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 | Istanbul Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 259 |  |
 | |  |  | Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): Hagia Sofia: the church of inspiration | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Construction for Hagia Sophia, the Church of Holy Wisdom, started in 532. Amazingly, it took only five years to complete. It replaced two previous versions of the church that had been destroyed. For more than a thousand years, Hagia Sophia was the largest and grandest church in the world. When Sultan Mehmet II converted it into a mosque, the loss devastated Orthodox Christians. Ironically, Hagia Sophias design impressed the Ottomans so much that it was copied in other mosques throughout the empire. In 1935, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, declared Hagia Sophia a museum and work started to restore its mosaics. Today, it is mix of both faiths. Phone: 5220989Directions: Sultanahmet district, across from the Blue Mosque
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| | | | Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): Haghia Sophia (Aya Sofya) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Built more than 1,400 years ago, the "Church of Holy Wisdon", or Haghia Sophia, was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian in 537 AD. In the 15th Century the Ottoman conquerers of Constantinople converted it into a mosque by adding minarets, tombs, fountains, and other modifications. But despite the forced conversion, a substantial amount of the original Christian theme was left undisturbed, including some of the most elaborate and best preserved Byzantine mosaics still in existence. Althouth most date from the 9th century, some of the patterned mosaic ceilings are part of the cathedrals original 6th century design. Haghia Sophia no longer functions as an active mosque and is instead a devoted museum. Tourists must therefore may a nominal entry fee (15,000,000 TL when we visited), but it is well worth the price. I have posted additional pictures in my travelogue so you can see the interior too. Leave a Comment Address: Northeast end of the Hippodrome
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| | | | Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): The number one | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Another "next time"-mission for me is the Hagia Sofia-mosque (probably the third way I've spelled the name on my pages now... I'll keep it to that spelling in the future...). Four and a half day in Istanbul rans off fast, so I never got the chance to get inside the Hagia Sofia. From the outside it looks fantastic though, and for me it's even more powerfull than the Blue Mosque. It was built and done as early as 537, and was for many hundred years the biggest church in the world, plus also the biggest building with a roof in the world. Actually, if you're interested in history, the church was built even earlier, some 200 years. But when a huge war erased in Konstantinopel (which later on became Istanbul) the first, and much smaller, Hagia Sofia was left in ruin. The emperior Justinianus, who won the war, decided to build a new church, more mighty than anything else. It even became a bit too mighty. During the first couple of hundred years the roof went down three times... Well, you can't win them all - but nowadays the roof should be safe on it's place... When Mehmet the conquerer and his men rode into Konstantinopel in in 1453 the Hagia Sofia was saved from beinged destroyed by just Mehmet, but was at the same time changed into a mosque. Sultan Mehmet, who he later became, also tried to build something even mightier. The architect Atik Sinan got the order, but when he had finished the Fatith Mosque the sultan was annoyed with the result, and Sinan had to live the rest of his life without his head... Today isn't the building neither a mosque. Kemal Atatürk decided that it should only be a museum, which it still is today. Open 9.30-16.30 (until 19.00 in the summer). Closed on mondays. Entrancefee around 15 lira. Leave a Comment Directions: Next to the Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace. You can't miss it...
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| | | | Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): Awe-inspiring Ayasofya | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Built in the year 537 A.D. by the Roman emperor Justinian I, Hagia Sophia/Sancta Sophia/Ayasofya, whichever name you prefer :), is quite possibly Istanbul's most famous and most visited attraction. It remained the greatest church in all of the Christian world until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, when it was converted to a mosque shortly thereafter. The structure was actually a lighter beige color before it was painted red, as well as having minarets placed at each of it's four corners, after the fall of the city. But it's amazing archtecture, most noted by the huge dome atop it, and it's many arched windows around the base, make it one of the most intriguing structures to view in the city. It's many interior mosaic paintings, many still in great condition, are a fantastic tribute to it's long and interesting history. Per Atatürk's wishes, Ayasofya was turned into a museum in 1935. Directions: Located in the Sultanahmet area
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| | | | Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya): Gravemarker of Henricus (Enrico) Dandolo | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Enrico Dandolo was a leader of the 4th crusade, which eventually led to the sacking of Constantinople in 1204. Dandolo came from a prominent family in Venice, and was the Doge of the city-state when the crusaders became stranded in Venice on their way to the Holy Land. Although aged well into his 70's and blind, he took a leading role in the expedition, and recruited many Venetians to take part in the crusade. After backing the son of the deposed Byzantine emperor, Dandolo led the crusaders on to Constantinople, where they defeated the Byzantine defenders. Dandalo died shortly after in 1205, and was buried here in Ayasofya. The gravemarker, which is located on the second level near the Mosaic of the Deesis, is not the actual tomb of Dandalo. The original grave was destroyed after the conquest of the city in 1453. The present marker was placed here in the 1800's by a restoration team from Italy, assuming the approximate location of the original.
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