things in istanbul 1

This ("elephant foot") column in Sultanahmet, also known as the blue mosque, is one of four which holds up a largish dome all on its own. That's why it so grotesquely big. I like it.



I find it oddly hard to imagine the horses' noses actually intact on this column topper, but it seems like another example of awesome Byzantine innovation.


On the other hand, this sculpture really is why classical sculpture went to shit (it's 6th-century):


From the amazing Alexander Sarcophagus in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum, a detail: the paint on the daisies survives!