Hagia Sophia

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Istanbul in One Day Sightseeing Tour: Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar

This comprehensive sightseeing tour of Istanbul provides the perfect introduction to the fabled city that spans Asia and Europe. Formally called ...

8 hours, from $58 (Day tour). Viator »

The world-famous Hagia Sophia (Church of Wisdom) was built on the orders of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century AD, and for over a millennium was the world’s largest church. It was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in the 14th century, but in the 20th century Ataturk - the secular “father of Turkey” - made it a museum. There are beautiful Byzantine mosaics on the walls and ceilings, especially the preternatural Mary figure that seems to float on the high domed ceiling, and the famous “Christ Pantocrator.” Mosaics on the second floor portray Byzantine rulers paying a priest in order to insure entry into heaven, with the baby Jesus approving.

5 / 5 Review by expert member Mike Lyvers

‘Istanbul’

By Ben Crichton for The Independent. First published Saturday, 20th September 2008. Turkey's greatest city is caught between two continents, with... Read more »

Review by press.

‘Paranormal activity at the Hagia Sofia’

Istanbul as a very ancient and historic city as a whole is a very haunted city. One of the great highlights of that trip was seeing the Hagia Sofia. As the mother ... Read more »

5 / 5 Review by member Natalie Jarman