Hagia Sophia Eight Medallion Ring 925 Sterling Silver Islamic Calligraphy Handcrafted

When Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 1453, the building required a transformation that was both architectural and theological. The Byzantine mosaics were plastered over; the orientation was adjusted toward Mecca; minarets were added to the exterior. But the most enduring addition came in the nineteenth century, under Sultan Abdülmecid I, during the Fossati brothers’ restoration of 1847–1849: eight enormous circular medallions, each approximately seven and a half meters in diameter, were hung from the upper galleries of the nave. Four on each side, they faced each other across the vast interior space. Each medallion bore a single name in monumental Ottomancalligraphy — Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the first four Caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali), and the grandsons of the Prophet (Hasan and Husayn). The calligrapher was Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi, one of the greatest Ottomancalligraphers of the nineteenth century, and the scale of the work — letters nearly two meters tall — was without precedent in the history of Islamic calligraphy.

The medallions remain in place today. When Hagia Sophia was reconverted to a mosque in 2020, they were among the elements that required no alteration — they had always been there, facing each other across the nave, holding the names that define the Islamic tradition in a space that had held Christian names for nine centuries before them.

This ring carries all eight names on its band, worked in the style of the Hagia Sophia medallions. The band is solid 925 sterling silver, cast and finished by hand.

The eight names
Allah — Muhammad — Abu Bakr — Umar — Uthman — Ali — Hasan — Husayn

Details
Material: 925 sterling silver
Inscription: Eight Hagia Sophia medallion names — Ottomancalligraphy, hand worked
Available in US sizes 4–16 — specify in order notes
Comes with a gift box and silver polishing cloth.

Handcrafted to order in Konya, Turkey by Reyhan Silver Jewelry — the historical capital of the Seljuk Empire and home of Rumi, carrying over 800 years of jewelry tradition.