When we visited Turkey in 1999, a lot of my art history studies were still fresh in my head. One of the classes I took at Oberlin focused on Early Christian and Byzantine architecture. Of course, one of the best examples is Hagia Sophia, still standing since the 6th century AD. My memory of our tour then was that the building was dark, damp, and full of people stepping on each others' toes to take photographs. This time it wasn't nearly so dark nor full of people. So, I had all the room I wanted to take tons of photos. There are many more photos on the Picasa site, these a few that stand out to me right now.
Old minaret, older church...
Last time, I saw graffiti that said: Aya Sofya cami / Hagia Sophia is a mosque. Until it became a museum in the 20th century, it served as a mosque for about 600 years.
Here is one of the four medallions added in the 19th century. If I read Arabic, I could tell you if it reads: Allah, Mohammed, Ali, or Abu Bakr.
Entrance to the library
Patchwork marble
Graffiti
A view of the dome above the apse
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