Hagia Sophia
The famous Hagia Sophia was built in the earlier Byzantine (Christian ) era and was destroyed by the invading Ottomans and later by the earthquake of 1346. It was restored by Mehmed the Conquerer in 1357 and converted to a mosque. There are many frescoes dating from the Byzantine period in evidence adding to the splendour of this magnificent building which words alone fail to describe.
Hagia Sophia - some interior photos to follow.
Evidence of Christian period.
The generous sampling satisfied us as lunch and then we went to see the underground cisterns huch were the original water storage facilities and vaste!!
Under ground water cisterns.
Our visit to this cultural magnificence was followed by something more mundane - a turkish delight and baklava tasting! What a selection and so delicious!!
We next visited the Grand Bazaar and did not get lost!!
Some photos!
So many stores with ceramic and gold in the area we visited.
After a massive downpour we returned to our hotel to dry out and warm up. In the evening we were treated to a welcome dinner at a lovely restaurant on the 10th floor overlooking the city and Bosphorus.
And so ended our first packed day of sightseeing - all so fascinating; no time for jet lag!!
