5th post for 2013: Istanbul in May; Churches, Mosques & a cistern

The Basilica Cistern: an underground reservoir (to prevent evaporation) where any old Roman pillars etc are used to support the roof .  There is still a couple of feet of water in the cistern and there are fish which never see the daylight.

Heads of Medusa used as a pillar bases

and while we were there George and I dressed up

 

Back to daylight and reality, a pillar which has not been underwater, in the Hagia Sophia. 

This was a Greek Orthodox church from 537, converted to a mosque in 1453 when all the decoration was painted over and became a museum in 1935 since when the Greek Orthodox decoration is being restored.  It is HUGE.

Looking East

 

This is central, just below the dome and a seraphim to the left of the dome:

Looking west

An annex of the Hagia Sophia is the Sultans’ Tombs:

The Chora Church was part of Greek Orthodox monastery was completed in 1081 and became a mosque in the C16 and a museum in 1948.  It has beautiful mosaics & frescoes

We then visited the Fethiye Cami in the Fener district (a downloaded photo); small but very interesting in that only part of it had been released to be a museum, the remaining part was still used as a mosque and all the walls remained whitewashed.

and while we were in Fener we managed to find the Church of St Mary of the Mongols, the only Greek Orthodox church in Istanbul which had remained a church and was clearly under siege behind a high wall with barbed wire and CCTV.  We managed to persuade the caretaker to let us in so it felt very special.

and the Blue Mosque, at night: