Hagia Sophia

Hagia Sophia is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. Built in 537 AD in the Middle Ages, it was famous in particular for its massive dome. It was the world's largest building and an engineering marvel of its time. It is considered the finest example of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture".

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Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments
  • Interior features
  • Links to national heritage
  • Famous people or stories

Other nearby buildings

Blue Mosque

Sultan Ahmed Mosque (also known as the Blue Mosque) is a historic mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey. It remains a functioning mosque, while also attracting large numbers of tourist visitors. It was constructed between 1609 and 1616 during the rule of Ahmed I. Its Külliye contains Ahmed's tomb, a madrasah and a hospice. Hand-painted blue tiles adorn the mosque’s interior walls, and at night the mosque is bathed in blue as lights frame the mosque’s five main domes, six minarets and eight secondary domes.

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Suleymaniye Mosque

The Süleymaniye Mosque is an Ottoman imperial mosque located on the Third Hill of Istanbul, Turkey. The mosque was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan. An inscription specifies the foundation date as 1550 and the inauguration date as 1557. The mosque was built by the Ottoman sultan Suleyman and the mosque was named after him. The mosque is located at the highest end of the city of Istanbul.

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Church of Theotokos Kyriotissa

Church of Theotokos Kyriotissa is a former Eastern Orthodox church in Istanbul, converted into a mosque by the Ottomans -Kalenderhane Mosque. With high probability the church was originally dedicated to the Theotokos Kyriotissa. This building represents one among the few extant examples of a Byzantine church with domed Greek cross plan.