Standing at the centre of Turkey's Istanbul for centuries, Hagia Sophia has witnessed empires rise and fall. Built as a church in 537 CE and converted into a mosque in 1453, the monument's vast architecture makes visiting a spiritual experience, regardless of faith.
The interiors of the 1,600-year-old monument are adorned with Christian and Islamic art. It also has Byzantine mosaics of saints and rulers alongside calligraphy of Allah, Prophet Mohammed and the four caliphs.
The current Hagia Sophia was commissioned by Emperor Justinian I in 523 CE, following the destruction of two earlier churches on the site.
An anecdote in the Istanbul Encyclopedia claims Justinian exclaimed, "I surpassed you, Solomon!" upon entering the church, though historian Sedat Bornovali calls this story untrue. "If these claims were true, we would see them either in 'Buildings' or in his 'Secret History'."
Historian Peter Heather estimates Justinian spent "7,000-9,000 kg of gold," while the Istanbul Encyclopedia puts the cost at $75 million in 1945 values, roughly $1.3 billion today. Historian Bornovali suggests the emperor used seized property and taxes to fund the ambitious project, as per CNN.
When Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople in 1453, he converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque, performing his first Friday prayer there. Historian A Cagri Baskurt explains, "There were three steps that defined the reign of the sultans. The first is to take the throne in the palace, the second is to wield a sword in Eyup, and the third is to perform the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia."
Christian mosaics were later plastered over by Sultan Suleiman I but restored under Ataturk's secular republic in 1926.
After the establishment of the secular Turkish Republic, Hagia Sophia was transformed into a museum in 1935.
In 2020, Hagia Sophia again converted into a mosque by the Turkish government. The second floor has served as a museum for tourists since then.
Historian Hasan Mert Kaya says, "Hagia Sophia should be a building where only Friday prayers, Eid and, perhaps during Ramadan, tarawih prayers are performed, fulfilling its function as a place of worship symbolically, and where limited people are allowed in at once."
Legends, such as the use of a "holy mortar" to repair a cracked dome, show the building's symbolic power. Mert Kaya says, "These legends and myths surrounding Hagia Sophia bind people to it; they reinforce the perception that this is their mosque, their temple."
Baskurt adds, "From the perspective of the [sultan's] subjects, Hagia Sophia has been defined as an absolute symbol of conquest."
Workers began a three-year restoration project this year to preserve Byzantine mosaics and strengthen the building's foundation in case of an earthquake.
