Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Dome
Aya Sofya's dome is 30m in diameter and 56m in height. It's supported by 40 massive ribs
constructed of special hollow bricks made in Rhodes from a unique light and porous clay,
and these ribs rest on four huge pillars concealed in the interior walls. On its completion,
the Byzantine historian Procopius described it as being 'hung from heaven on a golden
chain', and it's easy to see why. The great Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan, who spent his
entire professional life trying to design a mosque to match the magnificence and beauty of
Aya Sofya, used the same trick of concealing pillars and 'floating' the dome when design-
ing the Süleymaniye Mosque almost 1000 years later.
Upstairs Galleries
