Turkey Trot - First Class
Turkey Trot - Are We There Yet?
Turkey Trot - Ephesus
Turkey Trot - Mary's House and Basilica of St. John
Turkey Trot - Swissotel Efes
Turkey Trot - Taking the Bus and Priene
Turkey Trot - Putting on the Ritz
Turkey Trot - The Blue Mosque
Turkey Trot - Topkapı Palace
Turkey Trot - Hagia Sophia
Turkey Trot - Carpets and Grand Bazaar
Turkey Trot - Dolmabahçe Palace and Taksim Square
Turkey Trot - Bosphorus Cruise
Turkey Trot - Turning Blu
Turkey Trot - Getting This Turkey Home
After a refreshing lunch at a nearby café, we walked back to visit the last of the three best-known buildings that are part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Hagia Sophia (or Ayasofya in Turkish) means "Divine (or Holy) Wisdom". It has been a Greek Orthodox church, a Roman Catholic church and an imperial mosque. Now it's simply a museum. The current structure is actually the third version of the building. The first one was opened in 360 AD but burned down in riots in 404 AD. The second structure had a wooden roof and burned to the ground in 532 AD. Seven marble blocks from this building were discovered in 1935 and they remain in a pit next to the museum entrance.
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| Marble blocks from the second structure |
