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Hagia Sophia
A basilica built between 532 and 537 on the orders of Emperor Justinian, the work of Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus. Its dome, about 31 metres in diameter, shaped Byzantine architecture for centuries. It was an Orthodox cathedral, a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453, a museum from 1935 and a mosque again since 2020. The upper gallery, which is paid entry, preserves Byzantine mosaics. It is in Sultanahmet.
Add it to your trip on Wanloria →Things to do at Hagia Sophia: 3 missions
- Go up to the gallery and look for the Byzantine mosaicsGo up to the upper gallery and walk past its mosaics from the Byzantine era. Choose the one you like best and look at the details of the faces.
- Walk around the exterior and count the minaretsWalk around the outside of the building and look at the buttresses and the minarets added by the Ottomans after 1453.
- Look at the great dome from the centre of the naveStand in the centre of the nave and look up at the dome. Notice how the light comes in through the windows at its base.
Near Hagia Sophia
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need for Hagia Sophia?
Allow about 1 h 30 min for the visit.
What is there to do at Hagia Sophia?
Go up to the gallery and look for the Byzantine mosaics, Walk around the exterior and count the minarets and Look at the great dome from the centre of the nave.
What is there to see near Hagia Sophia?
Basilica Cistern (175 m), Hagia Irene (180 m) and Istanbul Archaeology Museums (389 m).
Source: Wanloria