Its ‘floating’ dome is a surviving architectural wonder, a miracle of construction, a testament to the knowledge and imagination of 6th century builders. Resting on triangular pendentives above four arches, and circled completely by windows, it appears as if suspended from heaven.
Seraglio Point in Istanbul is dominated by the magnificent, sprawling structures of two of the world’s architectural masterpieces. These are Haghia Sophia, the Byzantine Church of the Holy Wisdom, and the Ottoman Blue Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii. They’re like prize fighters sizing one another up across the park that separates them, champions of two great civilizations and the city’s top tourist attractions today.
