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"Byzantine Art and Archaeology"
(November 2001)
The 3rd year Byzantine Art &
Archaeology class and I, and several guests went to Istanbul for
a one-day field trip, an exploration of key Byzantine monuments
of the city. The skies were not kind; it rained heavily
throughout the day. We did not let this dampen our spirits,
however, and went right ahead with our program. In the
morning we visited the Hippodrome, the Mosaic Museum (with the
impressive floor mosaic from the Great Palace), the Yerebatan
Saray, the Aya Sofya (where museum director Mustafa Akkaya
kindly addressed us), and, new this year, the Aya Irini, where
the Biennale, a fascinating art exhibit of contemporary art, was
being held. After a hearty lunch at a Sultanahmet köfteci, we walked down
the hill to see the sixth century church of Sts. Sergius &
Bacchus (now the Kücük Aya Sofya Camii), still in
disgracefully dilapidated condition. From there, we hopped
into taxis and headed inland to the Kariye Camii Museum, to admire its splendid 14th century
mosaics and wall paintings.
As our last stop, we walked to the Edirne Kapı and admired the marble plaque installed in 1953
to mark the 500th
anniversary of Mehmet the Conqueror's triumphal entry into
Istanbul. But this opening in the wall is much smaller than that
now used by cars and trucks, and has become neglected; a good
cleanup of trash is necessary. The sun was now setting and so,
having enjoyed the day, we bid each other farewell and, from the
Edirne Kapı, headed off in various directions.
Charles Gates
Yerebatan
Saray
(photo: B. Claasz Coockson 1993)
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Newsletter No. 1
- 2002, Pg. 20
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