Istanbul, Turkey: Hagia Sophia

Built under the rule of Emperor Justinian, the great church Hagia Sophia represents Byzantium at its finest, during the glory days of the 6th Century. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.

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[aporia82]

@STCOMPLINE hagia sopha is a museum right now, it doesn't belong to the islam, it belongs to the ministry of culture of turkey...

[TurkshFtr]

@Kael7777 u must thank to turks cose building still standing but in greece many mosque destroyed by cristians

[narsplace]

why say it became a byzantine empire, it never was was, byzantine empire is use to split the two time sets and eastern and western empires

[ABookwormAndProud]

Istanbul is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! I'd love to visit someday!

[JihadJoeC4]

Wait its a mosque? I thought it was a palace

[edurmaz100]

@DavidBendele i think its sad that you would actually think that... the turks werent born yesterday, in fact they are one of the worlds most ancient citizens. and no they didint and wont destroy it... and the christian and islamic artifacts are still there...

[Kael7777]

I totally agree!! It is a church not a mosque....and the fact the Turkish government has converted Hagia Sophia to a museum-- it furthers the mockery of this great building!!!

[Abdallah0822]

it needs to be repainted I think on the outside

[sazji]

@DavidBendele No, most of them know it was a church before; and Turkish tour guides there make no claims to the contrary. I wouldn't say the Ottomans' aim was to "destroy" the civilization. Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror at least saw the Ottoman Empire as a continuation, and himself as the new emperor of Rome, though in a very different tradition of course.

[sazji]

@GudMuzlim786 Well, the Mezquita in Cordoba is Spain's business, not Greece's. As for the Islamic elements in Hagia Sophia, they aren't all that extraordinary other than the inscription inside the dome and the calligraphy with the names of Muhammed etc.; you can't compare it with Sultanahmet. If Turkey really wanted to make a gesture to the Greeks, it could give Hagia Sophia back. It would be a fine symbol; Orthodoxy's most important church and one of Islam's most beautiful mosques together.

[Komnenit]

@GudMuzlim786 Difference between the cases:

the CATHEDRAL of Cordoba was first built by the visigoths and transformed it into a mosque with the muslim invasion of the 8th century, the spanish christians just basically RECONVERTED the mosque into the church it was.

Hagia Sophia was never a mosque...it was built by christians..by byzantines in the 6th century.

Thats the difference between these two cases. Give Hagia Sophia back! Cordoba will remain as a Church as it was before being a mosque