Hagia Sophia

Another one of those places where neither books nor documentaries do justice to what this place actually is. Even with restoration work ongoing, this is a spectacular building. It's especially hard to get my mind around the fact that this huge building and dome were built in the 6th century.
The first 2 pics look at the central nave and dome. The second tries to give a sense of scale. The 3rd looks up the into the dome. 4th is another look at part of the building. 5th is a hallway with the original flagstone floor and stone stairs. Last is the site of coronation of eastern Roman emperors.Read more