Ayasofya
Ayasofya is one of the notable stops in Istanbul, with a route-friendly location for your trip.
Quick facts
- Built
- 23 February 532
- Opened
- 537
- Architect
- Isidore of Miletus
- Commissioned by
- Justinian I
- Architectural style
- Byzantine architecture
- Length
- 82 m
Facts from Wikidata, photos from Wikimedia Commons.
Did you know?
Why is the Hagia Sophia dome considered so important?
When completed in 537, its 31-metre dome was the first at that scale set on a square plan using pendentives. The 40 windows at its base hide the supporting mass and make the dome appear suspended in mid-air — a deliberate design effect.
Is there really Viking graffiti on the walls?
Runic letters are carved into a marble balustrade in the upper gallery. They are thought to have been scratched by a soldier of the emperor's Varangian Guard in the 9th or 10th century; the legible part contains the name "Halfdan".
Why were the mosaics hidden for centuries?
After 1453 the figural mosaics were not destroyed but covered with plaster and whitewash. That covering preserved them, and they emerged largely intact during 1930s restoration — today Islamic calligraphy and Byzantine mosaic can be seen side by side.
Why go?
- Easy to add to your route
- Good photo stop
- Popular local highlight
