Santa Sofía Reviews

One of the most fascinating historical places i ve been to! It combines Christianity and Islam along many chapters of history

Christo-Muslim history under one roof. A must-see place for any tourist visiting Istanbul

A really beautiful place with a fantastic mix of two great cultures

May need to research a bit or get a tour guide to truly appreciate this incredible building and its history

Beautiful architecture, full of culture and history. A must visit place for the tourist of Istanbul.

In a single word: amazing!!!
I would suggest to visit the museum early in the morning, to not to be disturbed by tourists and not to wait too much to enter

One of the must-visits in Istanbul. Magnificent piece of architecture, and an interesting history. Make sure to take off your shoes

Amazing place I recommend buy tickets online because the lines are long!!

Facing the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia (meaning Divine Wisdom in ancient Greek) is a remarkable structure. It was originally built as an Orthodox patriarchal basilica in the 6th century AD and was the largest Christian cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years. After the conquest of Istanbul in 1453, Hagia Sophia was taken over by the Ottomans and converted into a mosque; it became a museum in 1935, and now contains a collection of Christian and Islamic art, Byzantine mosaics, holy relics, and extraordinary examples of iconography.
The building, with its immense dome, soars to a height of 56 meters. Astonishingly, it was built in only five years (by about 10,000 workers and 100 master craftsmen). Hagia Sophia was designed by the Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus under the Emperor Justinian, who decided to build on the site of two previously destroyed churches. When it was completed, it is reported that Justinian compared it to the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem, saying Oh Solomon! I have outdone you. The buttresses were added in 1317 (when it looked like the structure might collapse) and the minarets were added after its post-Conquest conversion to a mosque.
One of the most impressive aspects of Hagia Sophia is the plethora of mosaics with their glittering gold surfaces. Restorations are still ongoing; in 2009, a painting of a six-winged seraph, thought to date to the 14th century, was rediscovered. Another remarkable feature is the weeping column , which by popular superstition is believed to cure people with eye infections and boost fertility.

Definitely would recommend tour. Depending on what you prefer, there are tour guides that can get you in immediately and do a tour for 30 mins for 60 liras. Not a bad price if you prefer one on one tour.

Absolute a must if you stop over in Istanbul! The history and the sheer condition is absolutely breath taking. So grab a street corner corn and take a walk through history. Go early as the row to enter can get very long. Trybto invest in the museum card if you are for 3 days in Istanbul! Enjoy.

Very old historical Masjid. .represent the golden eara of Islamic builders and leadership in Turkey old days .

The centre for Christianity before Rome. Emperor Constantine built it, the Muslims destroyed it.

One of the wonders of the world. A must visit!
Tickets are a bit pricy at 72 lira pp, you can skip the line if you buy with credit card at the automatic machines by the entrance.
No lines, and the place itself is breathtaking.
Make sure to climb up to the second floor!

Must see in Istanbul. Great history. The size and the artwork of the place are very impressive. Very crowded.

It was a place in our wish list. We were in Istanbul and early morning after breakfast we took an Uber taxi to reach Hagia Sophia. We walked to the place where we could buy tickets and entered the museum. It was a church later became a mosque and now a museum. The technology and the beauty of the construction is beyond words to describe. Relegious influence on architecture...how to convert a church into a mosque ... all you can see for yourself. Beyond religion and politics, the building stands with pride as a landmark of the aspirations of the people of turkey. It s worth a visit to this museum. The first painted picture of Jesus is there and one could buy a replica of the paintings from the museum shop. You need to spend at least half day exploring the place. There are a lot of monuments of historical importance nearby, all at walkable distance. I spend one full day exploring the place and had my Turkish ice cream from a shop nearby. The simit which is sold at the front of the museum is tasty and for those who haven t tried it, it s worth trying it once.( though a bit expensive if you buy it from there)

Don't miss out visiting this place, so much history there.

Definitely a place to go. Don't feel obliged to get a tour or audio tour, just walking around is already great.

The Hagia Sophia Museum was once an Orthodox Christian Cathedral which was later converted into a Mosque, but now it is a museum.

What's interesting about this building is, although it was once converted into a mosque, some of the signs of the Christian cathedral were not erased.

It will be a very memorable experience for you if you visit this museum, trust me!

Bucket list item, I couldn't possibly give it an objective review

Such a beautiful place. Beware of tourist scam, though

It's of great historic significance. But our visit was disappointing as the place is/has been under construction work for several years now.

Hagia Sophia is also known as Ayasofya in Turkish and it is a fantastic tourist attraction in Sultanahmet, Istanbul. Our tour guides from She Travels showed us 2 Hagia Sophia i.e. The large one is this one here and there is a small Hagia Sophia, which is 5-8 minutes drive from the large one. This large Hagia Sophia Initially established as a Greek Orthodox Christian Cathedral which the Ottoman s eventually turned into an royal mosque and today this great tourist attraction serves as a museum in Istanbul. Massive dome, magnificent Byzantine architecture and overall ambience is simply mesmerizing. A MUST see in Istanbul.

Ofcourse a great place to visit, to skip the ticket queue and have some decent information, hire one of the tour guides around the entrance ... it seems like a con but it is not, this is how business is done there. Hope renovations are done soon too.

Epitomises the history of Istanbul. Extremely beautifully place even with all the restoration work going on. Lengthy queues outside can be skipped by visiting early or hiring a guide.

You will get a bit crowed here most of the time because it's one of main attractions from Istanbul

There is nothing to could be said that could describe the experience

No need to tell you about the place. It will speak for itself. It's really great place

Lovely place. Actually, the city of Istanbul is a bucket full of gems like this one. The atmosphere is just amazing. It cannot be described in words, you have to experience it.

Lovely historical mosque showing great past of Muslims

Too many tourists, must go early in the morning to see as much as possible,
Don't forget the outside too
Follow the numbers of every place

Many areas under construction, but still a must see.

A must place to visit in Istanbul, how religion can change so dramatically this enormous building so the faith rituals can be accomplished.

Awesome remnant to Christianity. Wish they would get rid of all the plywood (yes...look) Islamic "art".

Fascinating history. One of the top places to visit in Istanbul. Recommend using a guide as hearing about the history is key to enjoying this site.

It is not really as you expected from pictures in Media!!! I donot also know why the musum ticket price is too expensive!!! 35 euro per person as I remember.

The old man loved it, a great place to visit, though the queues can be long and the price to pay on the day is high, definitely worth a visit.

It was great, beautiful museum i ever visited. But many people will come if you go there in holiday

Although it's beautiful, there's something creepy about this place.. You have to visit it to feel it.. Like really!

The building is a amazing. The place when you can see the harmony.

What can I say that isn't already offered by many before me. The most impactful aspect of my visit was witnessing the shared awe from all who were visiting from around the world. People of all faith's appreciated the magisty of this space which still exhibits both Islamic and Christian iconography.

Awesome historical place.... Church to Mosque.. If you planning to come Istanbul.. You mark this one place in top for visit...

I love the dilapidated charm of this old building, enjoyed wandering around seeing the contrast between the old part of the monument and the bits that are being cleaned/restored.
Definitely worth a visit.

An architectural wonder built centuries ago. When you see inside the museum, you will understand, how strong and imaginative were our ancestors. How does they built such beautiful and gigantic marvels when there were no motor transportation and crains.

The museum is about 200 meters walk from the Sultanahmet mosq. It is decorated with amazing painting with minute and perfect detail.

In different parts of the walls, you may see the remnants of basilica, mosq and museum which means, none of the caretakers damaged this wonder.

You have to walk around for at least 2 to 3 hours to get the minimum appreciation of the building.

Mesmerising! Though the place is under renovation currently.

it was my dream to see this place. tickets are 40 turkic lira per person, equal to 9-10 us dollars.

This place is amazing. Many centuries of history in one place. Go early to avoid long lines.

Wonderful historical place. Better come here at the morning.