Istanbul

This past weekend I went to Istanbul as a part of my course on Islam and the West. It was a whirlwind trip with a lot to see and do. The most incredible sight was the Hagia Sophia which is a former Islamic mosque and Byzantine Christian church; it is also on the sight where a Grecian shrine to Apollo once stood. When Ataturk ruled in Turkey, he had the space opened as a public museum. The Christian mosaics which had been covered in plaster while the Hagia Sophia was a mosque were restored and now appear amidst the caligraphic representations of Qur'an verses. To see the architecture and art of two major, distinct, monotheistic religious traditions overlap and exist in a single space was truly fascinating. I like to hope this interaction could one day be created on purpose - without one tradition preceeding or overtaking another, but the two intertwining and reflecting their commonalities and their distinctions. Istanbul is known for being "caught" between the East and the West...this is one of my favorite parts of the city.