Istanbul- Ayasofya

Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya is a cathedral turned into a mosque turned into a museum. This is the view from the second floor looking through the restoration scaffolding down into the body of the museum. The Muslim calligraphy disk hangs from the marble covered column.

Of course retail opportunities are also part of the visitor's experience. The church was built in a remarkable 6 years with 10,000 plus craftsmen and workers. The mosaic tiled Christian images were covered with plaster but now parts are uncovered. It reminded me so much of what we had seen in Ravenna, Italy- wonderful mosaics.

 Marble floor detail, only in a small section of the ground floor.

Impressive alabaster water jar.

A restored mosaic near an exit door.

Once outside, as we walked back to the bus we were able to get some photos looking back at the Blue Mosque.