Beautiful architecture. Serenity and chaos at the same time. Love the echoing sound of call to prayer from one end of the mosque to the other. So much fusion of various cultures and languages that come to visit this place
Perhaps the largest and most representative monument of Christianity, if we only think of the fact that it has survived for more than 1,700 years. Countries or empires have appeared and disappeared, bigger or smaller wars have taken place, generations of people were born, lived and died, the earth changed its appearance, but St. Sophia was there, a huge creation of the human mind and soul. Beginning in 325, the current form was only acquired in 537, under Justinian. The 31-meter-diameter dome, at 54 meters tall, attenuates you until the annihilation any closed or limited space. Looking at the dome, you can feel that you see souls floating above you in space. The mosaics on the walls bear the traces of the iconoclastic period. The religious services held here (the last on May 29, 1453, I hope you suspect why then ...) have led the Prince Vladimir to pursue to the Christianization of the Russians. The Great Church is also the place where the Christians were slaughtered by Mahomed the Conqueror on that deadly day of May 29, 1453. The place where the Byzantine kings were crowned, as well the place where the Empress was attending the religious service are well marked. The entrance is paid, in the interior you can take pictures even with the flash, and in the side corridors there are stalls with tourist guides or memories that, believe it or not, can be paid by card.
Fantastic, worth to spend time in queue 20 minutes, highly recommend to spend more in second floor.
This place was amazing I wish there was not this much renovation going on but still most of it was accessible. It takes you back centuries. This visit should not be missed if in Istanbul.
Fantastic experience. Get the fast track and the audio guide. Probably as good or better than an actual guide
This place is very near the blue mosque, so worth a visit. If you plan on visiting all the sights nearby, it might be worth to get one of those 3 day museum passes that give you access to all the places and save some money.
This used to be a cathedral and then was converted to a mosque and is now a museum. You can still see some of the catholic influence in the structure, from the arches to some remaining paintings on the wall.
It was certainly a great site to visit, especially with all of the history there, but it was undergoing some much needed restoration. In the end, however, it was well worth it!
Simply Breathtaking
Loved everything about this place
number 1 attraction for me
Amazing piece of history. Preferred Hagia Sophia over Sultanahmet mosque. Would definitely recommend a visit
It was beautiful to visit Hagia Sophia musuem, outside Hagia Sophia there is a park and water fountain that you can sit down and relax, I really enjoyed myself and loved the history that was left behind century years ago.
We spent money on tickets to see nothing inside. Had there been a notice outside about the restoration work inside, we would have skipped seeing it.
Such a great experience and place to visit. Go early in the morning to beat the heat and the lines. A gem of history.
Nice place but when we had been there, there were many maintenance work going on, blocking people from full tour.
Beautiful place if u get a chance go their u will love it
I'm so much happy that the Hagia Sophia again converted to mosque. It's an amazing news for the Muslims all around the world. Al hamdu lillah and I thank Erdogan for this deed, jazakallah. I hope that Baytul Aqsa and Babri Masjid will be ours like this historical mosque.
Currently under a bit of construction. Loved it. Thought it was beautiful and it wasn't too crowded. Lots of history but could have done with some more information.
The combination of religions and cultures is stunning and unexpected absolutely breathtaking
A place full of history. You can see both of Islam and Christian history in one place, harmony. The intelligence of it's architecture. Wonderful
Wonderfully serene. The lighting is awesome and the gallery views are great.
An absolute Must-See. Don't be afraid to book a private guide. At around 320 Lira for 2 persons, this may seem expensive; however you don't need to queue, get excellent information and the guides are very friendly: worth the money.
Must c place n try to reach there before 9. Otherwise long cues will b waiting for u
A must visit if you're in Istanbul, even if you don't care much about the history, the mosque/cathedral is an absolute beauty to walk through with warm chandeliers and a beauty of a dome.
the most worthseeing temple - museum in Konstantinoupolis (Istanbul)
Heavy construction on one side for the last 2 times I visited but it s still as ethereal as ever.
The building is impressive with its history and large-scale construction.
Beautiful. So much of history embedded in every corner
Overwhelming. 40 liras (~10 ) for the entrance. After many min.of doubt we took a guide (paid 20 liras each), but it was more than worth it. First of all we skipped the line for the tickets and had a very interesting 30-40 min excursion. With lots of free time afterwards for taking pictures. Though it was very cold inside. So my advise: if you come to Istanbul, it is the place no. 1 to visit. Only take something warm to wear, make a small group with other visitors, take a guide and enjoy your time.
Just to visit a place built by Constantine is amazing. Not the fanciest design I have seen, but the history of this place is amazing.
The scale of this establishment is overwhelming, even more so when taking into account the age of it. All the ceilings and walls are covered with beautiful decorations. The fact that it is actually a church converted into a mosque adds even more to the visit. A little disturbing factor was the ongoing renovation which covered parts of the walls.
It a huge and worthy visiting.. and the garden is fabulous
A must do when visiting Istanbul - 3 churches in 1 - so much rich history
It was very crowded and hot plus the fees is a little bit higher
A miss see if you visit Istanbul. The queues are long we decided to get there before 9.00 am opening time.it seems this is the only way to avoid long queues.
In my opinion it is not a museum, because it is about the building, not items on display. The interior was nice, but too bad it was under construction.
This is an amazing place. Well worth spending time there. It's history is long and deep. The architecture is wonderful and there is a friendly black cat
It's the most beautiful church I have ever seen !! You pay entrance if course you have to wait patiently or you can pay a little but mite and take a guide that enters you immediately and explore you inside .
Amazing views very clean and everyone employed there was very helpful and polite!
Historical place, where you can see mixture of Christianity and Muslims. Long que to get the tickets. Recommended to buy an audio guide.
Holy Wisdom Cathedral iis one of the 8 wonders of the World with its fascinating Dome size and amaing history
Beautiful structure, large open and spacious, close to other sites. You don't need more than an hour. Better to know the history before going or get a tour guide. There is so much to know.
4.th biggest cattedral and most quickly consructed one in the world. Must see place while you were around. 10 euros entrance fee but worth it.
Regular tourist place, beware of fraud, tourists can be easy target as entry Q's are very long
The place is nearly a *millennium* old but it's (suprisingly) still fascinating, stunning and breathtaking. All the best words for Hagia Sophia. I hope construction will end soon.
The Hagia Sophia was once the most important church in Christendom. Together with the Blue Mosque, it is one of the most popular attractions in Istanbul. As a result, one can often find long queues waiting to enter and in peak session it can take up to two hours or more to enter. But as a courtesy of Turkish Airlines, we had a licensed tour guide with pre-reserved tickets so it was a breeze to enter.
Part of the museum was under renovation and covered in scaffolding. Regardless, it is beautiful showing signs of the Christianity faith before it was converted into a mosque and it's current form as a museum. Don't miss the Viking graffiti on the upper level, it's something worthwhile to look at. There's an audio tour in many languages for those interested.
Just wow. Don't wonder if you should or not , just come see it.
If you visit Istanbul, this has to be seen for sure. Great athmosphere and spirit is all around the place.
Well you can't visit Istanbul and miss Hagia Sophia. It's one of the biggest and oldest buildings in the city. It's history is long, colorful and bloody. Due to it's unique history, it's one of the few churches to be used both by christian and muslim religions. Tip of the day is to visit it early in the day. If you get there 30 minutes before 9 Am, you can get in around 9 and visit the beautiful Hagia Sophia with ease without being crowded.
Beautiful building that resembles the old times of Turkey/Istanbul
Would recommend going on a weekday (June) as the line wasn t too unreasonable. Beautiful museum, however there was construction going on which wasn t obvious until you got inside which took away from the beauty.
Family enjoyed their time in this unique attraction. Found difficulty with direction as few direction signs were available
It's a must visit in Istanbul. The size of the interior is impressive because of the massive dome. It's good to visit during the day but if you can spare the time, do visit also at night. The lighting makes this place looks very different.
One can see the influence of both Christianity and Islam in the interior of the building. It's a very impressive structure indeed. Notice the praying place for muslim oriented toward Mecca, off centered from the original design as a church.
The area around Hagia Sophia is also fun to mill around with vendors, shops, and the turkish ice cream is a must-try. Plus enjoy the ice cream stall staffs make fun of tourist with their ice cream tricks.
Place good but a lot of people not fellow the rule Don't know how to line up
Beautiful view of the amazing turkish heritage. A must see !
You would never forget about the cats inside joking aside, a magnificent place that amazes you by every part of it!
Splendid example of Eastern Roman / Byzantine art. Buy a museum pass at a calmer museum (like the archeological museum) so you don't have to queue.
India and the rest of the word should learn how not to fight over issues but to beautify and conserve them
A must visit place for the ones travelling to turkey
so beautiful so rich in history. a must go. I didn't have enough time to appreciate the beauty of hagia Sophia. it was stunning! a must visit place in Istanbul
Love to see a historical site which hasnt been capitalized yet. So go see this beauty before they decide to charge an entrance fee
My second time there. Do some reading before visiting it. It's a must.
It s a amazing place where you can get the flavor of Ottoman empire
A construction stands still More than 1400 years: Magnificent structure when considered it's age
One cant leave the Ayasofia building without getting overwhelmed by the architecture that stands there for centuries. A beautiful building with a diverse religious history, pieces of Islamic calligraphy, mosaic christian paintings from 13th century, portraits of Mary(PBUH) and islamic art make visit to this place a unique experience
The line to get in was way too long, waiting time is up to one hour, if you go on your own. An option to buy it on line or at the kiosk with the credit card is better, gets you in faster. The place was clean, well kept and beautiful. The history hits you in the moment you step in just like any historical place in Istanbul. Loved it
Awesome
It s Heart touching feeling I love this place
Words cannot describe the feeling this place gives me. When you take your first step inside you instantly hit by the sheer weight of history of this monumental structure. You have to go there to see if for yourself. It is unbelievably beautiful and a very humbling experience.
Very big and beautiful musque but with simple decorations inside.
Great museum, was built as a Church, converted to mosque and then to a museum later. It reflects the religious harmony as you can witness symbols of Christianity and Islam here. Being one the most visiting attraction in town it pulls a lot of crowed so hire a professional guide to avoid long ques and enjoy the history in details. It would be great to do a little research n read a little its history of before visiting.Must go place in Istanbul. Highly recommended.
It was amazing.
It was as grand as its history.
It's definitely worth to visit. Very nice experience. Better to come early morning to avoid long queues which start closer to 10am
It's okay. Not much to see to he honest. I normally really enjoy all the signs explaining the history of places but they are few here. It's also mad busy, obvs
