Hagia Sophia, Byzantine mosque in Sultanahmet, Turkey
Description
The central dome reaches 56 meters (184 feet) above the marble floor and rests on pendentives with half-domes arranged in tiers. The interior measures 82 meters (269 feet) long and 73 meters (240 feet) wide, forming a wide nave bounded by heavy piers, while golden mosaics cover much of the upper walls and vaults and large Ottoman roundels with Arabic calligraphy hang from the main supports.
History
Justinian I ordered the third structure in 532 after earlier versions were lost to fire and riots, and the architects finished the work within five years by 537. Sultan Mehmed II converted the church to a mosque in 1453 following the conquest of Constantinople and added minarets, while later Ottoman rulers brought further Islamic elements before the building became a museum in 1935 and returned to mosque status in 2020.
Culture
Worshippers gather for daily prayers while visitors come to see how Christian mosaics and Islamic calligraphy share the same walls. The space functions today as a working mosque where the carpet-covered floor and the call to prayer remind everyone that religious life continues alongside the building's role as a monument to two faiths.
Practical
Visitors must cover shoulders and knees, and women need a headscarf during prayer times. Queues can stretch for several hours, especially on weekends and holidays, while the T1 tram stops at Sultanahmet station within walking distance and photography is allowed outside prayer times without flash.
Did you know?
The structure preserves its original construction from the 6th century with 40 windows around the dome base that create a floating light effect. The architects used lighter tuff bricks from Rhodes in the upper dome section to reduce weight and embedded acoustic amphorae in walls and vaults to amplify sound and lessen the structural load.
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