The Museum of the History of Hagia Sophia has opened a new exhibition. According to Hurriyet Daily News, the exhibition features 30 newly acquired artifacts of Christian and Islamic art.

The updated collection includes Byzantine icons, candlesticks, and liturgical utensils, a 15th-century Quran, and bronze medallions that once covered the faces of the four seraphim angels on the dome of Hagia Sophia when it was converted into a mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. Also on display are bricks with Greek inscriptions used in the construction of the cathedral.

A separate section is dedicated to the period when the cathedral was converted into a mosque by order of Sultan Mehmed II after the fall of Constantinople. The exhibition includes 15th-century documents detailing the administration and expenditures of the mosque.

According to the museum's director, Murat Bozkurt, the updated exhibition features 204 items. Among the rare artifacts are the Sacred Quran, pulpits, prayer rugs, and candlesticks from the period when Hagia Sophia was used as a mosque. The exhibition also showcases Christian liturgical items found in churches in Anatolia.

The Hagia Sophia Museum, which opened in 2023 in the former building of the Main Directorate of Land Registry and Cadastre (Defter-i Hakani Nezareti), has its exhibits divided into four sections on the ground floor, reflecting the four historical periods of Hagia Sophia: as a cathedral, a mosque, a museum, and once again a mosque. The second floor is entirely dedicated to the Ottoman period, while the third floor focuses on the Byzantine Empire.

Photo: Hagia Sophia Museum / hurriyetdailynews.com