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The 6th-century Byzantine cathedral that became an Ottoman mosque, a museum, and — since 2020 — a working mosque again.
Overview
Commissioned by Emperor Justinian in 537, Hagia Sophia was the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years and the pattern-book for every Ottoman imperial mosque that followed. Its 32-metre-wide main dome, gold-ground mosaics of Christ and the Virgin, and marble revetments have survived earthquakes, iconoclasm and multiple reconsecrations. Entry is free for the ground-floor prayer hall (visitors welcome outside prayer times); paid gallery access on the upper floor gives closer looks at the surviving mosaics. Dress modestly, shoulders and knees covered.
Highlights
- 32 m Byzantine main dome
- 6th-century gold-ground mosaics
- Ground floor free to visit
- Upper gallery ticketed
- Closed to visitors during prayers
Gallery
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