Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul

Undoubtedly, one of the main symbols of Istanbul that most tourists in Istanbul are familiar with, is the Hagia Sophia. This mosque, which was one of the churches of Constantinople during the Byzantine period, is still of special importance among Christians and Muslims today, despite its change of use from a church to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul is one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the city and is one of the first options for tourists to visit Turkey and Istanbul.

Due to the: importance, prominent role and historical antiquity of Istanbul, this city is full of historical attractions on every corner; but what comes to the mind of any tourist more than any other such place, is certainly the Hagia Sophia. Named "Ayasofya" in Turkish and "Sancta Sophia" in Latin, the mosque is also known to Christians as the "Holy Wisdom", or "Divine Wisdom" Church, and some of its complete construction dates back to the 6th century AD, between 532 and 537 during the reign of the Byzantine emperors "Justinien I". One of the obvious wonders of this place is the very large dome and the decorations related to the period of the Ottoman Empire that have been added to it.

History of Hagia Sophia Over 3 Important Time Periods

1.      Hagia Sophia from 360 AD to 1453

This monument, originally built in 325 AD, by order of "Constantine I" on the remains of an idol-worshiping temple, is one of three churches that were built side by side in later years; but, the first two churches were completely destroyed in 360 and 415 AD, which coincided with the turbulent Byzantine period, and were rebuilt years later by order of "Emperor Justinien I" in the 6th century AD.

Another very important event that took place at this time, was the popularity of this "Greek Orthodox Church" even more than the "Temple of Solomon" in "Jerusalem". In the following years, with the completion of the third church, this building was the largest and most important church in the world for thousands of years, but with the coming to power of the "Ottoman Empire", this church faced its main change, which was the change of use from church to mosque.

2.      Hagia Sophia Mosque from 1453 to 1935

In 1453, due to the capture and looting of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks, "Mehmet the Conqueror" declared the Hagia Sophia as a mosque for Muslims and prayed there every Friday; thus, since then, the Hagia Sophia has been recognized as one of the most important and sacred mosques by Muslims, and minarets that symbolize Muslim mosques have been added. The Hagia Sophia, which has been the main mosque in Istanbul for almost 500 years, is architecturally and structurally a sample to other mosques in Istanbul, such as: the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Suleymaniye Mosque, and the Rustem Pasha Mosque.

3.      Hagia Sophia Museum from 1935 and 2020

With the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the present-day Republic of Turkey, in 1935 the Hagia Sophia was commissioned by the Council of Ministers and "Mustafa Kemal Ataturk" to better preserve it and symbolize the secular government of the Republic of Turkey, became a museum to become the most important tourist attraction in this country. But on July 17, 2017, following an unexpected decision by Turkish President "Recep Tayyip Erdoğan", the Hagia Sophia Museum reopened as a mosque after 85 years.

Unique Hagia Sophia Architecture

The Hagia Sophia, which is actually a large basilica with the centrality of the main building and a dome of 32 meters (105 feet), with two half domes on both sides of the longitudinal axis of the main building, is a dome of the style of "Justinien" and a model for Byzantine architecture. The main plan of this building, which can be seen almost square from inside, is rectangular in shape, which it is because of the two and half big domes on the east and west sides. In the structure of the main building, there are three corridors, which are surrounded by columns with large marble bases, and these columns support the main and huge dome.

The columns themselves are very high-quality marble, which have been selected because of their variety and color; also, the walls that barrier between the interior and exterior of the main building, have beautiful latticed windows to use natural sunlight. Other elements used to decorate the interior include, paintings and mosaics on the upper parts of the walls and ceiling.

•        City Hall, or "Basilica", refers to those indoor buildings from the ancient Roman period that were used to carry out activities such as important political and social events such as the courts; one of the most important basilica-like structures in ancient Greece is the "Agora". Also, rectangular churches in the early days of Christianity were called basilicas.

Other Interesting Facts about Hagia Sophia

•        The height of the main dome of Hagia Sophia from the ground is about 55 meters and its width is about 30 meters; today, this huge dome is surrounded by four minarets built during the Ottoman period.

•        Most of the mosaics with motifs of Christian saints, are in the upper part of the building, which was once the place of women in the Byzantine and later Ottoman periods; the oldest mosaic belongs to the 9th century AD.

•        The famous Turkish architect "Sinan", was so dissatisfied with the impressive dimensions and architecture of Hagia Sophia that he spent his life improving it. A clear example of this can be seen in the design and construction of the "Selimiye Mosque" in "Edirne", whose dome is only a few inches larger than the main dome of Hagia Sophia.

•        All the symbols and decorations related to the religions of Christianity and Islam have been placed together with the artist in such a way that they have not diminished the beauty of the main building in any way.

•        In Hagia Sophia, there is a column called the "Wishing Column" covered with a sheet of bronze, on the northwest side, which some belief has healing powers. This belief stems from the fact that it is said that one day "Justinien" leaned his head on it and his headache was completely cured; today, people put their thumb in the hole and turn their wrist to the side to be blessed.

•        The Hagia Sophia cat, known as "Gli", who is very popular in social networks, died in 2021, but its memory is still in the memory of its lovers.

The Best Time to Visit Hagia Sophia

Due to the fact that the Hagia Sophia used to be closed on Mondays, since this mosque is used again for prayers every day, due to the fact that most tourists are unaware of this issue, the best time to visit is Monday. Visiting this place is free and is open all day (except at night).

How to Access Hagia Sophia

The Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul is located in the heart of the "Sultanahmet" district, close to other famous sights of Istanbul, some of the most important of which are: Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul Archeology Museum, and Blue Mosque; for example, the distance between Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque is only two minutes on foot.