Hagia Sophia is filled with mosaic panels dating back to the Byzantine era. Many of these golden mosaics were vandalised by the Latin Crusaders during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204.
A number of mosaic images are believed to have been completely or partially destroyed in the 1894 Istanbul earthquake.
In addition, with a rich history as a Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic church and Sunni Muslim mosque, there are centuries of art layered underneath one another in the Hagia Sophia. The challenge during ongoing restoration work is which era's artwork should be uncovered.
Following the building's conversion into a mosque in 1453, many of its mosaics were covered with plaster, due to Islam's ban on representational imagery.
On the floor and walls, the white marble used is Proconnesian marble, quarried on Proconnesus (Marmara Island) in the Propontis (Sea of Marmara).
This mosaic panel dating from the 11th century depicts Jesus sitting on the throne in the middle and Emperor Constantine IX Monomachos on the left, and Empress Zoe on the right.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Türkiye #8180
22 June 2024
(c) Natasha Emerson
@pictoquesto @natashaemersonphotos
Description source: Ayasofya-i-Kebir
