Some shots taken with my iphone of the Hagia Sophia. A former Greek Orthodox Church during the time of Constantinople, later transformed into an Imperial Mosque during the Ottoman Empire, and now a secularized museum. It carries remnants from all its different incarnations and is still considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. Ive been quite fascinated by the Ottoman history, especially their tolerance of other religions compared to the rest of Europe at the time. The Ottoman Empire was predominantly Muslim but allowed freedom of religion, so many who were being persecuted for their faith in other parts of Europe came to live here. You can see that the Ottomans also left remnants of the Christian iconography when they transformed this structure into a Mosque as a mark of their tolerance for other religions.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 18:46:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015