Hagia Sophia & Sultanahmet in the Night

Hagia Sophia & Sultanahmet in the Night, originally uploaded by voyageAnatolia.blogspot.com.

Hagia Sophia, "The Holy Wisdom of God" in the night. Photograph taken from Kadikoy, Asian side of Istanbul. Hagia Sophia was the famous Basilica of Byzantium, considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and to have "changed the history of architecture". >>>

Tughra: The Sultan's Seal

A tughra is a calligraphic seal or signature of an Ottoman sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. It was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign.