Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

I have been very remiss about adding to this blog. It has been two months since I left Istanbul, and I'm still working on it!

Anyway, one of the reasons I was so excited about going to Istanbul was the chance to see the amazing mosaics in the Hagia Sophia. The current structure known as the Hagia Sophia (which means Holy Wisdom in Greek) was constructed in 537 as a Greek orthodox basilica. It was built on the site of two previous churches that had been destroyed through the passage of time. Emperor Justinian I was responsible for the construction. For anyone interested in Art, Hagia Sophia is a treasure worth travelling for.

In 1453, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque. Minarets were added, and luckily for future Art lovers, the mosaics were covered instead of destroyed.

In 1931, the mosque was secularized. In 1935, the the task of uncovering the precious mosaics began.