Ataturk put the beauty of the Hagia Sophia on exhibition for the world to see, but in 2020, Erdogan repurposed the space to display Islam. As a result, a visit hides multiple Christian sacred items once displayed for touring. This write-up will detail the hidden Christianity that the Hagia Sophia now shuns. In January 2024, the status and entrance of the site changed. Before, the balcony was off-limits, but now the ground floor and courtyard are no longer accessible through a normal entrance.
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Searching Below the Surface – Look at unexpected Islamic ideas.
In reading, Searching Below the Surface: A Deeper Look at Covenant and Contract, one expects simple answers to complex issues. However, exploring a much-needed contrast between how the God of the Bible functions in a covenant manner and the Islamic Allah in a contractual way will take the reader into a Scripture dig. The foundations help one to understand marriage as an outcome of these beliefs, leading each of us to discover why biblical marriage is a covenant, not contractual – like Islam.
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Geometric Cross-like Designs of Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, there is a clueless acceptance of Christian ideas on display in history and the streets today. On a recent visit, incorporating biblical concepts like the cross-like patterns confounded me. Places like museums, cultural displays, and handcrafts gave credence to Christian symbols. Where did this unintended pattern come from?
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The Better Islamic Marriage books, part 2
In my studies on marriage, I uncovered a few decent books on Islamic marriage. Marriage in Islam is a contract, while marriage in Christianity is a covenant. Despite these differences, let’s look at what some of the contemporary Islamic marriage books show.
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Shipped Ancient Monuments in Ravenna from Istanbul
Many objects on display in churches in Ravenna came from Constantinople. To show the connection between these ancient cities, let’s consider some of these ancient monuments from Istanbul.
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Forgotten Byzantine gems in Ravenna
Beyond the UNESCO-listed eight monuments that present Byzantine history, what else should one not miss in Ravenna? The city does an excellent task in keeping these eight places on the map and well described. Yet, other fabulous finds in Ravenna connect to Byzantine history. Let’s explore these hidden Byzantine gems of non-UNESCO sites in Ravenna.
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A free walking tour around Hagia Sophia
The perimeter of the Hagia Sophia offers insights into the historic church that cannot be found during an interior visit. Each corner of the former church offers insights into what formerly existed nearby.
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Observing the Contrast of Byzantine Istanbul and Ravenna
A visit to both places that host Byzantine history will give you a new perspective. At a concert in a historic church in Ravenna, an Italian man said that when he visited Istanbul, he saw more destruction compared to Ravenna. What did he mean by these words? Let’s dig into the details of how these two Byzantine capitals differ.
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