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Saint Sophia is finest and most famous example of BYZANTINE architecture in the world. It is located just in heart of old Istanbul, next to the Blue Mosque in the Sultan Ahmet Square (Sultanahmet Meydani) of Istanbul.

Four minarets have been added to St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), after Ottomans captured Constantinople at 1453. Today Saint Sophia is neither a Church nor a Mosque but it is a museum.

Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) was built as a Constantinian Church by the emperor Justinian I, between A.D. 532 and 537 and in its ancient time, it represented the largest covered space in the world. Its architects were Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles.

It was built only in of five years. On May 558, the dome of the church collapsed due to a December 557 earthquake, and though a new dome was (or has been) quickly rebuilt.

HAGIA SOPHIA is a Greek phrase that means 'Holy Wisdom'. This ancient basilica also called SAINT SOPHIA. Turks call 'Ayasofya M'zesi' or in short 'AYASOFYA'.

After its construction ended, Hagia Sophia served as a Church for the first nine centuries and when Constantinople was taken by the Ottomans' in 1453, Sultan Mehmet II (FATIH SULTAN MEHMET) added 4 minarets, a fountain (sadirvan) and mausoleum (turbe). He converted it into a Mosque and it served as a Mosque for 5 centuries.

Ottoman additions to Hagia Sophia include the huge wooden shields emblazoned with gilded calligraphy of Koran verses. Also addition of niche (The Mihrab) indicated the direction of Mecca.

Then in 1935, during Turkish Republic years, the Mosque was secularized and made into a museum under MUSTAFA KEMAL ATAT'RK's (founder of the Turkish Republic), it became a national museum -as it is today-.

Hagia Sophia's building dimensions are 76mt (250ft) by 72mt (235ft) and this marbles place's inside appearance is one of great space, height and richness.

Construction contains marble-lined walls have many colors and designs. Beautiful Byzantine mosaics decorate some of the walls and vaults.

Over the center area is the great dome which raises 56mt (185ft) above the ground and is 33mt (107ft) in diameter (slightly larger than diameter of the U.S. Capitol).

Every year nearly 5 million tourist visit Istanbul and the first stop in their visit is Saint Sophia.

The reasons in visiting the Saint Sophia vary according to the visitors. Generally people visit Saint Sophia because it is a holy place for all Christians and other reasons are the historical and the architectural value of this marvelous building...

The Hagia Sophia (Saint Sophia) Museum opens to the public everyday, except Monday. Telephone: 90-212-522-0989