HAGIA SOPHIA MOSQUE TURKEY

Hagia Sophia or known also as Sancta Sophia was formerly constructed by east Roman empire known as Byzantine empire. The capital of the empire was Constantinople, today known as Istanbul the capital city of modern Turkey. During the height of Rome followed by influx of migrants especially the so called barbarians the emperor Constantine in 330 AD built Constantinople at Bosporus strait as other choice of Rome overgrown city. With its strategic position on the sea the town soon developed as trading center developing quiet different character from Rome. It is said that the character of the empire is not Roman, but Greece, and the pope is appointed by the emperor from the patriarch not by a group of clergies. in Rome once the pope has been chosen he only responsible to the god, which was in Byzantine the emperor had the authority, through his patriarch on the filed of religion. The churches of slave and Russia are direct heritages of Byzantine religious practices.

The church of Hagia Sophia was started to be built in 532 and finished in 537, as an orthodox cathedral of the East which is continued by churches in Russia. In Latin Sophia refers to wisdom, so Sancta Sophia means " holy wisdom" and it was dedicated to the second person of Trinity, the Logos. here Christ was believed as incarnation of logos, the knowledge. The remaining church which is now a museum after decades become mosque is not the only religious edifice or the site, it is the third often first and second edifice were probably damaged due to conflicts.

First church known as Great church in Latin Magna Ecclesia built during the reign of Emperor Constantius II, and inaugurated on 15 February 360, 30years after the foundation of Byzantine empire. Beside this newly constructed church there was also already earlier finished church named Hagia Eirene or holy Peace. Both churches were the principal churches of Byzantine empire between 360 to around 415. During this era the famous philosopher Socrates lived, he wrote that the church was built by Constantius II. In 404 a riot was happened due to a conflict between the patriarch of Constantinople John Chrysostom with the wife of emperor Arcadius, Empress Aelia Eudoxia. The church was burnt, and the people was exited. This first church left nothing.

The second church with basilica was ordered by emperor Theodasius II and was finished in 415 inaugurated in 10 October 415, but this church was also damaged during Nika revolt in 522. The remnants of the church are still preserved such as several marble blocks bearing reliefs of 12 lambs symbolizing 12 apostles the students of the pope. It is mentioned that the basilica was roofed by wood. Both first and second churches also referred as Hagia Sophia.

Third church was built in 532 by emperor Justinian I with larger and more majestic basilica. Emperor Justinian I appointed architect for the construction were physicist Isidore from Miletus and a mathematician Anthemius from Thales. Miletus is no belong to the modern Turkey on the west coast. The materials for the construction were taken from Ephesus, now Greece, large stones from Egypt, green marble from Thesally now Greece, black stone from the area of Bosporus, and yellow stone from Syria. The church was inaugurated by emperor together with patriarch Eutychius on 27 December 537. But earth quakes in August 553 and December 557 cracked the main dome and east dome. The renovation by Insidious the younger, nephew of Isidore from Miletus the dome was made by lighter materials and sharper elevation which was completed in 23 December 562. The Byzantine poet Paul the Silenciary wrote long epic poem concerning the dedication of basilica which was presided by patriarch Eutychius on the completion.

In 726 emperor Leo ordered the army to take out all images and pictures from Hag ia Sophia some even destroyed. He issued edicts that the veneration of image was not correct. This religious thought continued until 842 when emperor Theophilus (829 - 842 ) forbid grave images be in the church. This period is known as iconoclastic controversy. It heard like it was influenced by the concept of Islam. And the controversy was ended in 843.

The church was recurrently damaged by earth quakes beside burnt in 859 and quake again in 869 and big quake in October 989. The series of catastrophes causing 6 years of reparation to the arch and dome by American architect named Tridat, and re-opened in 13 May 994.

In 1204 the chief magistrate or Duke of Venice Enrico Dandolo commanded the capture of Constantinople,and the church was changed into cathedral. This invasion is known as fourth Latin crusaders. The overrun of constantinople by Doge continued until 1261, when Byzantine recaptured again the city. The Church Hagia Sophia left in unrepaired condition until 1334, after twice earth quakes of 1344 and 1346. The renovation was done by two architects Astras and Peralta.

One note very interesting to know is that Byzantine is said neither the continuation of Rome nor continuing the scientific tradition of Greece that they overrun since the reign of Jsutinian emperor. The Greece was called as paganism as they were neither religious ( Christian/Mohamedian) nor Jews. The last school of Pagan Philosophy at Athens was closed by the emperor between 527 to 565, and their philosophers were expelled out. Most of those philosophers migrated to Persia and with the aid of Islamic kingdom established a phylosophic school in Gondasipur, Persia. With this center of study the world know great men from Islamic world whose works on science and arts were brought to Spain which was conquered around 711 to 715 and was in power the Ommeyed caliphate in Cordova. It is said that the western world for the first time knew the great work of Greece through Islam kingdom in Spain.

Starting 634 the Muslims expanded their influence from Saudi Arabia via the surrounding such as Syria, Persia, Egypt, and along North coast of Africa. Even in 661 Constantinople was locked from southern sea. The consecutive conquest on Carthage, Transoxania, Turkestan, and Punjab was done until 715. In 1326 the Ottoman in Asia minor rising power and conquered the area of current Turks. Under Sultan Mahmud Constantinople was subdued, Hagia Sophia was changed into mosque with the name Aya Sofia in 1453. During the reign of consecutive sultans in Turkey some repairement and addition had been done, such as Sultan Mahmud I in 1739 added the Madrasah, soup kitchen, library, fountains, mihrab and sultan gallery. The most famous restoration was ordered by Sultan Abdulmacid with 800 workers from 1847 to 1849 under supervision of Swiss - Italian architect Gaspare and Giusepppe Fossati to strengthen the dome and vault. New gigantic circular framed disks or medallion were hung on columns, inscribed with the name of Allah, and 4 first caliphs Abu Bakar, Umar, Usman and Ali, and two grand children of Mohamad, Hassan and Hussain by calligrapher Kazaskar Izzed Effendi.

Turkey emerged as modern Islamic state and become a republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Atarturk. The country until today appears quiet different from all countries which population larger part follow Islam. Mustafa Kamal Ataturk become the first president of Republic of Turkey and he changed Aya Sofia into museum and forbidden the Muslim or Christian to pray in the mosque. But in 2006 Turkish government gave a place for both Muslim and Christian to pray in Aya Sofia only for museum staffs.

• Arnold, T.W. The Caliphate, Oxford : The Clarendom Press 194
• Byanes, Norman H. The Byzantine Empire, Oxford, Home University Library, 1943
• Stewart, C. Easton : The Western Heritages from the Earliest to the Present, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1961
• Wiki Pedia - Free Encyclopedia Online