. It is not just a building but a solution; the first piece of architecture to figure out how to put a circular dome on a square building. The secret was pendentives, triangular sections that distributed the weight to the massive piers in the corners. There’s this incredible sense of floating and weightlessness, complemented by the gold of the mosaics. All these years later, it still feels like another world, which was exactly what the Byzantines were going for. The Turks were smart enough to leave it basically alone, just plastering over the mosaics and making some minor adjustments to the structure for use as a mosque.
The lecture from Professor Turgut Saner this evening complemented the visit, as he was discussing the reuse of Byzantine structures by the Ottomans. It’s amazing how many Ottoman mosques are more or less reinterpretations of the Hagia Sophia. It’s also always interesting to see the other churches of Istanbul other than Hagia Sophia that were converted into mosques, removing their mosaics but saving their structures.
Shola Farber:
We were given free time in the morning. I woke up early to do some work before venturing out into the city. I walked from our hotel to the Bosphorus, where I found a Turkish Delight/Tea shop that has been serving up sweets since 1864. It was delicious! I bought some Turkish Delight to bring home to my grandma and enjoyed a cup of tea with the owner. Then I ventured to the Galata Bridge, famous for the hundreds of men and women who cast off its sidewalks. I didn't see anyone reeling in fish from the Bosphorus, but I did very much enjoy the local atmosphere. After walking around in Asia for a few minutes I decided to venture back to Europe in order to visit the Spice Market. On the way, I was drawn into a giant mosque which I later found out is called the New Mosque. The place is 400+ years old, but in this city that building is a young-en! The Egyptian or Spice Market was great. Every stall was overwhelmingly and wonderfully aromatic. I eventually picked up a spice for salad and another spicey spice for meat/vegetables. The propetier of that stall invited me to drink apple tea with him. Drinking tea is a custom here, and it is an honor to be invited to join someone for a cup.
Eventually, I made my way back to the hotel to meet the group and venture off to the Underground Palace, alternatively known as one of the many underground Cisterns built by the Byzantines. The cavernous vault is held up by 300+ columns, all recycled from older temples, probably pagan sites the Byzantines tore down or allowed to deteriorate. My favorite moment in the Cistern was viewing some of the more unusual columns. For example, there were at least two highlighted which portrayed Medusa's head at the base of the column.
Next, we visited Hagia Sofia, which was as overwhelming as I'd heard it would be! The confluence of cultures within a single space was a brilliant example of the sort of cultural diffusion we are here to study. Two examples stood out to me. The first moment was when one of our tour guides pointed out a spot on an arch on the second floor where one can clearly view the original brick and mortar supports of the giant central dome, the mosaics created by the Byzantines and the frescoes that the Ottomans put over said mosaics when they found them too iconographic for a mosque. Another moment I enjoyed in the Hagia Sofia was pointed out by our other guide, who showed us some graffiti left on the marble railing by the Goths when they visited the religious site.
Our day ended with seven delicious courses of fish at the best fish restaurant in town. There were also some vegetable courses and a traditional Turkish dessert involving ice cream and a grain kind of food. I finished the night with a Turkish coffee in order to absorb an engaging lecture from a local university professor and then, I am off to work again!
Noah Engel:
Today we visited the Hagia Sophia. It was incredible. The huge spaces are very inspiring. I love the sense of space of these ancient structures. The many different religions that have inhabited the space makes it all the more impressive. We feel so small when we are in such huge spaces. We are moving through time as we see the different styles and periods of occupation.
Call to Prayer on a Windy Hill in Istanbul
Julia Lewis:
When I walked into the small, square, and unexciting building displaying the sign "Basilica Cistern", the last thing I was expecting was to follow some stairs down to a vast, darkened chamber, filled with columns taken from pagan temples sitting in about a foot of water. The scene created by the the play of floor lights and dripping water was otherworldly. We moved then from the underworld to the heavens in the Hagia Sofia. This colossal structure seemed empty, and somehow less impressive than the cistern, until I took my mother's advice and spread my fingers out on one of the marble columns. The connection I had with that piece of stone was immense, put the huge mosque in a sort of perspective, and renewed the sense of awe I felt before.
Sylvia Channing:
This morning we had a chance to sleep in, which really kicked the last of my jet lag and gave everyone a chance to kind of do their own thing. I actually slept in and went to the little health club again, which was really nice, as usual, but I am so desperate to go walking around after hearing what little Turkish delight shops and tea houses were encountered on ramblings this morning (by Shola). First thing after breakfast, during which the Four Seasons staff was setting up a fantastic omelette station for Sunday brunch, we headed out to the Basilica Cistern, which is quite possibly the most magical historical site I have ever visited.
Under a less than unprepossessing little building just west of the Hagia Sophia, one can descend a flight of stairs in to a dreamlike Venetian palace that once held 100,000 tons of water for the Byzantine palace. It was fantastically beautiful, with high ceilings supported by columns of marble Roman columns taken from early pagan temples.
After that, we had a thorough tour of the Hagia Sophia, where we learned everything from the history and science of its construction and restorations, to the mosaic iconography adorning its walls, to it's conversion from a church to a mosque and finally to a museum. It was seriously breathtaking, though I don't know how much I like colors used in the most recent Italian restoration. The dome, though, was staggeringly huge and shimmering gold. And we met the cat, Gillie, vaccinated prior to Obama's visit, who haunts the museum.
My neck was killing me throughout lunch, probably due to craning, but the food was so good I didn't notice. Courses and courses of fish straight from the Bosphorus were prepared in every way imaginable. It was a two hour lunch, but between lunch and dinner time so we considered it kind of the only meal of the day. There was yoghurt and snapper and eggplant and shrimp and rice, but also Turbo and three kinds of dessert. (Thanks very much to Fatosh and Mrs. Ross for organizing that fabulous meal!!)
Emily Watson:
I've been looking forward to seeing the Hagia Sophia probably more than anything else on our trip. Though it was absolutely beautiful, I had a hard time feeling sacred energy. There were many tourists, and most seemed to be there for the spectacle of the place, the beauty of the material, rather than for the beauty of the history of the place. We learned from our guide that praying inside of the Hagia Sophia is actually against the law. This is surprising. I think that people should be able to pray to whomever they want inside the building as it has such a significant history as both a church and later a mosque.
Permitting people to pray would preserve the sacred feelings I expected to feel in the space.
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