My roommate Eric said that the Aya Sofya is rumored to be one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. After further inspection on Wikipedia I discovered that it was one of the thirteen finalists, but in the end was not nominated. Even if it isn’t, this incredible site should be seen by anyone who is in Turkey for even a day because of its incredible architecture and variety of mosaics throughout. First entering the gate it doesn’t seem too impressive with the plain trees and foliage. As well as resembling many mosques in throughout the area. Right when I entered the enormous door, for a brief moment I forgot about all the noise, the people, and the various distractions surrounding me. It was just me staring out into the huge domed ceilings as tall as the heavens and just as marvelous and striking.

The current standing Aya Sofya was built between 532 and 537 during the reign of Justinian at the time of the Byzantine Empire. At this time it was built for the sole purpose of being a church and contained many holy relics, one being a silver fifty foot iconostasis. For nearly a thousand years it ruled as a church, but then the Ottoman Turks gained rule of the land and Sultan Mehmed II turned it into a mosque in 1453. Much of the Christian remains were removed such as altars, iconostasis and sacrificial vessels. The saddest part of the switch over is that many of the mosaics were plastered over. It remained a mosque until 1935 where as part of the secular Republic of Turkey it was converted into a museum.

In my Lonely Planet guide it says that Justinian exclaimed “Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work. Oh Solomon! I have outdone you!” Although this sounded like such an egotistical thing to proclaim, walking through the monument I found that it is more and more true. There are even huge medallions that hang from the corners of the dome ceiling with amazing calligraphy etched in them. The medallions were added between 1847 and 1849 as part of a restoration project headed by Sultan Abdülmecid. The calligraphy on the medallions was created by the master calligrapher Mustafa Izzet Efendi and he inscribed them with gilt Arabic letters. Each gives the names of God (Allah), Mohammed and the early caliphs Ali and Abu Bakr.
A cool little Legend about the Aya Sofya has to do with the weeping column, which is a worn copper face pierced by a hole. Legend says that the pillar is that of St. Gregory the Miracle Worker and that if you put your finger in the hole any ailment can be healed if the finger comes out moist. I had a hard time finding the weeping column so I never got to check out the Legend but it would be a fun thing to do if it can be found. I will never know if it could grant me eternal youth/health, too bad.
Another incredible aspect to explore in the Aya Sofya is the beautiful mosaics held on the second floor of the enormous museum. Don’t be deceived by the idea of it be the second floor because once you see the stairs you may have second thoughts. Consider this to be more of a challenge and the reward is to see marvelous mosaics depicting various religious scenes such as the Virgin and child. They are displayed much like an art museum so there was this aura of respectful silence and admiration that engulfs you. All you can think is, I want to meet the person who created these!