Hagia Sophia - Ayasofya Museum

Hagia Sophia - Ayasofya Museum Overview

Hagia Sophia, once the greatest church in the Christian world until its conversion into a mosque in 1453, is now one of Istanbul’s most well known and breathtakingly beautiful museums.

The Byzantine emperor Justinian I had Hagia Sophia built, in all its glory, in under five and a half years. Completed in 537AD, this patriarchal basilica remained the largest cathedral in the world until 1453, when Constantinople was conquered by Ottoman armies and Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

Prior to its conversion, the interior walls were covered with marble and porphyry, as well as beautiful mosaics which included 30 million gold tiles depicting various religious scenes. Its massive columns are made from granite.

Hagia Sophia is rectangular in structure, measuring 70 metres by 75 metres with a massive central dome. Its dome made it the focus of intense architectural interest and wonder; with a height of 55.5 metres and a diameter measuring 31.24 metres, it appears to float on its arches. This was achieved by the construction of triangular piers at the corners of the base and by a sequence of arched windows under it, allowing vast amounts of sunlight into the building.

The Crusaders ransacked Hagia Sophia in 1204. In the wake of their destruction and desecration they also robbed the cathedral of many of its relics, shipping them to Venice, and replaced its Patriarch with a Latin bishop. This event ultimately served to divide the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.

Hagia Sophia was used as a model for many other mosques including the Blue Mosque which stands opposite it. During its conversion to a mosque, all the traditional Christian elements such as its altar, bells and iconoclasts were removed. As Islam prohibits the representation of figures, the mosaics and frescoes were plastered over and replaced with geometric designs, gold, wood and mother of pearl. Two minarets were later added, along a prayer niche, pulpit, ablutions area, tombs and an elementary school. Large medallions inscribed with Islamic calligraphy were suspended from the mosque’s dome in the 19th century and are still visible today.

The Museum’s Upper Gallery, where the church council would sit, includes many of the best preserved mosaics and Christian imagery, while the lower level contains the greatest concentration of Islamic art and functional elements of a mosque.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the secular Turkish Republic, had Hagia Sophia converted into a museum in 1935 following extensive restoration led by Thomas Whitmore of the Byzantine Institute of America. In the process, a compromise had to be made as many of the covered Christian mosaics and icons were exposed, resulting in the destruction of the Islamic art which had replaced it. In this regard, the restoration project has attempted to strike a balance between the two religious styles. The Museum’s restoration is ongoing, visible by the scaffolding inside.

Important attractions nearby include the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome, Istanbul Archaeological Museums, Turkish Islamic Arts Museum and Gulhane Park.

Practical Information:

Opening Hours: Tuesday - Sunday, 9am-4:30pm. Closed Mondays.

Tickets: 20 TL.

Main Picture: Yildirim Incealemdaroglu