Kariye Camii

Described by Osterhaut as "second in renown only to Hagia Sophia among the Byzantine churches of Istanbul", Kariye Camii attracts much attention because of its rich mosaics and frescoes. The original structure was built by the Holy Theodus in 534 in the reign of Justinian. In the 11th and 12th century, it was rebuilt by the Comnenus family and dedicated to Christ (thus the name, Christ in Chora). The structure suffered the great earthquake of 1296 and was later converted into a mosque in 1511 after the Turks conquered Istanbul. Since 1948, the building has been the Kariye Museum, a popular tourist attraction.


An AutoCAD model of the building was created by Yusi Wang in the spring of 1995 and modified by Dave Thom and Naomi Darling in the fall of 1996. In the spring of 1996, Winnie Kwan recreated the model in Pro/ENGINEER, correcting various proportions in the building and adding the minaret that was built when the structure became a mosque.

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