From a small trap door they made under one of the large windows between the ribs of the great dome of Hagia Sophia we stepped out to face a magnificent view of the area. As I stepped out, I was looking at the Blue Mosque at the level of its minarets and I could see the Sultanahmet district, the hippodrome, the Marmara Sea, and beyond. The view was breathtaking. You will see a panoramic view that will give you an idea of what hit me. I felt like creating a section of it in the style of gravure printing and hand coloring as a a tribute to the artists who might have painted from this angle centuries ago.

Looking around, you will see many domes extending from Hagia Sophia, its minarets, ornaments that adorn the tops of domes and minarets glittering in the sun. The weather was great, sunny but with a decent cloud cover so soften the light. Without the clouds, most of the photographs would have been far too contrasty as we stepped outside probably around 1:30-2:00 pm in June. Now, that’s strong sun. [Read more...]

In the previous post you saw photographs of me and Reha in and around Hagia Sophia. In this, and the next post, I will share with you some photographs that I took from the remarkable vantage point I enjoyed of this magnificent structure.

The restoration scaffolding is immense as you can see. It stands 55 meters, over 180-feet, tall. Our host, Erdinc told us that a crew who knows how to assemble it can move it to the next quadrant in 45 days. Once, it took an inexperienced crew over 3 months. The elevator took us to the 55 meter platform where I was able to touch the very center of the dome. The gold foiled medallion that hides the hanging gear of the immense center chandelier is made of wood and nailed to the ceiling. The calligraphy on the ceiling covers the original mosaic art.

Looking down and around makes it very clear that this is [Read more...]