Hagia Sophia
HAGIA SOPHIA (AYASOFYA):
Hagia Sophia (meaning ‘Holly Wisdom’ in English) was the largest chuch in the world for nearly a thousand years. It was built three times. The first one was a basilica built in 390 AD it was called Megale Ecclesia (Great Church) and was burned down in a rumpus in 404. Emperor Theodosius replaced it with a basilica which was burned down in the Nika Revolt against Justinian in 532. Justinian began rebuilding it in the same year. Anthemius of Tralles, an engineer and a mathematician and Isidorus of Miletus were the architects of the building. under the supervision of one hundred master builders ten thousand workers worked for the construction.
When the Ottomans captured Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmet the Conqurer immediately went to the Hagia Sophia and ordered that it be converted into a mosque. They added the minarets, the mihrab and the minber all of which were appropriately positioned to face toward Mecca, 10 degrees south of the main axis of the building. Famous Sinan was among the architects assigned to make some restorations and added Islamic elements to the building. Buttresses were added in the Ottoman period.
After being used as a church for 916 years and as a mosque for 481 years, Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum in 1934 by the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and has since been open to visitors.
