Ken Dark and Jan Kostenec, Hagia Sophia in Context. An Archaeological Re-examination of the Cathedral of Byzantine Constantinople.

Abstract

Ken Dark and Jan Kostenec, Hagia Sophia in Context. An Archaeological Re-examination of the Cathedral of Byzantine Constantinople. pp. 152, with ills. Oxford: Oxbow, 2019. ISBN 978-1-78925-030-5, hardcover £55.

Uses of Hagia Sophia: Politics, Heritage and the Imperative for Inclusive Management

“…The architecture of Djami Aya Sophia Kebir continued to be admired by the Ottomans, and it served as an inspiration and a model for their great mosques, such as for Sultan Ahmed Djami and Süleymaniye Djami (Kuyper, 2018;Ring, 1995). However, the conversion to a mosque brought gradual changes to the building and the site through new construction, repairs and renovations (Dark & Kostenec, 2019). Islamic architectural features, including a mihrab (altar), a minbar (pulpit), the Sultan's Imperial Loge and the Muezzin's Loge, were added.…”

“…The columns and sculptural fragments originating from different historical phases of the churches on the site were uncovered. The removal of the carpet revealed another remarkable feature of the Byzantine church: the Omphalion, an opus sectile panel in the exact centre of the southeast quarter of the square under the dome, the spot where Eastern Roman emperors were crowned (Dark & Kostenec, 2019). Additionally, during mosaic repairs on the dome in 2009, a cover in the northeast was removed, unveiling an angel's face (Anatolia Cultural Entrepreneurship, 2019).…”