During our visit to Istanbul we were fortunate to have a very knowledgeable guide who took us to both the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The latter is now a museum that was restored in the early twentieth century under the direction of Atarturk. Our guide was not only charming but very knowledgeable. A Sema UYSAL, e.g. native of Istanbul, she owns her own successful guided tour company and she showed us some awe-inspiring historical architecture. As an added bonus we were also shown how some of the techniques are still used by artisans today.
You can see in this photo of the blue tiled ceiling of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque that the tiles still have amazing color even though they are 400 years old! These tiles were created by grinding cobalt stones but it was the use of quartz that was added to the clay that has made it possible for these tiles to retain their vibrant color over the centuries. The quartz is ground and added to the white clay giving the clay strength and, thereby, longevity.
Here you can see Martin standing in front of the Golden Horn, a major waterway, with the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in the background. As mentioned, this Mosque has been recently restored and is considered by many to be the finest work of architect Sedefkar Mehmed Agha.
To see our entire collection of architctural hadware and custom lighting, please visit our site at www.martinpierce.com.
Designers can visit the showroom located at:
5433 W. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca 90016
323-939-5929