Hagia Sophia in Istanbul: The Turkish Wonder

The city of Istanbul is famous for its many historical and cultural features, and most of its features are characterized by the design of its buildings, such as Byzantine, Roman, and Ottoman. The most famous of which is the Hagia Sophia Mosque and Museum. In Arabic, it means the Holy Wisdom, which was a church and then converted into a mosque.

Information about the Histroy of Hagia Sofia Mosque in Istanbul

It was built in the beginning as a church in the Byzantine era in 532 and it took five years to build it, 537, and that year it was officially opened. It had about 10.000 workers and 320 pounds of gold were spent on it. The stones of the church and its marble and even columns were brought from Egypt and Baalbeck, and in 1435 converted to a mosque after the conquering of Constantinople, the first mosque to be held Friday prayers after the conquering of Constantinople and prayed by Sultan Mohamed Al- Fatih who had prayed two rak'ahs outside before being converted to a mosque and ordered to transfer within three days to pray Friday Its been done.

The church was converted into a mosque because the area was Christian and there were no mosques around. The weather was rainy and cold throughout the year, so it was converted into a mosque to be used instead of leaving it as deserted.

The mosque remained for 481 years and was then turned into a museum by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. It was in 1935 and remains today as a museum of ancient and priceless Islamic and Christian treasures.

Where is Hagia Sofia Mosque Located in Istanbul?

The Mosque and Museum of Hagia Sophia are located in the Al Fatih area opposite Sultanahmet Mosque in the European section of the city. The dome rises to 55.6 meters and the diameter is 32 meters. The floor area covers 700 square meters with 70-100 meters. The huge dome sits on columns of 24.3 meters in height and is based on half-huge domes from the east and west. The mosque and museum of Hagia Sophia are characterized by its magnificent architecture. Its floor is covered with beautiful marble and every place is decorated with amazing mosaics. The roof of the mosque is covered with mosaic stones. With colored stones, Kashi or porcelain, and you will find wonderful graffiti on the walls that have been planned by Ottoman calligraphers.

A Tour in Hagia Sofia Mosque

Inside the mosque, you will find 40 colored windows around the dome which provide lighting for the inside of the mosque and give a beautiful and comfortable feeling. The dome is covered with bullets so that it is not influenced by the external factors. A collection of Quranic paintings is placed in the top four pillars and in the center of the dome four huge and circularly shaped plates were written on them: Allah, Muhammad, Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, and Ali.

Due to the distinctive location of Hagia Sophia, you will find apartments for sale in Istanbul on the European side near this museum, which is owned by many tourists to stay near the most beautiful places in Istanbul. In 1999, thousands of people perished under the rubble and everything shook, but Hagia Sophia was not cracked, and no stone fell from it. The Hagia Sophia mosque and museum are a great sight and a stunning sight, and you can see it from the sea.

In addition, there are tombs of sultans and primary school, minarets, poor house, treasury building, Al-Fatih school, the room of the two centers, External supports, waterfalls, and faucets for ablutions and others.

The Conversion of Hagia Sofia

Since the mosque was converted into a museum, the azan has been banned, but it was lifted for the first time in 78 years on the anniversary of the inauguration of Istanbul. In 2014, an association called "Youth of Anadolu" organized an event for the dawn prayer in the square of the Hagia Sophia Mosque "Bring your carpets and pray" for a campaign to return the museum to a mosque and has collected 15 million signatures to demand it, but the Prime Minister said that it will not be changed at the moment.

Tourism in Hagia Sophia

Many tourists visit the museum from different nationalities who may be looking for properties in Istanbul due to their attachment to them. The museum can be reached by using the tramway from the Kapatas area of Sultanahmet station. The cost of admission is: 55 TL and free for children under the age of 12, Visiting times in the summer are from 9 am to 7 pm and in the winter from 9 am to 5 pm.

Edit: Imtilak Real Estate ©