To visit the site of the Artemis Temple today is, at first under-whelming, as so little remains. It requires a lot of imagination. However, in Instanbul at the Hagia Sophia, you need to imagination to behold the incredible columns which once composed one of the seven great wonders of the world. Note that each capital is unique, typical of the Goddess’ earthy abodes.
Emperor Justinianos ordered all provinces under his reign to send the best architectural pieces to be used in the construction so that the Hagia Sophia could be bigger and grander. The columns and marbles used in the structure have been taken from ancient cities in and around Anatolia and Syria, such as, Aspendus Ephessus, Baalbeek and Tarsa. The white marbles used in the structure came from the Marmara Island, the green porphyry from Eğriboz Island, the pink marbles from Afyon and the yellow from North Africa. The decorative interior wall coatings were established by dividing single marble blocks into two and combining them in order to create symmetrical shapes. In addition, the structure includes columns brought in from the Temple of Artemis in Ephessus to be used in the naves, as well as 8 columns brought from Egypt that support the domes.
