We made a number of forays down the hill to our favorite T1 Tram, then over the Golden Horn to Old Town to visit Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, other major mosques and the Archaeological Museum.
Topkapi Palace covers a large tract of land (about 7 million square feet) with a number of buildings, some interiors with domes and beautiful tiled walls and floors,
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| Topaki Park |
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| Ceiling Tiles |
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| Dome and arch |
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| Tiles on wall |
but it the buildings themselves weren't as glorious as the movie had lead us to believe.
Hagia Sophia, built 532-536, is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture. It remained the largest structure in the world for 1000 years until the Seville Cathedral was built. The designers were a physicist and a mathematician. Unfortunately the lighting is to serve those who come to pray, not to display the massive domes and arches to admirers; however, many windows were built into the base of the dome to reduce its weight.
Danice showing the way to Hagia Sophia.
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| Central dome and columns |
The Blue Mosque nearby, built in 1617, is larger than Hagia Sophia. It incorporates Byzantine elements with traditional Islamic architecture and is said to be the last great mosque of the classical period of the Ottoman Empire.
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| View from the back |
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| Central dome |
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| A beautiful side dome |
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| Arch detail |
The Sulleymaniye Mosque, finished in 1558, is also an example of Islamic - Byzantine architecture. The then famous architect Sinon, masterfully hid the buttresses necessary to support the weight of the dome in the columns and walls of the galleries.
We very much enjoyed the the Archaeological museum which has extensive collection of very beautiful marble statues, pots etc. The entrance way is under renovation.
And here is a sample of some that we particularly liked.
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| Aphrodite in strange pose |
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| Graceful boy |
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| Hermaphrodite |
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| Father and son |
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| Medusa |
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| Modest Aphrodite |
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| Wistful woman |
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| Freize |
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| Kiss on sarcophagus |
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| Man's head |
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| 4000 year old snake's head |
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| Plates |
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| Very old pot |
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| Wine goblets from Troy |
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| This was a display on a stairwell where red backed pictures of the pieces on the collection hung three stories high |
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| And they had a very nice cafe in a garden lined with columns and statues |
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| including this headless Aphrodite |
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