Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia (pronounced Aya Sofia, meaning 'holy wisdom') is one of the oldest, and most spectacular buildings in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally built as Byzantine Christian cathedral in 537 AD, nearly a thousand years later in 1453 AD, when Constantinople (present day Istanbul) came under Moslem rule it became a mosque. For most of its 1,000 year Christian history, Hagia Sophia was the world's largest cathedral.
In 1935, as part of his great reforms, the Turkish president and national hero, Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, ordered Hagia Sophia to be made into a museum, which it still is today!
Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia (pronounced Aya Sofia, meaning 'holy wisdom') is one of the oldest, and most spectacular buildings in Istanbul, Turkey. Originally built as Byzantine Christian cathedral in 537 AD, nearly a thousand years later in 1453 AD, when Constantinople (present day Istanbul) came under Moslem rule it became a mosque. For most of its 1,000 year Christian history, Hagia Sophia was the world's largest cathedral.
In 1935, as part of his great reforms, the Turkish president and national hero, Mustapha Kemal Ataturk, ordered Hagia Sophia to be made into a museum, which it still is today!