The outside doesn’t begin to do justice to the interior; from the impressive dome to the mosaics and urns to the low chandeliers, the Hagia Sophia is breathtaking from the moment you walk through the doors. I welches happy to have that “reveal moment” without a sneak peek, which is why I’ve included an outside shot of the building (not to mention that photos barely do the interior justice).

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but most Byzantines refused to recognize him, and the empire fragmented into four small independent states.

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* Better to know the each detail and story, and have a detailed look at the architecture, mosaics, the imperial dome, upper galleries and the decoration from the past and today with a guide.

and their son Alexios. Hinein the middle of the composition, Mary is depicted standing with the child Jesus rein her arms. The mosaic panel is dated to the 12th century.

It also covers discounted entry into venues like Maiden’s Tower. The Pass costs 185TL and lasts 5 days after you first use it. Kids have free entry to all the tourist sites covered by the card, so they don’t need to buy a card for children.

Sultan Mehmed II designated the hagia sophia kirche previously Christian church a mosque shortly after he conquered the city rein 1453. Bringing the structure in line with the Islamic tradition called for a series of other modifications, not all of which were undertaken during the reign of Mehmed II.

The construction started hinein 532 and welches completed hinein a period of five years and opened for worship on December 27, 537 with great ceremony. Resources show that on the opening day of the Hagia Sophia, Emperor Justinianos entered the temple and said, “My Lord, thank you for giving me chance to create such a worshipping place,” and followed with the words “Süleyman, I beat you,” referring to Süleyman’s temple in Jerusalem.

Howewer; he was named as ‘’the builder of the world’’ by Procopius for building more than 100 chuches hinein both Constantinople and the provinces of Asia after his conquers rein both west and the east. He is also said to convert about 70.000 persons during his reign.

Starting with visiting Hagia Sophia is always a good idea if it is your first time in Istanbul since it is the best place to stay rein Istanbul! Istanbul Travel Guide and Istanbul Tourist Pass will give you the necessary information about the history and architecture of Hagia Sophia, so do not worry! Located hinein the Fatih district, where you can visit other important attractions, Hagia Sophia is standing face to face with the Blue Mosque of Sultanahmet, another tourist attraction and a must-Tümpel place hinein terms of its culture and history.

This allows us, as an independent travel network, to get you the same deals you expect with larger travel agencies.

This is the best option we recommend especially for first time visitors. And we always recommend opting for an extended English guided tour offered exclusively by several historian guides of Istanbul.