24 June 2015

Turkiye Day 2 - Ayasofya Muzesi, Istanbul

Assalamualaikum. Marhaba.

Holla! Laju kan aku update kali ni. Nampak sangat banyak rehat. Oklah, take five jap sementara tunggu kuih muih ku masak. Kalau non stop di dapur, nanti ada muka aku ni jadi over mulus pula. Sebab asyik berdepan sama steamer. Bau perfume pun ndak dapat lawan bau tepung-and-kelapa yang melekat di badan aku sekarang. Demiii...haruslah gigihkan diri.

Anyway, sambung cerita dari previous entry. Lepas belek German Fountain lebih kurang, aku pun ikut langkah kaki. And headed to Ayasofya or Hagia Sophia. Somehow aku prefer its Turkish name. Nampak lagi lembut & sophisticated gitu. Before tu, mari baca sikit sejarah pasal Ayasofya. 

"Ayasofya is a former Greek Orthodox church, later an imperial mosque. First Turkish President; Mustafa Kemal Ataturk transformed the building into a museum in 1935. Famous in particular for its massive dome, it is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture. It is said to have changed the history of architecture. From its initial conversion until the construction of the nearby larger Blue Mosque of Istanbul in 1616, it was the principal mosque of Istanbul." -wikipedia-

5 April 2015
Sultanahmet, Istanbul
# The fountain located in the middle between Ayasofya & Blue Mosque.
Masa duduk lepak on one of the benches there; while facing Ayasofya...teruslah menyesali decision aku untuk stay di Taksim. Sebelum sampai Istanbul, aku memang ada book hotel di Sultanahmet. And that hotel memang sangat dekat dengan all the main attractions; walking distance only. Pastu memang confirm every morning akan cuci mata tengok those beautiful pillars & dome while having breakfast. 

Tapi aku kena bijak atur itu ini. Aku sampai dari Doha sudah malam, pastu kalau mau pi Sultanahmet kena naik funicular & tram lagi. Alangkah seksa diri kan kalau kena mengangkut anak gajah lagi semua. Hence the decision to just stay at Taksim. Lagipun cuma dua malam ni Istanbul, esok malam aku akan berangkat pi Denizli. And tempat untuk ambil bas tu di Taksim. Jadinya, kira berbaloi juga keputusan aku tu kan. Walau rugi lah ndak dapat cuci mata tengok bangunan bersejarah ni di waktu malam. Sekian explanation panjang lebar walhal tiada bertanya. Saja suka-suki kasi pencerahan. 
# Can't help but to imagine...how it really looks like back then. Masa zaman kegemilangan Ayasofya ni.
# Some says Ayasofya is pink in color. Hmm part pink, aku angguk laju-laju although others might see it as red-brick.
# Admission Fee - TL 30.
# Body & bag screening before entering the museum. Antara faktor kenapa queue panjang. 
Fyi, tripod jenis kecil & kaki fleksibel tu adalah dilarang untuk dibawa masuk. I had monopod in my bag & aku jalan limpas scanner dengan jayanya. How did I know about the tripod thingy? The security guard held the tripod belong to the couple in front of me. Diorang bagi satu kad untuk claim tripod tu nanti masa keluar. 

Audio guide is available for rental just after the security check. And I decided to just roam freely without having to wear the headphones. Lagipun sama jak dengan apa yang aku boleh baca dari information plaques. So, jimatlah TL10. Sebenarnya boleh juga beli Museum Pass; lagi jimat kalau mau visit more than 3 museums yang pass tu cover. Aku pun mula memang plan mau beli 3-days Pass tapi nasib ndak baik. Pass tu sold out. Menyesal ndak beli online. Yang tinggal masa tu cuma 5-days Pass in which harus aku ndak beli sebab aku cuma ada 2 days di Istanbul. 
# Entering the church-mosque-museum via the Imperial Gate.
Soon after kaki melangkah masuk, aku terus berdiri kaku. Speechless! Crowds of people didn't succeed in distracting me. Neither did the restoration work. Masa ni, tengah cuba untuk digest fakta yang aku sedang berdiri di dalam Ayasofya. 

Terus teringat buku 99 Cahaya Langit Eropah (II). Betapa masa baca buku tu, aku selalulah imagine macamana rupa bangunan hebat ni. And sangat sangat ndak sangka, aku sudah sampai di sana. Now I know why people who have been here can't express their feeling in words. Sebab aku pun sama. Words just cannot justify my feeling at that time. 
# The dome. 
Unfortunately because of the ongoing restoration work, only half of the interior could be seen. Pi Soraksan dulu pun construction sana sini, and now di Ayasofya pula. Redhalah. Janji sudah sampai, sudah menjejak, tapi belum puas mengkagumi. Sejarah di sebalik bangunan agung ni memang pahit. Cuma tu lah, siapa kita untuk ubah sejarah tu kan. Doa aku moga suatu hari, azan akan kedengaran lagi dari 'masjid' ni. 
# Painting of two of the four immense cherubs could be seen in this picture. Also an image of Virgin Mary holding Jesus. Circular-framed medallions inscribed with the names of Allah, Muhammad, the first four Caliphs & the two grandchildren of Muhammad were hung on columns.
# Up there is the upper gallery. 
# Mihrab (left); perhaps one day akan ada imam berdiri di situ sambil memimpin solat. Minbar (right) tempat Khatib menyampaikan Khutbah. 
# Gagah untuk menapak naik pi upper gallery. This is one super slippery passage. Sikit aku tergelincir masa naik ni.
# The ongoing repair work doesn't stop people from visiting Ayasofya.
# At one of the corner at the upper gallery. .
Lama aku berdiri di corner ni. Berimaginasi sendirian berhad. Until one lady came to me & offered to take my picture. Apakah? Aku pun layan jak lah
# This is the Loge of the Empress; located in the center of the upper gallery. This is where the Empress & the court-ladies would watch any proceedings down below. 
Semasa penaklukan Islam, Sultan Mehmed II bagi arahan untuk tukar gereja ni menjadi masjid. Hence, some of the mosaics di upper gallery yang menggambarkan Jesus, Christian Saints & angels were either removed or plastered over. This is due to Islam's ban on representational imagery.

Famous restoration commanded by Sultan Abdulmecid uncovered & cleaned many of the mosaics, Yet some were recovered for protection against further damage. It is only after Ataturk transformed Ayasofya into a museum does all the white plaster covering mosaics was removed. Pasal tu sekarang, memang boleh nampak most of the mosaics. Even drawings di dome yang dulunya covered with plaster pun makin visible sebab banyak plaster yang sudah tanggal. 
The Deesis mosaic was commissioned to mark the end of 57 years of Roman Catholic use and the return to the Orthodox faith. 
# Comnenus mosaic depicting Mother Mary holding Christ on her lap. On the left is John II Comnenus holding a purse; symbol of an imperial donation to the church. While on the right is Empress Irene; seen offering a document to Virgin.
# View of the Blue Mosque from one of the window at Ayasofya.

Sebenarnya tingkap tu sangat tinggi. Tapi gigihlah juga aku ikut mat-minah salleh yang lain. Diorang angkat tangan jak sudah dapat snap. Aku? Siap bertinting...siap angkat tangan. Pun masih ndak nampak, jadinya pasrah main klik-klik jak. Turned out hasil adalah tidak mengecewakan. 
# Remains of Ayasofya were being displayed outside the museum. 

Di luar perkarangan muzium ni ada cafe & souvenir shop. Mula tu ada juga plan untuk lepak ngeteh tapi cafe adalah penuh sesak. I had to forego my niat. Lepak duduk jaklah outside the muzium. Sambil cuci mata tengok orang. I spent nearly three hours in here. Tu pun rasa macam ndak cukup. I wish I have more time. Tu pun ada few corners of the museum were closed to public due to the restoration work. Confirm kalau sections tu buka, lagi lama aku dalam ni. 

Sudah melepas lelah, I made my way out from the museum. Queue di luar makin panjang. Syukurlah aku sampai awal. Ala, the weather was very nice that day I don't think people would mind queuing. Walau ada cahaya mentari, tapi langsung tiada rasa panas. Angin spring lah katakan.

# Ablution fountain just outside Ayasofya; before the exit gate. 
Subhanallah. Terus imagine lagi. Masa zaman kegemilangan Islam di Turki, mesti ramai yang ambil wudhu' di sini. Aku rasa memang kerja aku sepanjang hari was trying to imagine macam mana keadaan masa lalu di Istanbul. Or dulu dikenali juga as Constantinople

Keluar dari Ayasofya, langkah kaki terus bawa aku pi area fountain. Macam ndak cukup gambar aku ambil sebelum masuk muzium, sampai fountain...aku snap few more pictures. Pastu duduk di bench lagi. Bukan lepas lelah, bukan cuci mata. Tapi tukar bateri kamera. Aigoo baru few hours keluar dari hostel, the juice has already drained out. Banyak gambar aku ambil tapi ndak semua aku upload dalam ni. Haruslah bakal mengundang amarah kalau page loading. So, upload jaklah mana yang berpatutan di mata si Err.

Anyway, ke mana hala tuju seterusnya? Ehem, haruslah bangunan yang bertentangan sama Ayasofya. The Blue Mosque! As usual, yang tu aku sambung cerita di next entry. Before tu, kasi teaser dulu lah kan. 
# Sultanahmet Mosque or famously known as Blue Mosque.

Annyeong!

p/s Thanks to Aza; dapat bayangan juga how Sultanahmet looks like at night. Memang lawa beb. No wonder kau cakap susah nak describe feeling bahagia masa kat Turki. I feel u bebeh!

eryantierdabdulkarim

28 comments:

azaleania said...

Wow..cantiknya..thanks kasi pencerahan..haha skrg dh tau knp pilih stay kat Taksim area.I pun tertunggu entry Bibie pasal Turki ni sebab rindu dan nak baca others view plak...gighnya amik gambo dari jendela

kay dolce said...

Speechless tengok Ayasofya ni... Saya yang tengok gambar je pon dah speechless mesti Bie yang tengok live lagi macam-macam perasaan kan.

Cantik gambar Blue Mosque yang Bie ambil dari tingkap Ayasofya tu!

dzuchan said...

entry ni macam subjek sejarah/TITAS kot hehe..ada nama byzantine, Constantinople pehh...aku mmg suka subjek tu dulu2..

architecture memang superb, dome dia tu kita highlights la kan..

Ish said...

As salam Bie, aku macam xde kerja tunggu ko punye story update walhal tgh sibuk skrg. No doubt dari cita dan gambar yang ko upload...serius memang awesome.

Besar betul Ayasofa nie. Dia punye architecture and sculpture memamg hebat. Hmmm...Constantinople, pusat pentadbiran Empayar Rom dulu sebelum jatuh ke tangan orang Islam. Ok, next Blue Mosque.

Unknown said...

huhuhu...cantik gilerrrr...!! sebak kat dada tau...btw gumuk ehh jari pegang kad tu..hahhaha larikkkkkk..!!

azaleania said...

Bibie..ko patut baca entry nihh.aku tulis sebelum entry Turket lagik:

http://azaleania.blogspot.com/2014/12/summary-backpack-solo-ke-turki-dan.html

Bibie Karim said...

Aza: Thanks for sharing ur stories too. Aku ingat baca pasal ko kejar masa bas gi Ruse xsilap. AKu termengah sekali baca. Feel tu sampai hihi.

Gigih kan. Dah melepet tepi tingkap, sambil jinjing kaki. Harus kena amik gak. Kang buat malu mat-minah salleh je kalau give up too soon. Hahaha.

Bibie Karim said...

Kay: Memula tu memang lama sangat tengok. Xdapat nak cakap perasaan time tu. Lepas tu bila dah masuk, rasa sebak bila ingat sejarah bangunan ni. Sobs. Memang speechless Kay. Lawa sangat.

Bibie Karim said...

Dzuli: Kan ilmu Titas kuar. Sibaik aku memang suka subjek tu dulu so bila kena study pasal Istanbul sebelum trip ni, teruja gak ler. Architecture dia ni kira pencetus to more sophisticated design lepas tu. Lawa sangat beb!

Bibie Karim said...

IS: Wassalam. Hahaha ko termakan racun Istanbul aku tiup kat blog ni kot. Sangat awesome. Kalau depan mata, lagilah terkesima. Besar Ish tapi tulah most of it covered ngan skylift bagai. So xdapat nak meronda full swing.

Bibie Karim said...

Kak Sam: Duk puji sebak bagai tetiba ngutuk jari kan. Ok, tolak markah. Sekian.

DJ said...

aduhai jatuh chenta lagi dan lagi sama itu blue mosque...cantik gler gambar ko amek dr tingkap tu....aku nak kawin dalam tu lah!hahahaha!berangan!

Bibie Karim said...

DJ: Memang lawa sangat. Padanlah ko jatuh chenta banyak kali. Gigih angkat camera sibaik keti wangi hahaha. Amboi xmenahan nak kawin kat Stanbul ha. Eh xsalah berangan so dipersilakan. Sape tau jadi kenyataan.

Bibie Karim said...

Aza: Sila lah bersiap sedia aku meluah rasa kat entri ko. Haritu aku tahan diri lagi nak komen kang kata poyo kan. Bahaha. Btw beb, rugi aku terlepas 3 makam tepi Ayasofya ni. Aku duklah ingat dia lain lokasi dari main attractions ni sume. Terlepas pandang entri ko pasal makam tu. Repeat perhaps? Hihi.

Mie said...

Rasa macam nak tangkap tiket ke sana tahun depan...kalau ada rejeki...

azaleania said...

La..camne leh terlepas tu? deko siling makam tu impressive wey! Rugi ko tak masuk (ayat perangat)..tu pasal entri aku panjang sebab byk benda nak masuk. Haha, repeat? seharusnya. Ko kan kayo.

Jea Mohamad said...

mcm historian je ko bercerita, ini yg kita mahu! hehe

Bibie Karim said...

Mie: Insha Allah, amin amin. Dapat rembat tiket murah ke Perth eh next year. Bestnye!

Aza: Aku ingat makam tu semua dekat ngan area-area Sulayman Mosque tu. Haru betul. Nak google masa tu xde internet pula. Kayo liuq adalah wei. Aku ingat nak gi masa transit je nanti. Which xtau lah final destination ke mana kan.

Jea: Copy paste wiki katanye. Hahaha masa baru balik haritu ingat lagi apa yang aku baca kat plaque tapi ni dah berbulan-bulan haruslah buka wiki je jawabnye. Ko kena baca habis tau, penat aku taip. Bukan copy paste bulat-bulat please.

bilabudakkampungtravel said...

Cantikkan Ayasofia. Secantik namanya. Kalau ada anak perempuan rasa macam nak kasi nama Ayasofia. Dan aku suka tengok langit Istanbul. Cerah

Bibie Karim said...

BK: Sibaik la langit membiru je. Tapi esoknye hujan haha. Merasa lah juga hujan di Istanbul. Btw, aku pun suka nama Ayasofya tu. Lembut je kan.

An said...

Cantiknya Ayasofya..kalu p tmpt2 historical nie mmg kita selalu dok membayang kan cemana lar masa zaman2 kegemilangan dorang kan..haishhh wajib p turki nih #berangan! hehe

mrs said...

mata masuk habuk!

Bibie Karim said...

AN: Tulah kalau masuk tempat gini memang xsah kalau x imagine. Mesti best kan kalau dapat at least few minutes pi zaman tu. Insha Allah An, one day akan sampai.

Bibie Karim said...

MS: Jangan ah wei. Kalau one day ko nak gi sana, sound aku tau. Manatau ada rezeki nak join.

Siti Yang Menaip said...

woaaaah akak !! cantiknya tempat ni.. Ayasofia tu mmg tau dah cantik tp tak pernah pulak rasa mcam klasikal cantik macam ni.. duduk kat kolam tu all day pun okay agaknya if tak rush.. lepak2 and brangan itu ini.. plus angin pun best kan..

huuurm.. bila dapat p turki plak.. pasang angan2 dulu la..

Bibie Karim said...

CT: Insha Allah, one day. Akak doakan. Mesti sampai punya. Ayasofya sangat sangat lawa. Duk depan fountain tu memang mengundang rasa sendu sangat.

MissNadeeya said...

Orang cakap istanbul best. Tapi entah lah. Maybe I tak berapa suka muzium2 ni. Tapi teringin nk pergi Cappadocia. Hihiii

Bibie Karim said...

WG: Memang kena tengok preference orang. Ada kawan suka gi Istanbul sebab scenery tepi laut. Ada yang suka sebab shopping kat Grand Bazaar. I went to Cappadocia as well tapi memang kena tunggu berkurun baru sampai entry tu hahaha.