Niyon anomhma mh monan oyin.
Niyon anomhma mh monan oyin.

Possible translations:
Wash your sin not only your face.
- or -
Cleanse my sin and not my face only.

Spelling and Meaning:
Scholars are not in agreement over what the meaning of this Greek saying is or how it is supposed to be spelled. The given spelling on this page seems closest to the original spelling; the same spelling is found on page 98 of the text An Introduction to Greek by Crosby-Schaeffer. A better source would be a photograph, which is not available. The most literal translation seems to be the first one given above, as anomhma is singular. The actual translation is left to the reader.

Location:
This text is inscribed on the fountain in the courtyard of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (Istanbul). It was common for Greeks to put this phrase on fountains.* The Hagia Sophia is a very beautiful building. Click an image to see it full size.

From the inside: (Image source)

From the outside: (Image source)

Here's the fountain: (Image source)


From a travel website:
"The vast rectangular atrium extending west of the exonarthex had a peristyle along its four sides. At the center stood the phiale [fountain of purification] with the well known inscription that could be read from left to right and from right to left: Cleanse our sins, not only our face."

Again, the translation may not be correct, but the explanation of location is as accurate as possible from a couple thousand miles away.

A Surprise?
"Niyon anomhma mh monan oyin" is a palindrome! Good job if you picked this up before reading to here. The Greeks invented palindromes; a fellow named Sotades of Maronea (275 BC) came up with the concept and then reportedly proceeded to rewrite the Iliad in palindrome form.* Read backwards, his palindromes were obscene and defamatory. This is pretty funny. However, he went a bit too far with his good humor, offended Pellius II, and was killed. Unfortunately, few, if any of his palindromes survived.


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