Hagia Irene - Istanbul by brewgirlca
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Description
This is the first of a tour of Topkapi Palace, which is a large walled complex on the tip of the Golden Horn which served as the imperial residence and seat of government for the Ottoman Turks.
The Hagia Irene was first church built in Constantinople, predating even the more famous Hagia Sophia (which you can see in the background). As was common practice of the time, it was probably built on the site of a pagan temple but all evidence of that has been lost.
It was damaged by an earthquake in 8th century and its present form dates from then.
After the conquest by the Ottomans it became part of the Topkapi Palace complex, construction of which began in 1459. The Janissaries used as armoury until 1846 when it was converted to a museum by Field Marshal Pasa. Today it is still a museum but because of its awesome accoustics it also functions as a concert hall.
Visiting the Palace is a must do if you are in Istanbul and you can easily spend half a day here.
Comments (22)
barryjeffer
If only... wow. this is beautiful Roxy.
Faemike55
Very beautiful building with a cool history
Tracesl
cool, excellent pic
MineFujiko
What a beautiful place! Roxy-sensei
magnus073
What a marvelous capture of it Roxy, and I very much enjoyed your detailed description of the history behind it.
adorety
I love these tour photos you share as much for the history as the imagery. I can't believe this is 8th century. Upon zooming in, the details on the walls reveal some of the age. Excellent photo. Nice vibrancy and saturation. It almost looks like a US college campus with all the people milling about.
eekdog Online Now!
love the rich colors and clarity Roxy, you are a tremendous person behind the lens, nuff said.. lol and Happy Holidays..
photosynthesis
I vaguely remember a museum heist film called "Topkapi" from many years ago which I guess took place here. I like all the overlapping roofs & the impressive dome & I would like to visit some day...
RodS
A great shot, Roxy! You've given us quite an interesting world tour over the last several months - thank you for that, my friend! Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
SidheRoseGraphics
I love the different 'ages' of brickwork on this. They really give it character and in many ways it is just as lovely as Hagia Sofia in a less 'imposing' way. Beautiful capture of it Roxy and great info. We do appreciate you sharing your travels with us!! ;) Have a good holiday hon.
Blush
Very nice image Hugs Susan~
JuliSonne
A wonderful building... I wish you and your family wonderful Xmas! Cordial hugs Juli
lyron
Wonderful church!!
odile
Had you a chance to attend a concert in Hagia Irene? They say it's the privilege of just a few . I couldn't even visit it.
3dpoetry
Great photo
mikeerson
1200 year old building or more? nice. In constuction, I've done pop tops where you remove a roof and add another floor... it amazes me that some houses I can pull the brick off the house like it's nothing.... and these house are little over a hundred years old - lol
nitegrafix
Fantastic! beautiful image.
Dreamdesigner
Great shot,this one quickly reminded to me Beautiful summer days(But HOT:-)in the historical areas of İstanbul,Thank you for this beautiful picture and informations Roxy:-))))
alanwilliams
a marvellous image
dragonmuse
Beautiful capture of this bit of history.
JaneEden
Wonderful capture of such a magnificent building and found the historic writing very interesting Roxy. Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Peaceful New Year, hugs Jane xx
Chipka
Oh, I need to travel again! I miss seeing magnificent places and hearing languages that aren't my own. Oh, I can hear different languages in Chicago, but it's a bit of a letdown knowing that I haven't really gone anywhere! Oh well...at least I get to travel here, and what a bit of travel this has been. I could spend hours just wandering around the nooks and crannies in this photo, exploring the various stories that it tells. I know very little of Ottoman history as my own recent focus has been more Slavic in ultimate origin, and so it's refreshing to get a glimpse into somewhere else. This is truly marvelous!