Istanbul, September 19
Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today visited Istanbul’s once famous Hajia Sophia Church, that had been controversially turned into a mosque-cum-museum by the founder of modern Turkey, Kemal Ataturk.

He also visited the Blue Mosque, built on the orders of Sultan Ahmet I in the early 17th century. Mr Vajpayee spent about 15 minutes each at both places of historical interest and travelled to them in a motorised golf cart.

Considered the finest example of Byzantine architecture in the world, the church of Hajia Sophia (The Church of Divine Wisdom) was constructed on a scale unprecedented in human history. It was built during the rule of Emperor Justinian in the sixth century. A force of 10,000 workers was used to put the dome atop the church that was built in a record time of five years, 10 months and four days.

In 559 A.D., an earthquake tumbled the dome. It was rebuilt to a smaller scale and the whole church was reinforced from. After the Turkish conquest of Constantinople (1453), Hajia Sophia became a mosque and the ornate interior mosaics were obscured by layers of plaster and painted ornament.

Ataturk converted the church into a mosque on November 24, 1934, to ensure that it was used as a place of secular worship and interaction. Following a proposal of the then government, the mosque was transformed into a museum on February 1, 1935. It is now one of Turkey’s two most popular museums.

Evincing keen interest in the history of the museum, Mr Vajpayee specifically asked the official guide whether people were still allowed to pray within its precincts, to which the guide replied in the negative. The guide said the place was open to people of all religions.

During his visit, Mr Vajpayee looked closely at the overwhelming interior work within the building, that was once the world’s fourth largest cathedral. He showed particular interest in the murals of Mother Mary and Baby Jesus and to a piece of calligraphic writing next to them. One side of the prayer hall faces Jerusalem, while the other faces Mecca.

Mr Vajpayee also visited the Ottoman Empire’s last great imperial mosque, The Blue Mosque, founded by Sultan Ahmet I and constructed by his architect Mehmet Aga between 1609 and 1616. Sultan Ahmet wanted to surpass Emperor Justinian and his Hajia Sophia, while Aga wanted to surpass his master Sinan. Sultan Ahmet, however, could not enjoy his mosque, as he died a year after its completion.

Differing from the other mosques in Istanbul, the Blue Mosque has six minarets. The mosque’s courtyard is almost as large as the prayer hall and makes one notice the elegance of the building with 26 granite columns covered by 30 small domes. At the centre of the courtyard, there is an octagonal sadirvan, which serves only as decorative purpose.

The elegance of the interior is overwhelming. It is very nearly a square, 51 metres long and 53 metres wide, covered by a dome 23.5 metres in diameter and 43 metres in height, resting on four semi- domes, those again by smaller domes. The Blue Mosque is flooded with light from its 260 windows. The dominant color is blue, hence the name.

The Prime Minister was shown the relics of Prophet Mohammad, including one of his footprints and the hair of his beard. He was also shown a ruby and emerald-based throne that Persian Emperor Nadir Shah had brought from India in the 18th century and presented to the then Sultan of Turkey.