May 8th: Islamic Art Museum, Underground Cistern, Hagia Sofia, and the Blue Mosque

This is our first day of student-led exploring. The adults play a game every time we are on a long journey on the bus - we try to guess the exact time the bus will stop at our destination. This time there were actual consequences: the adults got to choose the group that they will travel with today. So the students explained their itinerary for the day. I came in second place, and chose the group of Alicia, Kristine, Lara, and Marla.

 Man reading a newspaper, on our walk to the Islamic Art Museum

Islamic Art Museum

Once again, I must say that though I am not a "Museum kind of guy" this was an amazing museum. 

 Prayer rug, 16th or 17th Century

 Another prayer rug, also the 16th or 17th century

 9th century marble vessel

Close up of a wood sarcophagus, 1251 CE

 Me and a very friendly cat.

The Basilica Cistern (excerpted from Emily J's report)

Overview

The Basilica Cistern lays 500 feet Southwest of Hagia Sophia, and is the largest of the several hundred cisterns that lay below the city of Istanbul. Built in the 6^th century, under the rule of the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian I, the Basilica Cistern represents over a thousand years of Turkish history.  ­­­

History

The name of this famous structure came from the Stoa Basilica, a public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, where it had been originally constructed. The Cistern was originally a towering Basilica containing gardens, and surrounded by a colonnade and was facing the Church of Hagia Sophia. Built between the 3^rd and 4^th centuries, the structure was built by Emperor Constantine. After the Nika riots of 532 devastated a greater part of Istanbul, the structure was enlarged by Emperor J­­­­ustinian. The enormous cistern provided a water filtration system for the buildings on the First Hill and still provides water for Topkapi Palace now.

Architecture

The underground chamber of this cathedral-size cistern is 453 feet by 212 feet or 105,000 square feet.  The ceiling is held up by 336 Ionic and Corinthian marble columns with a few unmarked Doric styles thrown into the mix. One column that resembles the 4^th century, Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I, is engraved with pictures of Hen's Eye, slanted braches, and tears. Ancient texts suggest that the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Basilica Cistern.

In the Northwest corner of the cistern, there are two blocks carved in the visage of Medusa. The origin of these two heads is unknown, but it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. They are generally placed sideways to support the column, but tradition has it that these blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgon’s deathly gaze. 

Hagia Sophia (excerpted from Meg's report)

Hagia Sophia, also known as the Church of Holy Wisdom, was originally built as a Roman Catholic church in 537 CE. Until 1453 it remained a church, until the Ottoman Empire took Constantinople and converted Hagia Sophia to a mosque. It is most famous as a mosque for its extravagant mosaics, domes, and minarets. A visit to Hagia Sophia gives one the chance to appreciate the architecture and the rich cultural history of Islam and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1935 the mosque was converted to a muesum by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Restoration efforts by the World Monuments Fund began in the late 1990s, finishing in 2006. 

When visiting, be sure to admire the architecture of Hagia Sophia, one of the best surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. Overseen by Emperor Justinian, the church was built with marble and granite columns of up to 1.5 meters in diameter and one great central dome. The interior is mostly colorful marble and resplendent gold mosaics.

The mosaics of the Byzantine Empire mostly depict the Virgin Mother, Jesus, and the saints, and are famous for their detail and beauty. In 1453, when Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque, most of the mosaics were covered with plaster (due to Islam’s ban on representational imagery). Only in the late 1840s did two Swiss-Italian brothers, Gaspare and Giuseppe Fossat, restore the mosaics.

 

My guess is that this is a tourist, sitting outside Hagia Sofia

I have a difficult time thinking "interesting difference," as I taught the students when they come across something ffom another culture that they don't understand. Due to my bias, what I see is oppression. 

Blue Mosque (excerpted from Isha's report)

The Blue Mosque, also called the Sultanahmet Mosque, was built under the rule of Sultan Ahmet I, when he was nineteen years old. They began building it in 1609 and the construction of the mosque took seven years.

The mosque was designed by Mehmet Aga. Sultan Ahmet I was so enthusiastic about the mosque that sometimes he helped with the work. He passed away a year after his mosque was finished at the age of 27. He is buried outside the mosque, on the north side facing Sultanahmet Park, with his wife and children.

The mosque was originally very large and included a madrasa (religious school), a hospital, a primary school, a market, an imaret (a public kitchen that gave out free food), and the tomb of the founder, although most of the buildings were torn down in the 19^th century, so they do not exist today.

The most unique aspect of the mosque is its six minarets, because most mosques have one, two or four. These are most beautiful when seen from a distance. The many domes are also a beautiful feature. The west entrance is beautifully decorated. The outside of the blue mosque is not blue, the name comes from the blue tiles inside the mosque.

Inside, there is a high ceiling decorated with 20,000 blue tiles. They are examples of 16^th century Iznik design, with flowers, trees and abstract patterns. The walls are lined with 260 windows, which were once stained glass.

 The Blue Mosque in a distance, viewed from a window of Hagia Sofia

 

 My group today: Marla, Alicia, Lara and Kristine, on our way to the Blue Mosque.

 Lara with her head shawl preparing to enter the mosque and not wanting to be photographed

 Marla and Kristine

 Inside the Blue Mosque

 The ceiling of the Blue Mosque

At our 8 PM class meeting at the end of the day, students shared tips about the places they visited today, as well as personal things they learned about themselves as a traveler. They then developed their itinerary and  budget for tomorrow. I am looking forward to another student-led day.