A TOUR OF THE MUSEUM

The entrance to the museum from the courtyard is the original west gate, which has now been put to use again after centuries. Next to the entrance is the remains of the earlier (the second) basilica. Those who were not baptized could only enter to the outer nartexs, from which five doors give entrance to the inner narthex (porch), and from here nine more doors lead into the nave.
The tall door in the middle was the Imperial Entrance. The mosaic panel above the door dates to end-9th century. In the center of the panel Christ the Pantocrator (Almighty) sits on a throne and an emperor pleads him for divine mercy. One of the two roundels on both sides depicts Virgin Mary and the other Archangel Gabriel. The non-figurative mosaics on the ceiling of the inner narthex and the side naves are from the time of Justinian.
An overwhelmingly magnificent nave welcomes the visitor. The dome makes itself felt from the very first step. It gives the impression of being suspended in the air and covers the entire space. The walls and the ceilings are covered with marble and mosaics, creating a colorful appearance. The three different tones of color observed in the mosaic decorations of the dome indicate three different restorations. It is still one of the largest domes in the world with its height and diameter. Due to later restorations, the 55.60 meter high dome is not perfectly round. Its diameter measures 31.87 m from north to south and 30.87 m from east to west. Four winged angels with their faces covered decorate the four pendentives which support the dome. The wide rectangular central space, measuring 74.67 x 69.80 m, is divided from the dark side naves by columns. There are altogether 107 columns on the ground floor and the galleries. The marble column capitals of Hagia Sophia are the most characteristic and distinctive examples of the 6th century classical Byzantine decorative art in the building. The deep carvings on the marble, in typical medieval style, produce impressive effects of light and shadow. In the center there are imperial monograms.
The antique porphyry columns in the corners, the central columns of green Salonika marble, and the richly decorated white marble capitals on all columns take the visitor back to ancient times.
To appreciate Hagia Sophia fully, one should try to look at it not just as an empty museum, but as the magnificent and mystical church or mosque it once was. While it was the mother church of a great empire, the section in front of the apse, the altar, the ambo (pulpit) and the ceremonial objects were all plated in gold and silver and decorated with ivory and jewels. Even some of the doors were covered with such precious metals. The Latin invaders of the 4th Crusade tore all of these down and carried them to Europe, together with some architectural fragments.
A mosaic panel depicting the Christ-Child and the Virgin decorates the conch of the apse. Another angels figure on the opposite wall has not survived intact.
The huge leather medallions, 7.5 in in diameter, hanging from the walls at gallery level and the inscriptions on the dome remind us of its days as a mosque.
These are the works of master calligraphers of the mid-19th century. The medallions contain the word "Allah" and the names of Prophet Mohammed, the first four caliphs, and Hasan and Huseyin, the grandchildren of the prophet. The mihrab in the apse, the stained glass windows over the mihrab and minber, the raised platform for the chanters are Turkish additions.
On the floor of the nave, there is a square area paved with colored marble pieces. Emperors used to be crowned here and it dates probably to the 12th century.
Two round urns made of high quality marble are placed on each side of the entrance to the central nave. These antique urns were brought from Pergamum in the 16th century.
In the northern corner of the church is the "sweating column". A bronze belt encircles the lower section and there is a hole big enough to insert a finger. There are many legends and stories about the column. A ramp inside the first northern buttress gives access to the upper galleries. The magnificent central nave looks completely different when seen trom the galleries surrounding the three sides.
In the galleries there were sections reserved for the ladies of the imperial family and the meetings of the church council. In the northern wing there is a mosaic panel, and there are three panels, each with groups of three figures, in the southern wing.
In the southern gallery the light from a window nearby illuminates a masterpiece of Byzantine mosaic art. The panel, called "Deesis", represents the last judgment and is a composition of three figures: Jesus is seen in the center, flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. The unusual arrangement of the mosaics in the background highlights the beauty of the figures, and the facial expressions are extremely realistic.
At the far end of the southern gallery a panel from the 12th century depicts the Virgin Mary and Christ-Child, the Emperor Comnenus II, and the Empress Eirene, while the panel on the side wall portrays the ailing Prince Alexius. The racial features of the Empress, who was of Hungarian origin, i.e. her light complexion and hair, can be clearly distinguished.
In a second panel here, Christ is seated on the throne and beside him stand the Empress Zoe and her third husband Constantine Monomachos. The mosaic originally depicted the first husband of Zoe, but the face and the inscription above were redone to suit Constantine. In this panel, the offerings of the members of the royal family, a pouch and a scroll symbolize their donations to the church.
The large panel seen while leaving the inner narthex is from the 10th century. The figures with distorted perspectives represent the Virgin and the Christ-Child in the center, with Constantine the Great offering a model of the city on the right, and Justinian offering a model of Hagia Sophia on the left. The huge bronze doors at the exit that are partially embedded in the floor are from the 2nd century BC and were probably brought here from a pagan temple in Tarsus.
In the garden of the museum there are Turkish buildings from various periods, such as the tombs of sultans, a school, the clock-winding house and the ablution fountain. The minarets on the eastern side were added in the 15th century and those on the west side in the 16th century.

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