Tag Archives: Hagia Sophia
2021 In Review: Hagia Sophia Frescoes
We start our review of 2021 today with the tenth most popular post of the year. It is an enduring favorite since it was first published here in 2015, and in 2020 was the most popular post. Sometimes I can’t figure out why a post becomes popular, but I understand the interest in the Hagia […]
2020 In Review – Hagia Sophia
That this was the most-read post here in 2020 was, I think, largely because of the controversial decision by Turkey’s president to turn a world heritage site into a mosque. Mind you, it was popular in 2019 also (number two for the year), when the conversion was only a rumor. I wrote two posts in […]
The Great Turkish Forgery
A Turkish court has confirmed the government can convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque. Not an unexpected decision given Turkey’s political climate. I’m sure the folks at UNESCO are not happy, given that they weren’t consulted on this change to a world heritage site. It really is Turkey’s decision tough, but… […]
Turkish Politics and You
With the world concentrating on COVID-19, you may have missed Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s latest not so subtle move to reshape his country. He wants to turn a museum into a mosque. Not just any museum though, but a UNESCO world heritage building, the Hagia Sophia. This is a popular move in a country where […]
Testament of Time
I understand why this piece, originally published in February 2015, was popular in 2019. There has been a movement in Turkey for a number of years to convert the Hagia Sophia from a museum into a mosque and it seemed there was increased talk of that this past year. This was the second-most read post […]
The Mosque
The first mosque I ever visited was in a Toronto building that started its life as a Presbyterian church. I don’t think that usage was predestined. It was the Summer of 1989 and the mosque visit was part of an orientation session being given before we moved to Africa. I think the idea was that, […]
Istanbul At Night II – Hagia Sophia
I wrote about my feelings regarding the Hagia Sophia, the church converted to a mosque and then to a museum in a series of posts about a month ago. I just realized that the photos I posted were all from the interior. It really is a beautiful building architecturally also, especially at night, so I […]
Hagia Sophia III – Looking Around
Just some random pictures taken at the Hagia Sophia to give you a bit more of the flavour of the place. I am a big fan of digital photography, though I admit mine was a forced conversion: my beloved Canon FTb camera, which I had owned for more than 20 years, was stolen a few […]
Hagia Sophia II – Frescoes and Mosaics
Christian art can be an inconvenient truth at times. When Constantinople fell, and the Hagia Sophia was converted from a church into a mosque in 1453, the conquerors had to decide what to do about the frescoes and mosaics. With all the publicity in recent years over the various drawings of Mohammed that have spawned […]
Hagia Sophia I
It has had multiple uses: first as a church, then converted to a mosque and now is a museum. Whatever its function, one thing is certain: the Hagia Sophia is impressive. We tend to forget that Turkey, which is today 98 per cent or so Muslim, was once the centre of the Christian church, and […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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