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10 Dollars - Elizabeth II Hagia Sophia
| Issuer | Cook Islands |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Currency | Dollar (1972-date) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central field dominated by a large color-printed representation of an arched stained-glass window of the Hagia Sophia, depicting elaborate floral and geometric tracery in blue, gold, amber, and red, with Arabic calligraphic inscriptions in the upper lunette and lower panel. The surrounding engraved field evokes the grand interior architecture of the Hagia Sophia, with detailed renderings of columns, arches, and the domed ceiling. To the upper left, large medallion roundels bearing Arabic calligraphy in relief are visible, referencing the iconic Ottoman calligraphic shields of the monument. To the lower right, an architectural floor plan of the Hagia Sophia is engraved, alongside a distant exterior view of the building with its minarets. The legend WINDOWS OF HEAVEN arcs along the upper rim, with HAGIA SOPHIA / ISTANBUL inscribed on a decorative banner at the lower center, and the date 2016 below. |
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| Additional information |
Cook Islands has issued commemorative silver in relentless volume since the 1970s, much of it unremarkable. This piece belongs to a broader architectural series capitalizing on UNESCO World Heritage recognition. Hagia Sophia was designated in 1985 as part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul.
Built under Justinian I and completed in 537 AD, the structure served as the patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople for nearly a thousand years before Mehmed II converted it to a mosque within days of the Ottoman conquest in 1453. It remained a mosque until 1934, when Atatürk secularized it as a museum — a status reversed by Turkish presidential decree in July 2020.