Hagia Sophia

One of the most famous historical buildings in Istanbul is the Hagia Sophia, known as the Aya Sofya in Turkish. This was a basilica built in the 6th century when Istanbul was Constantinople and the empire was Christian. After the Ottoman Turks invaded in the 15th century and Constantinople because the muslim Istanbul, the basilica was turned into a mosque. Now it has been turned into a museum, and some of the original Christian mosaics and paintings that had been covered up are again displayed.

The Virgin Mary with Jesus in the middle, with Justinian I on the left, and Constantine I on the right.

Several of the mosaics display historical figures, including Constantine I, Justinian I, and Empress Zoe. Some are in better shape than others - a couple were missing large portions from the bottom.

Juxtaposition of two religions: seraph in the middle
with arabic on the top and bottom.

Some of the Christian paintings that had been covered up during the basilica's use as a mosque are now visible again, and a couple of these are of seraphim. Seraphim are the type of things that you see in these old cathedrals but never in any modern churches. It makes me think about how the common conceptions of angels seem to have changed over the centuries. Nowadays we usually see angels depicted as blonde white women with white fluffy wings and long white robes and golden halos. But I remember reading the Gospels and other parts of the Bible when I was younger and whenever an angel comes to speak to someone, like one of the shepherds tending a flock, the angel always has to say "Do not be afraid" - and I remember wondering why someone would be afraid of an angel. But I think it's because angels used to be thought of as fearsome and powerful, and perhaps this image has changed over time. Certainly there exist old descriptions of different types of angels. The seraphim in particular, which are the highest ranking angels in some schools of thought, were supposed to have 6 wings: two covering the face, two covering the feet, and two for flying. They are said to fly around the throne of God crying "Holy, holy, holy" and are sometimes described  as burning with fiery passion for serving God. Stranger angels exist too - the ophanim from the jewish angelic hierarchy are described as looking like a wheel-within-a-wheel, covered with hundreds of eyes.

Also on the grounds of the Aya Sofya were buildings housing the tombs of some of the Ottoman rulers. I was wearing a tank top at the time and was told I had to cover up, but I had come prepared with a scarf, which I just wrapped around my shoulders. Inside these buildings were beautiful vibrant tiling and stained glass, similar in style to what you find in Topkapi palace, but the actual tombs weren't what I was expecting. I guess as a WASP when I think of "tomb" I think of a stone sarcophagus or something similar, but the tombs in these buildings looked like green tents of different sizes, some of which were crowned with a white turban-looking object. Later on I read that the tent structures of the sarcophagi are supposed to symbolize the nomadic nature of the early Ottomans, and the turbans are indeed turbans and are sometimes placed on poles above sarcophagi of men.

Tomb of Sultan Murat III.

Both the cistern and the Aya Sofya I did on my first full day in Istanbul. The following day I went on a Bosphorus cruise, almost all the way to the Black Sea, and the following day I visited Topkapi palace. Aya Sofya didn't take nearly as long as the palace, but I did end up wishing I had bought an audio guide - I was wanting to save money at the time, but I think the extra pieces of history and other information would have been worth it, in retrospect. I was also told that there are some people, referred to as neo-ottomanists, who want the Aya Sofya back in use as a mosque and have organized protests around it. Personally I hope it stays as a museum so that the Christian art on the walls is kept displayed and people can visit and learn about its history.