The Hagia Sophia of Istanbul Sultanahmet
Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia is indeed the best example of a place which provides a precise and an authentic division of the eastern and the western cultures. The location on the map shows the point where two opposite cultures come together violently.
Going by the location of Hagia Sophia on the map, the name of the country is Turkey and the city is Istanbul (earlier known as Constantinople). The Hagia Sophia(‘Holy Wisdom’ in Greek), which has been the bone of contention between the Western and the Eastern worlds for nearly one and a half millennium lies on a small Peninsula somewhere in the Black Sea.
The present building of Hagia Sophia that we see today in the city of Istanbul (earlier name Constantinople) is the third structure erected at the same place. The original structure was commissioned to be built under the instructions of Constantine the Great. However, it was damaged in the riots of 404 A.D. that took place in Constantinople.
The second church was inaugurated in 405 A.D. by the Emperor Theodosius II. However, it was burnt to ashes in the famous bloody Nika riots in 532 A.D.
The third church or the present building is yet another architectural masterpiece highlighting its cultural and violent history. It is much more grand than the previous ones. This was built under the instructions of Emperor Justinian I between 532 A.D. and 537 A.D. on the location where the two previous churches were built.
Talking about the architecture excellence of this final building of the Eastern Roman Empire, it is worth mentioning that the Hagia Sophia (Church of the Holy Wisdom of God) is a brilliant example of Byzantinian architecture and it amalgamates the elements of both, namely the Eastern and the Roman architecture in a beautiful manner.
There is a heavy use of natural lighting that floods the building through the windows. Bricks and plaster has been used instead of stones while the sculptures have been replaced by mosaics. The domes of the church rest on the giant piers.
The most prominent and dominating feature of the Hagia Sophia was its dome. The dome rests on square piers by using a new technique called a pendentive. The windows of this building have been placed around the base of the sphere, thereby creating dazzling lighting effects, much to the awe and surprise of the visitors. The visitors get the impression that the dome is placed on very less support.
The fact that the Hagia Sophia had been the hot target of the enemies of Rome authenticates its importance as a live example of the rich architecture of ancient times to which it belongs.
Going by the historical records, it was during the Fourth Crusade that several sacred relics were smuggled from the church by western crusaders between 1202 and 1204 when Constantinople was attacked and looted. A number of these sacred relics looted from the Hagia Sophia can still be found in Italy’s St. Mark’s Basilica.
Then nearly two decades later in 1453, Constantinople was named Istanbul after it was conquered by Ottoman emperor Sultan Mehmet el-Fatih, the man who conquered the Ottoman Empire. Mehmet was totally smitten by the beauty of the Hagia Sophia and was firm not to destroy it. So, instead of destroying the relics of the so called ‘infidels’, he decided to convert this church into an imperial mosque. This seemed to be quite simpler for him to as there was no need to change even the name of the building as ‘Church of the Holy Wisdom’ sounded a perfect name for a mosque.
So, all the old Christian inscriptions as well as mosaics were removed and replaced with befitting Muslim mosaics, designs and motifs. However, no changes were made in the original architecture of the structure barring some minor repairs so as to keep the original architecture completely intact. The control of Hagia Sophia came in the hands of Arabs who controlled the entire Turkey. Constantinople was given a new name of Istanbul.
Hence, the conversion of a Christian Basilica into an Arab Mosque and then later into an Arab Mosque exemplifies the combination of Eastern and Roman architecture in this Byzantinian masterpiece of architecture which is an inspiration for many centuries.
There were no major changes in the Hagia Sophia until the previous century. It was in 1934 that Kemal Ataturk, the president of Turkey, decided to convert the church into a museum due to the reason that the church had been the bone of contention between the Western and the Eastern world for centuries together.
So, he took a bold decision and decided to secularize the power of the church by converting it into a public museum. Thus, the museum could now exhibit Muslim and Christian collections with equal ease. This was done to make the structure of Hagia Sophia free from all sorts of political or other controversies.
Still, there is much controversy involving the building of Hagia Sophia and there are a number of people who want to display the Christian relics and mosaics hidden beneath the Arab artifacts at certain places in the Hagia Sophia. However, the general view is that there is a need to find a middle path in order to put a full stop on the religious controversies involving the structure.
At present, the Hagia Sophia, after its conversion into a museum, is a secular building displaying relics of Christian and Muslim religions, thus putting a long tale of conflicts and controversies to a rest at peace.
