Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque (Ayasofya-i Kebir Camii)

Its story

The present building was designed by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles during the reign of Emperor Justinian I and opened in 537. For about a thousand years the most important church of Eastern Christianity, it was converted into a mosque with the conquest in 1453 and acquired a new identity with additions such as minarets, a mihrab and a minbar. Turned into a museum in 1934, the building reopened for worship as a mosque in 2020. The Deesis mosaic and the imperial portraits in the galleries are among the best-known examples of Byzantine art. The building is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Historic Areas of İstanbul.

Period

Byzantine (537), Ottoman additions

Admission

Since January 2024, Turkish citizens and those coming to worship enter the prayer area free of charge; foreign visitors use a separate entrance with a ticket (25 euros) to tour the upper gallery with the mosaics

Best time

Early morning; tourist visits are restricted during Friday noon prayers and daily prayer times

Getting there

T1 Kabataş–Bağcılar tram, Sultanahmet stop

Visit duration

1–1.5 hours

Trip purpose

• Photography
• Rainy day

Location

41.00833, 28.98000

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