Istanbul: A City on Two Continents - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 207

saics that adorned the interior are gone, removed according to the Muslim ban on graven
images; but hung from high are magnificent shields displaying Koranic text. A visitor to
the gallery will find windows open to observation of the cityscape and, with some hunting,
the tomb of Dandolo, the Venetian Doge who supervised the looting of Constantinople in
1204. (Legend has it that after the city was recaptured by the Byzantines, Dandolo's bones
were fed to ravening dogs; but in Istanbul fact and legend are often conflated.)
Two of the great Adriatic cities, Venice and Ravenna, still carry architectural imprints
of their early allegiance to the emperors of Byzantium. St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, the
city's signature in stone, was begun about 828. Its soaring, massive domes pay homage to
Constantinople's Hagia Sophia, as does the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna. Built by the
Emperor Justinian over the years 526-547, San Vitale's great dome and octagonal core also
take inspiration from Hagia Sophia. And reflecting Hagia Sophia adornments before Con-
stantinople's conquest by Muslims, San Vitale displays sacred and secular mosaics (includ-
ing portraits of Justinian and his empress, Theodora).
Figure 14.2 Hagia Sophia