Hagia Sophia
Why the
Hagia Sophia
in Istanbul is specialModern-day architects marvel at how their 6th century counterparts could design the immense Hagia Sophia and its "impossibly" high-and-wide domed ceiling.
The Hagia Sophia was first a church then a mosque then a museum
Church
- 532 to 537 AD
The structure was built by the Christian Emperor Justinian I as a Byzantine church. It served as a Byzantine church for the next 900 years.
- Beginning in 1453
The Islamic-faithed Ottomans took over Constantinople (now Istanbul).
They wasted little time in converting the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. It served the Muslims for almost 500 years.
During this time, the Ottomans painted over the Christian mosaics - and erected the four defining minarets we see today.
- 1934 to present
Turkey changed the Hagia Sophia's status from mosque to museum and uncovered the priceless Byzantine mosaics.
How to pronunce
Hagia Sophia = HEY-yah soh-FEE-ah
Optical illusion
Forty windows ring the base of the 16-story-high dome, making it seem to upward-gazing viewers 16 floors below that the dome is levitating.
Huge
Photos could never give us a sense of that illusion or of the hugeness of the Hagia Sophia's internal space. We have to see this 1400-year-old wonder in Istanbul, Turkey firsthand.
Physical condition
Parts of the Hagia Sophia building are currently in regrettable condition due to centuries of neglect. A major effort is afoot to save and restore this masterpiece of the ages.
Blue Mosque
Don't miss the Blue Mosque, a neighbor of the Hagia Sophia. Its exterior architecture is elegantly beautiful. It's a working mosque, but non-Muslims can visit it during non-prayer periods.
Location in Turkey
