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HAGIA SOPHIA

Hagia Sophia was built in between 532 and 537 under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I. It is one of the greatest surviving examples of Roman architecture, rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for church councils and imperial ceremonies. Sophia remained a functioning church until May 29, 1453, when Sultan Mehmet II, the Conqueror entered into the city of Constantinople. He was amazed at the beauty of the Hagia Sophia and immediately converted it into his imperial mosque and served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years. In 1934, under Turkish president Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sofia was secularized and turned into the Ayasofya Museum. The plasters covering the mosaics were removed after it was converted into a museum and visitors can enjoyed and can be amazed by the unique Byzantine mosaics come out again.

Hagia Sophia is the first masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its influence, both architecturally and liturgically, was widespread and enduring in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim worlds alike. It became a model for many of the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Shehzade Mosque and the Rustem Pasha Mosque.

No major structural changes were made at first; the addition of a mihrab (prayer niche), minbar (pulpit) and minarets made Hagia Sophia a mosque out of the church. At some early point, all the faces depicted in the church's mosaics were covered in plaster due to the Islamic prohibition of figurative imagery. Various additions were made over the centuries by successive sultans.
Today Hagia Sophia is most important and famous highlight of Istanbul with its one thousand five hundred year history.

BOOK NOW for tour to HAGIA SOPHIA

Practical Information
* Next to Sultanahmet tram stop,
*Open everyday except Monday. April to October 09.00 am. to 07.00 pm, November to April 09.00am. to 05.00 pm.
* Entrance fee is 20 Turkish liras.

 
 
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ok BOSPHORUS ok GALATA TOWER ok PRINCES ISLAND
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ok CHORA MUSEUM ok HAGIA SOPHIA ok WOODEN SUMMER HOUSES
ok ANADOLU KAVAGI ok BEYLERBEYI PALACE ok LITTLE HAGIA SOPHIA
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HAGIA SOPHIA
HAGIA SOPHIA
HAGIA SOPHIA
 
daily istanbul tours
Historical Treasuries
Hippodrome
Blue Mosque
Hagia Sophia
Grand Bazaar
Topkapı Palace
Little Hagia Sophia Mosque
 
Highlights of Istanbul
Highlights of Istanbul
Cruise tour with private boat in Golden Horn and Bosporus
Drive along the Golden Horn to Pierre Loti Hill
Short cable car experience
Dolmabahçe Palace
Drive over the Bosporus Bridge
Step to the Asian part, the highest point in the city with full view of Istanbul
 
Cruise in Bosporus
Cruise in Bosphorus
Cruise in Bosphorus, passing under two Bosporus Bridges
See both sides of the city (Asia and Europe) from the sea
Come alongside of the Asian side of the city
Have a small break in a nice suburb of Asian side called Kanlica
 
Bosporus and Black Sea Cruise
Cruise in the Bosphorus and the Black Sea coast
Drive from the old city to the pier of Kabatas to start the cruise
Stop in Ortakoy to visit the district and feel its cosmopolitan ambience
Cross to the Asian side of the city to visit the summer palace called "Beylerbeyi"
The fortress of Europe
Anadolu Kavagi
 
Prince’s Islands Tour
Princes' Islands Tour
Sail from the city to the Sea of Marmara
Visit to Kinali and Heybeli Islands
Have a stop in Buyukada (Great Island)
Have lunch on the boat and swimming break in the secret bay of the island
 
 
 
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