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Hagia Sophia and its extreme engineering design

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The northern and southern arches that support the dome are themselves supported by walls and a series of marble columns. The walls contain three rows of windows (though the bottom row was later plugged up), giving the entire space a light, iridescent appearance. The eastern and western dome arches are not filled by walls, but are flanked by a series of half-domes. These half-domes are supported by pillars and columns set in semi-circles. Leading out from the northern and southern walls are aisles created by rows of columns and barrels vaults. The entire structure is encompassed by an outside wall. (Salvadori et al. 253)

Much of the structures strength is due to its material. With the burning of the previous church still fresh in his mind, Justinian was insistent that his church be fireproof (Salvadori et al. 254). Anthemios therefore relied on granite and marble as his principal building materials for the base of the church. He knew that the weight of the domes on the supporting arches and columns would be enormous, so he took great pains to ensure that this weight would be evenly distributed by making the surfaces of the granite blocks absolutely even and using