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For more than a thousand years, Hagia Sophia was
the largest church in the world. Since this was such a splendid and
majestic early Christian church, it housed an array of Christian
artifacts, including the cross of the crucifixtion, Jesus' swaddling
clothes, and artifacts used in the Last Supper. Because of this, it
is considered to be the mother of churches and is extremely popular
with those on religious tours. The walls are covered in a variety of
the finest marbles and intricate mosaics in shades of gold, green,
blue, and red and which cover over 200,000 square feet of the
interior.
After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Ottomans converted
the church into a mosque and added minarets and fountains. Hagia
Sophia was used as a mosque until 1935, when it became a museum. The
museum is now open everyday except Monday and visiting hours are
from 9:30 to 16:30. Visitors can expect to pay 15 YTL which includes
a visit to the upper gallery floor. When visiting Hagia Sophia,
visitors can also tour the three mausoleums of the Sultan, a
baptistery, fountains, and gardens which are all in close proximity.
Hagia Sofia Opening Hours / Visiting hours:
November-March Winter schedule:
Monday : Closed
Tuesday to Sunday : 9:00 to 16:30
April-October Summer Schedule:
Monday : Closed
Tuesday to Sunday : 9:00 to 19:00
Address :
Sultanahmet Meydanı No: 1
Web Site : www.ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr
E-mail : ayasofya@muze.gov.tr - ayasofyamuzesi@kulturturizm.gov.tr
Phone : (212) 522 17 50 - (212) 522 09 89
Fax : (212) 512 54 74
Admission fee :
25 TL
With Museum Pass İstanbul, you can visit this museum free of charge
and without having to queue.
Click here for virtual tour of Hagia Sophia
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