Entry hours to Museums are certain. Well, what if I tell you that you can tour the Haghia Sophia at night ... Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? “A Night in the Museum - Haghia Sophia Museum trip" which is organized by the guidance of Saffet Emre Tonguc, gives the participants the chance to rediscover history; especially at late hour. We too also spent a night in Haghia Sophia by participating in this tour.
See Haghia Sophia at Night
Gathering many people from Turkey's different areas "A night at the Museum –“Hagia Sophia Museum” trips are guided by Saffet Emre Tonguc. The thing that connects these people to the tour is there love toward Istanbul and the curiosity towards Istanbul's extraordinary history. Saffet Emre Tonguc also has a proposal for the people living in Istanbul: “Don’t just live in Istanbul, experience it….” This trip also offers a great opportunity for those who want to live in Istanbul. About 100 people are participating in these tours in which all the participants are given headphones, where they listen to Saffet Emre Tonguç speaking from the microphone. Both the silence of the environment and the glory of Hagia Sophia create an extremely impressive atmosphere. According to Tonguç, the participants from last year's tour programs in Istanbul was made up by 65 of Turkey’s cities and 37 different countries around the World. So, this interest in Istanbul is not only from the people living in Istanbul...
Tonguc who has been a professional guide for 31 years, to this day has shown Hagia Sophia to many famous people from Martha Stewart to Oprah Winfrey, Calvin Klein to Robert Redford, From Madeleine Albright, US First female Foreign Minister to Bill Gates son Rory Gates to the Italian Princess Gabriella to the fashion designer Michael Kors… We can list many more famous names like these. As a result of all this accumulation, Tonguç thought; why they always open Hagia Sophia for foreigners and that they only get to witness this beauty at night. Finally, "A Night at the Hagia Sophia" tours emerged. Tonguc, stating that we are the owners of this city says, just about everyone should get the chance to see these beauties at night.
The Differences Between Night and Day…
Tonguc says, Istanbul is very beautiful at night, he had already committed this topic in his latest book. Istanbul and night… Everyone is aware of this statement, but only some of us get the chance to experience it. At night all the ugliness is covered, the mysterious side of Hagia Sophia becomes more attractive when there is no one around. During the day this mysterious place is sometimes visited by 24 thousand people, it is also exciting to visit with a limited number of people at night with a full tour guide. When silence is combined with Hagia Sophia's its glory and extraordinary beauty appears. And all of this is enough to make you feel special.
Short notes for the curious expectant about the night tour in Haghia Sophia
The tour starts with a tea ceremony for the participants at 18:30 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Afterwards all participants start to walk towards Haghia Sophia. Even the structures you see on this route, where the city holds different civilizations, leaves you once again amazed by its magical beauty.
Even if you have travelled before, you will see and learn many things that have escaped your attention at different points throughout the tour. As we all know, Haghia Sophia before it was changed into a mosque used to be a church, until the conquest of Istanbul. A transformation, if you look carefully, it is possible to see the religious harmony in Haghia Sophia. When you enter, you will see Allah (God) in the upper right corner, Mohammed in the upper left corner, and the names of the four khalifs on the other side. Then, you will see a six-meter-long Mother Mary Mosque between Allah and the Muhammad plates. This union offers you a piece from every culture which has become the city’s proprietor.
If you go a little further you will come across the Wishing Stone or the Sweating Column, which has many stories about it. At this point, there is a different story we heard from Tonguc. One day of the Roman Emperor Justinian starts to get very bad headache and this pain cannot be cured. Later, Justinian leans his head to this column and his head ache passes. With this being heard, vows were devoted and it became a destination for those seeking healing.
The secret of missing pieces
Yet again, another thing we learned from Saffet Emre Tonguc is how on the top floor of Haghia Sophia, the Baptist Yahya and Mary's mosaics pieces are missing. The idea of it being stolen, will surely be the only thing that comes to mind. But, it is surprising to hear that some sick people melt these mosaic pieces and add them to their food and drink to seek healing.
Upstairs, there is a mosaic symbolizing the charity of the emperor family for repairing Hagia Sophia's. In this mosaic, imagery of Empress Zoe, IX. Konstantinos Monomakhos and Hz. Jesus are seen. However, in the mosaic, Zoe’s first husband's body is the third husband's head, it shows that Haghia Sophia is home to an ancient "photoshop”.
Note: For more information about the travel organized by Sacred7 Travel, please visit www.sacred7travel.com, you can get tickets from the same address. Participation is 295 TL per person.
