Amazing Hagia Sophia

“Lady, you dropped something!” I don’t look around, being fairly certain I didn’t drop anything. The voice of the Turkish man in his late twenties is filled with the melody of a boyish prank. Of course it’s just a trick to lure me into his tiny shop. But then he really makes me laugh, “You dropped my heart!” Walking through the streets of Istanbul is never without a little excitement. Not even in the gray month of January.

I’m visiting my sister who currently lives in this massive city and she is taking me around the sights. We just took the historic tram over the famous boulevard of İstiklal Caddesi from Taksim square to Tünel square. I’m not necessarily someone who needs to try every single tourist attraction, but walking a two km long pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants takes time, which we currently don’t have. The Hagia Sophia will close in about two hours. And we still have to pass the Galata Bridge with its many fishermen on top and fish stalls underneath.

Hagia Sophia from outside, photo by msandman on Flickr

Upon entering the Hagia Sophia through the main entrance, we immediately turn right through the outer narthex and set out for the Upper Gallery which will close soon. While climbing the tower ramp, I’m told that there are glasses placed in small holes in the wall, as a sort of safety feature. If the glasses cracked during an earthquake, the walls might collapse. I immediately imagine Turkish tea glasses standing in the cracks and inspect every dent. But I later find out that they are just glass pieces, which are not placed in the staircase, but between the stones around the empress’ throne.

When I arrive at the Upper Gallery, I’m still disappointed that I did not find glass in the wall. But that is soon forgotten when my eyes fall upon the vista down into the church. An involuntary ‘oooohh’ escapes my lips. What a view!

This grand building was built by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD on the site of two earlier Hagia Sophias. During its almost 1000 years as a church, it was necessary to rebuild the dome several times to add supports and steady the foundations. In 1453 BC Sultan Mehmet took possession of the building and immediately converted it into a mosque. It was proclaimed a museum by Atatürk in 1934. So even though the Hagia Sophia looks like a mosque from the outside and feels like a church on the inside, it is common decency to call it a museum, so as to not favor either one of the religions.

Hagia Sophia from inside, photo by lpnieman on Flickr

I can’t stop looking up and down, gazing around, taking in the innumerable beautiful decorations. The pillar-free central space of 55.6 meter height from floor to ceiling is covered in them; there are stained glass windows, magnificent mosaics, chandeliers and 19th-century medallions inscribed with gilt Arabic letters.

After I already witnessed the overwhelming interior from above, I find the weeping column the most attractive feature on the ground floor. According to the Lonely Planet, “Legend has it that the pillar was blessed by St Gregory the miracle worker and that putting one’s finger in the hole can lead to ailments being healed if the finger emerges moist.” But my sister is sure the ‘wishing column’ grants all wishes. The guard on duty also underpins this theory, as he explains to a British girl how she should ‘correctly use the wishing hole’.

“No, no, you are doing it wrong! Stand like this. Put your feet straight. Put your thumb like this. Then make the circle. But your thumb cannot exit the hole! Yes, excellent, excellent!” I wonder for a second if the guard is smiling because he is the one who made up this acrobatics-for-the-arm, but then I see the shiny metal surrounding the hole. It has clearly been polished by millions of hands over the years. So I take my chances and do exactly as he has told.

The weeping column, photo by author

Outside again, we inspect the building with its many buttresses in the fading light. The courtyard is strewn with big stone block remains and the large fountain is just as deserted as the terrace on site. It’s a peaceful environment without the tourists of the holiday season. But when we walk back onto the Hippodrome (the square which houses the granite Egyptian Obelisk), the bustle of Sultanahmet forces me back to the present when I hear once more, “Lady, wait, you dropped something!”

Useful information
Hagia Sophia. Located in Sultanahmet. Closed on Mondays. Open from 9am to 5pm in winter and to 7.30pm in summer. Entrance for adults: TL 20 (approximately USD 11 and EUR 9) (free with museum card).