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Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Istanbul, Turkey
Ayasofya in April...

 

Efendi Travel & Backpackers Travel, Istanbul, Turkey

 

The Church of the Divine Wisdom (Hagia Sophia in Greek) in Sultanahmet, Istanbul (map), is one of the most impressive and important buildings ever constructed.

Its wide, flat dome was a daring engineering feat in the 6th century, and architects still marvel at the building's many innovations.

Called Hagia Sophia in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, Ayasofya in Turkish, it was built on the site of Byzantium's acropolis (map) by Emperor Justinian (527-65 AD) in 537 AD.

Ayasofya was the greatest church in Christendom, and was meant to be. According to Prof. Robert Osterhout, it was built to surpass the gigantic Church of St Polyeuchtos erected by Julia Anitzia, scion of the line of Theodosian emperors.

Julia meant her church, a "recreation" of the Temple of Jerusalem, to symbolize her wealth, power and legitimate claim to the throne of Byzantium. Justinian had to out-build her to establish his own legitimacy—and he did.

His church remained the largest church ever built until St Peter's Basilica was constructed in Rome a thousand years later. (Julia's church, by the way, was destroyed by an earthquake. You can see a few pitiful ruins of it near the traffic under/overpass between the Istanbul Belediye Sarayı [City Hall] and Aqueduct of Valens [Bozdoğan Kemeri](map).

Being the world's most impressive building, it's no wonder that Mehmet the Conqueror proclaimed it a mosque soon after his conquest of the city from the Byzantines in 1453.

It served as Istanbul's most revered mosque until 1935 when Atatürk, recognizing its world-historical significance, had it proclaimed a museum, as it is now.

Everyone wants to see Ayasofya, and even off-season the crowds of visitors are so numerous that you should consider buying an Istanbul Museum Pass to jump the line...and save money! More...

(Tip: if you employ a private guide, you go right to the front of the line.)

Although most of the building is still a museum, a room on the east side was opened in 2007 as a prayer-place (İbadete Açık Kısmı), and the call to prayer is proclaimed from the minaret above it.

Ayasofya is awe-inspiring—one of the first things to see when you're in Istanbul. Luckily, it's right next to Topkapı Palace, the Blue Mosque and the Byzantine Hippodrome, and right across the street from Yerebatan Sarnıçı, the Basilica Cistern.

Most of the 30 million gold tesserae (tiny mosaic tiles) which cover the church's interior—especially the dome—have recently been restored to the brilliance they boasted 1500 years ago. The interior was filled with scaffolding for 17 years, until March 2012. The scaffolding was removed that year, but in 2013 some scaffolding has returned so that work may continue.

Be sure to climb to the mezzanine level to see the splendid Byzantine mosaics.

The Hürrem Sultan Hamamı (Turkish bath of the Ayasofya mosque complex), on the southwest side of Ayasofya next to the park with the fountain, was designed by master architect Mimar Sinan and built for Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. It has been beautifull restored and is again in service as a hamam (Turkish bath). More...

Ayasofya is one of the stops on Backpackers Travel's Old Istanbul Walking Tour, a good way to have a look at the major sights. More...

I wrote a short article for Travel & Leisure magazine (US) about Ayasofya entitled "Ayasofya: the Perfect Space."

Hagia Sophia Museum
(Ayasofya Müzesi)
Sultanahmet, Eminönü, İstanbul, Turkey (map)
Tel: +90 (212) 522 1750, 522 0989
Fax: +90 (212) 512 5474
ayasofyamuzesi@mynet.com



Istanbul Museum Pass

Blue Mosque

Hippodrome

Basilica Cistern

Little Hagia Sophia

Sultanahmet

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Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Istanbul, Turkey
Above, the vast interior of Ayasofya.

Below
, a rare view of the western side—actually the building's front—from a minaret at the Süleymaniye Mosque 2 km/1.6 mi away.

 

Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) from the West

Christ Mosaic, Ayasofya, Istanbul, Turkey

Above, brilliant mosaic of Jesus
on the mezzanine level.

Below, Ayasofya at night.

Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia), Istanbul, Turkey