While Western tourists who visit Istanbul, Türkiye, Cruz in a port, many usually look for a special landmark: Hagia Sofia.
Identifying the ancient temple, which served as a church, museum and mosque, can be complicated from far away. The skyline of Istanbul seems to be mixed with large-scale mosques to look at the byzantine-style dome and the tall minarets around them.
According to Britannica, Sultan Soliman’s order has a mosque built in the 16th century to contest Hagia Sofia.
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Then there is the Blue Mosque, a short distance from the famous landmark, the Ottoman-era temple, then there are many other similar structures.
The Hagia Sofia Grand Mosque is a Muslim worship place – but it is not the reason for so much attention.
The European side of Istanbul in Turkey is seen above.
For about a thousand years, it was a Christian basilica, not only in Constantinople, but the largest and most spectacular temple in the entire Byzantine Empire.
“Hagia Sophia is unique without parallel,” Robert Lehman’s history professor Robert Nelson told Fox News Digital.
“In the 16th century St. Peters Basilica did not exceed its height up to the building. The more impressive than its size is inside its beautiful, stylish marble decoration inside.”
According to Britannica, the Blue Mosque is properly known as Sultan Ahmed Mosque, built by Britain by 1609-1616. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
“Huge marble columns were brought all over the ancient world. The walls were trimmed in handsome marble that had faded over time but still fascinated,” he said.
It was commissioned by the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian first and designed two Greek architects and mathematicians, Mileitus’ ICidore and Anthemius of the trolls.
Hagia Sofia, a major historical Tihasik monument, was commissioned by Emperor Justinian the Great. (History/Universal Image Group through Gatety Image)
It is not surprising that this architectural Marvel is often called the eighth wonder of the world.
Italian Renaissance Pandit Frederick Heart wrote, “Justin dreamed of a new type of church.” And Justinian got exactly what he wanted.
Archaeologist
“Solomon, I have defeated you!” The fantasy emperor is reported to have been proud after the completion of his great Basilika.
Hagia Sophia was built in the AD century in the Byzantine Empire Constantinople. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
The main point is that Hagia Sophia is ancient, built between 532 and 537 AD – and tourists can still set foot inside and soak all its glory.
Heart wrote, “Today we should imagine the glorious impression of the melodious space and the light of light in the internal region, imagining the royal procession of the Byzantine Emperor and his court, and completed the imagination,” Hart wrote.
Morning light enters the Hagia Sofia of Istanbul in Turkey. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
Hagia Sophia is great and wonderful-and surprises visitors how people have been able to make this complex structure engineer so centuries ago.
Then again it is about the Greeks.
After the HOLD century earthquake, the Hagia Sofia of the Instabol Dome was damaged and it was re -designed by small Icidorus. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
When Basilica was created, Constantinople was named after Constantinople, on the east side of the European continent and Emperor Constantine the Great, one of the most important capitals in the Christian world.
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Earlier, known as Byzantium, this ancient city was built to compete to Rome. It was known for the sophisticated castle.
Hagia Sofia, a Virgin Mary of Hagia Sofia in Turkey, is a representation of a 13th century of Christ and John Baptist. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
After the great distinction of 1054 that Christian breaks in the Roman Catholic and East Orthodox conversation, the issues have become a bit complicated.
Constantinople remained at the center of the Greek Orthodox Church, but its power was weak.
On April 12, the Latin was a known event in history as a massacre. Donald M. As Nicho describes it in his book “Byzantium and Venice”, “People did not need any enthusiasm for years. They set up all the foreigners’ genocide with annoyance for years … They finally found out thousands of western who survived and retaliated by the Age.
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In 1204, Constantinople was dismissed to avenge the genocide by Crusaders and for decades was kept in the hands of the West, according to numerous sources.
In 1453, the problem came from the Asian party. The city was dismissed again – this time by the Turks – and included in the Ottoman Empire.
Istanbul Skyline is portrayed in 2024. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
As a result, Hagia Sophia Basilica became a mosque and the minarets were added.
Nelson told Fox News Digital, “Hagia Sophia had an immediate impact on the Ottomans when they conquered the city and the winner II Sultan Mehmed declared that it should not be harmed.
“Ottoman Architects, starting from the next 15th century, tried to copy its dome and interior.”
Four minarets were added when Hagia became a Sofia mosque. (Runuta Hamlin)
The IANS Tihasiks say that the Ottoman Empire has grown in power, spread to the eastern regions of Africa and Europe, managing cities, raiding villages, taking residents into slavery.
When Western European forces were involved in exploration and expanded their territories into the new world, their eastern parts were busy protecting their own borders.
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Things have become quite rough, especially for the Habsburg Empire (Austria). The city of Vienna found itself under the blockade several times.
The turning point came on September 12, 1683, it was only when the Polish King Jan Sobsky, the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, came to rescue the Austrian capital.
A gift shop in Istanbul in Turkey is shown above. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
It is confident that this time they will conquer Vienna, a large Ottoman forces led by Mustafa, instead been crushed by Sobski and its Polish-friendly equestrian, renowned wings.
Pope Innocent praised Shi Sobsky as the “Savior of Vienna and Western European Civilization”.
King Jan Sobsky wrote to his wife, Queen Maria Kazimiira: “God Shabba has given our nation a victory and glory to our nation.
King John III SOBSKK has sent a message of victory to the Pope Innocent XI after the Vienna war by Jan Matezco. (Fine Art Fig/Heritage Tahaya Figty/Getty Fig.)
The Vienna war was identified as the beginning of the fall of the Ottoman Empire, but the city of Constantinople, a natural waterway, divided into Europe and Asia, remained in Turkish.
In the nineteenth century, Hagia suddenly resurrected international interest in Sofia.
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According to Nelson, the reason was a movement towards romanticism. “It came up with a new attitude towards the past, especially ancient and medieval Christianity,” he said.
The ancient Constantinople city spread across two continents and was named in 1930, Istanbul.
Mustafa Kemal Atarque statue at Gulhan Park in Istanbul, Turkey. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
In 1935, Mostafa Kemal Atarque, the founder of the Modern Republic, transformed Hagia Sofia into a museum.
Over the years, the former Basilica and the mosque made significant reforms and became a favorite among tourists. However, in 2021, despite many objections from the UNESCO and the international community, the Turkish government withdrew the status of the Hagia Sofia Museum and turned it into a working mosque.
In 2021, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry completed a digital scan of Hagia Sofia, creating a “digital twin” in the temple so that they could reconstruct it if needed. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
Tourists are now allowed to enter only the upper level (gallery) of this historic tihasik building and to see the interior from above. However, it does not slow down them.
For those who have not secured tickets online, there are long lines for buying tickets. Also, the female visitors have to put their heads on the cover after entering.
The main covering is mandatory for women entering Hagia Sofia. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
Once inside, they saw themselves facing the images of Jesus created by Christian artists many centuries ago.
Turkish citizens have a separate entrance that moves to the ground level of the mosque.
The eleventh century panel has the characteristics of Christ Constantine IX and his wife Joi sitting on the throne in Istanbul, Istanbul. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
According to Istanbul Deputy Akhturkoglu, Hagia Sofia receives an average of about 5,000 visitors and about 6-7 million per day.
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The arrival of the visitors depends on the season.
The entrance to Turkish citizens in Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
Nowadays, Istanbul is a popular tourist center, known for colorful Turkish carpets, trouble market and aromatic spices markets.
A spice market is portrayed in Istanbul, Turkey. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
However, to many visitors the center of Hagia Sofia, the temple built before the religion of Islam.
Located on the southern door of Hagia Sofia Sofia Sofia, the mosaic, this mosaic is the tenth century. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)
Curiously enough, its byzantine domes have been replicated in mosques across Istanbul on both sides of the Boseporus, it looks all similar.
Istanbul mosques with Byzantine-style domes. (Runuta Hamlin)
Probably the two Greek architects, the Esidor and the Anthemius will be as surprised as tourists.
They are in the 6th century byzantine design and are multiplied.
Danuta Hamlin joined the Fox News Channel in 1997. He is the author of two books: The manuscript and “Camp Nail”.