View fullsize

FOOD SELLER, HAGIA SOPHIA

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Image Number 554

Hagia Sophia is a former Christian patriarchal basilica, later an imperial mosque, and now a museum.  Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". It remained the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years, until Seville Cathedral was completed in 1520. The current building was originally constructed as a church between 532 and 537 on the orders of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I .  In 1453, Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks under Sultan Mehmed II, who ordered this main church of Orthodox Christianity converted into a mosque. It remained a mosque until 1931, when it was re-opened as a museum by the Republic of Turkey.  

TECHNICAL NOTES

The image was taken with a tripod mounted Phase One 645 Camera at ISO 100. Exposure of 1/400th of a second and aperture F8.   45mm Phase One lens with focal plane shutter.   The image was captured on a Phase One IQ180 80 megapixel digital back.