HAGIA SOPHIA TURKEY SACRED DESTINATIONS SACRED SITES RELIGIOUS PILGRIMAGES SEARCH AFRICA EAST ZEALAND CATEGORIES BIBLICAL BUDDHISM CATHEDRALS CATHOLICISM HINDUISM NEW AGE PYRAMIDS PROTESTANT SHRINES STANDING STONES SYNAGOGUES VIEW PHOTOS OVERVIEW BOOKS ANTIOCH BERGAMA EPHESUS ISTANBUL KONYA BEYAZIT BLUE MOSQUE CHURCH SERGIUS AND BACCHUS CHURCH OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PANTOCRATOR EYUP MOSQUE MAUSOLEUM FATIH CAMII FETHIYE HAGIA EIRENE KARIYE CAMII SAVIOR ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE CATHEDRAL SULEYMANIYE MOSQUE RELATED BLUE GUIDE TRAVEL GUIDE RICK STEVES LONELY PLANET ROUGH GUIDE LIVING LUXE GUIDE GREECE CRESCENT AND STAR BETWEEN TWO WORLDS SHARE FULL SHORT URL LINK CODE THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SANCTA SOPHIA AYASOFYA AYA SOFYA BYZANTINE CHURCH OTTOMAN AS ONE THE GREAT BUILDINGS ADVERTISEMENT HISTORY OF NOTHING REMAINS THE ORIGINAL SITE THE FOURTH CONSTANTINE THE GREAT CONSTANTINE CHRISTIAN EMPEROR THE FOUNDER CITY OF CITIES THE DESTRUCTION OF CONSTANTIUS THE EMPEROR THEODOSIUS BURNED DOWN NIKA RIOTS FRAGMENTS SEEN REBUILT PRESENT PERSONAL SUPERVISION EMPEROR JUSTINIAN GREATEST SURVIVING BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE RICH MOSAICS MARBLE PILLARS SAID TO ARCHITECTS ISIDORE OF MILETUS ANTHEMIUS OF TRALLES PROFESSORS GEOMETRY THE UNIVERSITY OF WORK TECHNICAL EVEN THOUGH THE STRUCTURE DAMAGED TIMES DOME EARTHQUAKE FELL STEPS TAKEN BASILICA ARCHITECTURAL ACHIEVEMENT LATE ANTIQUITY MASTERPIECE ARCHITECTURALLY ENDURING EASTERN ROMAN MUSLIM WORLDS SEAT ORTHODOX PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE PRINCIPAL SETTING FOR CHURCH COUNCILS IMPERIAL CEREMONIES IN 12 THE CATHEDRAL DESECRATED THE CRUSADERS PATRIARCH OF CONSTANTINOPLE LATIN EVENT THE DIVISION THE GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCHES BEGUN SCHISM OF 10 MEANS TODAY THE TREASURY VIOLENT SETBACK SULTAN MEHMET THE CONQUEROR AMAZED BEAUTY IMMEDIATELY CONVERTED IMPERIAL MOSQUE ALMOST MODEL MOSQUES THE BLUE SULEIMAN MOSQUE RUSTEM PASHA MOSQUE MAJOR STRUCTURAL CHANGES ADDITION MIHRAB MINBAR WOODEN MINARET FACES PLASTER ISLAMIC PROHIBITION OF CENTURIES SULTAN MEHMED II MADRASA THE MOSQUE ORGANIZED CONDUCTED SINAN RULE SELIM II LOGE THE MAUSOLEUM THE SOUTHEAST MAUSOLEUMS MURAD III MEHMED III MAHMUD KORANIC SOUP KITCHEN THE CENTER SOCIAL FAMOUS SWISS GASPARE GUISEPPE RENOVATE THE BROTHERS THE DOME EXTERIOR THE INTERIOR THE DISCOVERY OF FIGURAL SECULARIZATION DESCRIPTIONS FOSSATI BROTHERS UNCOVERED CLEANING CALLIGRAPHIC ROUNDELS COMMISSIONED KAZASKER EFENDI OLDER HANGING ON TURKISH PRESIDENT KEMAL HAGIA SOFIA TURNED AYASOFYA MUSEUM THE PRAYER BUILDING DECAY FOR SOME EIGHT LEFT UNESCO MISSION FALLING DIRTY BROKEN PAINTINGS LEAD RECENT VISITORS HUGE SCAFFOLDING STRETCHING VISUAL FLOOR PLAN BROWSE PHOTO CLICK LINKS TEXT BELOW CLASSICAL BASILICA PLAN GROUND PLAN FEET WIDTH AREA CENTRAL OUTSIDE DIAMETER SMALLER THAN THE PANTHEON PENDENTIVES MASONRY SOLVE PROBLEM PENDENTIVE DECORATED THE WEIGHT MASSIVE PIERS AT THE CORNERS SEEMS FLOAT THE WESTERN ARCHED OPENINGS FLAT WALL TYMPANUM WINDOWS SEVEN STONE GRAVEL PATH OUTER THE ACTUAL MEHMET THE CONQUEROR VICTORIOUS BATTLE INTERIOR POLYCHROME GREEN AND WHITE PURPLE GOLD SIMPLE WALLS REVEAL THE CLARITY MASSED VAULTS ISLAMIC SUSPENDED 19TH CENTURY IN PLACE CONTRAST CHRISTIAN THE NAMES PAINTED ON THE EIGHT MEDALLIONS ALLAH MUHAMMAD CALIPHS ABU UTHMAN THE FOUR CORNERS GRANDSONS HASAN HUSAYN BYZANTINE MOSAICS THE HIGHER GALLERY STAIRWAYS PAYMENT MUSLIMS DO NOT HAVE TO CHRISTIAN IMAGERY CHAMBER NEARLY EQUIPMENT PLACE OF WORSHIP CHRISTIANS THE FOCUS THE EAST END CHRISTIAN CHURCHES TRADITIONALLY ORIENTED ALWAYS PRAY FACING SOUTHEAST ACTUALLY THUS BULK INTERESTING SIGHTS GROUND LEVEL THE SIGHTS DATE BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE APSE NICHE DIRECTION STAIRWAY THE RIGHT PULPIT SERMONS TO THE LEFT THE GRAND RESTORED LOOKING SEES SPLENDID MOSAIC DEPICTING THE VIRGIN AND CHILD ARCHANGEL GABRIEL GABRIEL USED TO FACE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS IS NOW UPPER THE SOUTH THE PLACE WOMEN WORSHIP NAVE FROM ALL SIDES THE BEST ENTER TRIUMPHANT CHRIST THE VIRGIN MARY JOHN THE BAPTIST AT THE END GOLDEN THE LEFT EMPEROR CONSTANTINE IX EMPRESS ZOE THE VIRGIN AND CHILD WITH EMPEROR JOHN II COMNENUS EMPRESS IRENE THE MODERN EXIT VESTIBULE BODYGUARDS WAITED WORSHIPPED HIGH BEHIND WALK OUT THE VIRGIN PRESENTS THE CHURCH OF DATES PROBABLY THINGS QUICK FACTS CHURCH OF HOLY WISDOM CHANGE WORLD HERITAGE SITES PLAN HOLY CONTACT HOTELS INFORMATION ACCURATE PUBLISHED WE DO OUR BEST KEEP IT DETAILS OPENING HOURS PRICES PLEASE CHECK THE SITE SPECIAL REFERENCES BYZANTINE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE TOPICS ROBERT PERFECT SPACE TRAVEL PLANNER TRIPADVISOR USER REVIEWS COMMENTS VIRTUAL TOURIST HERE GIANT DAVID HELEN ENGRAVING MADE IN HOLLY HAYES MAGNIFICENT RISES HEIGHT NORTH DICK CLOSE COLUMNS ARTISTIC MEETING CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM ENTHRONED VIRGIN AND CHILD DEESIS HOLDING THE CHRIST TOPS THE IMPERIAL ENTRANCE CHRIST PANTOCRATOR LOCATION AERIAL BUTTONS THE WHEEL YOUR YOU CAN ZOOM CLOSER MOVE AROUND CLICK AND DRAG THE MAP PRIVACY POLICY ONLINE RELIGIOUS TRAVEL HOLY PLACES RELIGIOUS HISTORY HISTORICAL RELIGIOUS ARCHAE