The Küçük Aya Sofia, or Little Haghia Sofia is a really lovely and peaceful little mosque located in Sultanahmet. It was actually built several years before the Haghia Sofia, in 527 BC to be precise, by the Emperor Justinian.
Although I'm sure it would be a surprise to Justinian to know that he built a mosque as he was pretty sure he was building a church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
One of the things I particularly like about this mosque is its stillness. Unlike many of the more well touristed mosques in Sultanahmet, the Küçük Aya Sofia is a bit of a hidden gem. It's not purposefully hidden, in fact it's listed in most guidebooks, I just don't think a lot of people bother to seek it out.
I also really enjoy the gallery, although the stairs up to it are horribly uneven, railless, and covered in slippery carpet. But every time I visit this mosque I carefully make my way up them (and even more carefully make my way down) because the view from the gallery is beautiful.
I took these pictures ages but have just been really lazy about posting them. Hopefully I'll be a more timely, and more frequent! poster in 2014!
Although I'm sure it would be a surprise to Justinian to know that he built a mosque as he was pretty sure he was building a church dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus.
One of the things I particularly like about this mosque is its stillness. Unlike many of the more well touristed mosques in Sultanahmet, the Küçük Aya Sofia is a bit of a hidden gem. It's not purposefully hidden, in fact it's listed in most guidebooks, I just don't think a lot of people bother to seek it out.
I also really enjoy the gallery, although the stairs up to it are horribly uneven, railless, and covered in slippery carpet. But every time I visit this mosque I carefully make my way up them (and even more carefully make my way down) because the view from the gallery is beautiful.
I took these pictures ages but have just been really lazy about posting them. Hopefully I'll be a more timely, and more frequent! poster in 2014!
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