The Project on the Marbles of Hagia Sophia

The aim of this paper is to present the "Ancient Marbles of Hagia Sophia Project," conducted under the coordination of Asnu Bilban Yalçın, and the new findings obtained through the studies carried out within the scope of the project. In Hagia Sophia, some of the ancient colored marbles and other stones that can be easily identified through macroscopic observation at first glance include alabastro, bianco e nero antico (marmor celticum), cipollino rosso (marmor Iassense), cipollino verde (marmor Carystum), giallo antico (marmor Numidicum), marmo Proconnesio (marmor Proconnesium), pavonazzetto (marmor Docimium / marmor Synnadicum / marmor Phrygium), porfido rosso antico (lapis porphyrites), serpentino (lapis Lacedemonius), and verde antico (marmor Thessalicum). In addition to these stones, different materials such as portasanta, granito del foro, lapis lazuli, and breccia corallina were also used in the revetments and pavements of Hagia Sophia. Although the aforementioned ancient colored marbles and other stones are well known in the literature, the problems they pose specifically in the context of Hagia Sophia have not been sufficiently examined. Moreover, during the restoration work, the Fossati brothers had certain marble revetments painted in colors different from their original tones, which led to significant alterations in the polychromatic pattern of the marble revetments in Hagia Sophia.