Hagia Sophia - Calligraphic Roundel
A closeup view of one of eight wooden plaques or roundels bearing Arabic calligraphy.
These roundels, painted on wood, were added during the restoration by the Fossati brothers in 1847-49. The eight medallions bear the names of Allah, Muhammad (flanking the apse), the first four Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (at the four corners of the dome), and the two grandsons of Mohammed, Hasan and Husayn (in the nave).
