Ancient landmark Hagia Sophia, 'simply unique, without parallel,' attracts long line of tourists

When Western tourists who are visiting Istanbul, Turkey, cruise into a port, galore typically look for 1 peculiar landmark: the Hagia Sophia. 

Identifying the past temple, which has served arsenic a church, depository and mosque, whitethorn beryllium tricky from a distance. Istanbul’s skyline appears to beryllium peppered with look-alike ample mosques with Byzantine-style domes and gangly minarets surrounding them. 

There is the Süleymaniye Mosque, built successful the 16th period to rival the Hagia Sophia, connected the orders of Sultan Süleyman, according to Britannica.

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Then determination is the Blue Mosque, an Ottoman-era temple conscionable a abbreviated locomotion from the celebrated landmark, followed by galore different akin structures. 

The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is simply a Muslim spot of worship — but that is not the crushed it attracts truthful overmuch attention. 

The European broadside of Istanbul, Turkey, is seen above. 

For astir 1,000 years, it was a Christian basilica, the largest and astir spectacular temple not conscionable successful Constantinople, but successful the full Byzantine Empire. 

"Hagia Sophia is simply unique, without parallel," Robert Nelson, Robert Lehman Professor of the History of Art, emeritus, Yale University, told Fox News Digital.  

"The tallness of its dome was not surpassed until the gathering of St. Peters Basilica successful the 16th century. Even much awesome than conscionable its size is its beautiful, lavish marble decoration inside." 

The Blue Mosque, decently known arsenic the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, was built betwixt 1609-1616, according to Britannica. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

"Massive marble columns were brought from astir the past world. The walls are sheathed successful handsome marbles that person dulled implicit clip but inactive impress," helium said.

It was commissioned by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I and designed by 2 Greek architects and mathematicians, Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. 

The Hagia Sophia, a large humanities monument, was commissioned by Emperor Justinian the Great. (History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

No wonderment this architectural marvel is often called the eighth wonderment of the world.  

"Justinian dreamed of an wholly caller benignant of church," wrote Italian Renaissance student Frederick Hartt. And Justinian got precisely what helium wanted. 

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"Solomon, I person vanquished thee!" the imaginative emperor reportedly boasted upon the completion of his magnificent basilica.

The Hagia Sophia was built successful the 6th period AD successful Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

The bottommost enactment is that the Hagia Sophia is ancient, built betwixt 532 and 537 AD — and tourists tin inactive acceptable ft wrong it and soak successful each its glory. 

"The glorious content of harmoniously blended abstraction and airy we person successful the interior contiguous should beryllium supplemented successful imaginativeness by visualizing the majestic procession of the Byzantine emperor and his court," wrote Hartt. 

Morning airy penetrates the interior of the Hagia Sophia successful Istanbul, Turkey. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

The Hagia Sophia is expansive and awe-inspiring — and makes visitors wonderment however radical truthful galore centuries agone managed to technologist specified a analyzable structure. 

Then again, this is astir the Greeks.

After a 6th period earthquake, the Hagia Sophia successful Instanbul dome suffered harm and was redesigned by Isidorus the Younger. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

When the basilica was erected, Constantinople, perched astatine the eastbound extremity of the European continent and named aft emperor Constantine the Great, was 1 of the astir important capitals of Christendom. 

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Formerly known arsenic Byzantium, this past metropolis was built to rival Rome. It was known for its state-of-the-art fortifications. 

A 13th-century practice of the Virgin Mary, Christ and John the Baptist astatine the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

After the Great Schism of 1054, which broke Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox communions, things got a spot complicated. 

Constantinople remained the halfway of the Greek Orthodox church, but its powerfulness was weakened. 

In April 1182, an lawsuit took spot known successful past arsenic the Massacre of the Latins. As Donald M. Nicol described it successful his publication "Byzantium and Venice," "The radical needed nary encouragement. With an enthusiasm fired by years of resentment, they acceptable astir the massacre of each the foreigners that they could find… At the end, immoderate 4,000 westerners who had survived the massacre were rounded up and sold arsenic slaves to the Turks. Those who had escaped by vessel took their revenge by burning and looting the Byzantine monasteries connected the coasts and islands of the Aegean Sea."

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In 1204, Constantinople was sacked by the crusaders successful retaliation for the massacre and held by the West for respective decades, according to galore sources.

In 1453, occupation came from the Asian side. The metropolis was sacked again — this clip by the Turks — and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. 

The Istanbul skyline is pictured successful 2024.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

As a result, the Basilica of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque and minarets were added.

"Hagia Sophia had an contiguous effect connected the Ottomans aft they conquered the metropolis and Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror, declared that it should not beryllium harmed. It was to beryllium his mosque and remained the main mosque of the metropolis for immoderate time," Nelson told Fox News Digital.

"Ottoman architects, opening successful the aboriginal 15th century, strove to transcript its dome and interior."

Four minarets were added erstwhile the Hagia Sophia became a mosque.  (Danuta Hamlin)

Historians accidental the Ottoman Empire grew successful power, spreading into Africa and eastbound parts of Europe, menacing towns, raiding villages, taking inhabitants into slavery. 

At the clip erstwhile the Western European powers were engaging successful exploration and expanding their territories into the New World, their eastbound counterparts were engaged defending their ain borders. 

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Things had gotten beauteous rough, particularly for the Habsburg Empire (Austria). The metropolis of Vienna recovered itself nether siege respective times. 

The turning constituent came connected Sept. 12, 1683. That's erstwhile Polish King Jan III Sobieski, the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, came to the rescue of the besieged Austrian capital. 

A acquisition store successful Istanbul, Turkey, is shown above. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

Confident that this clip they would conquer Vienna, the immense Ottoman force, led by Kara Mustafa, was alternatively crushed by Sobieski and his Polish-heavy cavalry, the famed winged hussars. 

Pope Innocent XI hailed Sobieski arsenic the "savior of Vienna and Western European civilization."

King Jan Sobieski wrote to his wife, Queen Maria Kazimiera: "God Our Lord blessed for eternity has granted a triumph and glory to our nation, the similar of which was ne'er heard of successful centuries past," according to the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace astatine Wilanow and from a missive translated by Klaudyna Michałowicz.

King John III Sobieski is shown sending a connection of triumph to Pope Innocent Xi aft the conflict of Vienna, by Jan Matejko.  (Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The conflict of Vienna marked the opening of the diminution of the Ottoman Empire, but the metropolis of Constantinople connected the Bosporus Strait, a earthy waterway dividing Europe and Asia, remained successful Turkish hands. 

The 19th period brought a abrupt resurgence of planetary involvement successful the Hagia Sophia. 

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According to Nelson, the crushed was the question toward Romanticism. "It brought a caller cognition toward the past, particularly toward past and medieval Christianity," helium said.

The past metropolis of Constantinople sprawls crossed 2 continents, and successful 1930 it was renamed Istanbul. 

The Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Statue successful Gulhane Park, Istanbul, Turkey.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

In 1935, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, laminitis of the modern Republic of Turkey, transformed Hagia Sophia into a museum. 

Over the years, the erstwhile basilica and mosque underwent important renovations and became a favourite among tourists. But successful 2020, contempt galore objections from UNESCO and planetary communities, the authorities of Turkey rescinded Hagia Sophia's depository presumption and turned it backmost into a moving mosque. 

In 2024, the Turkish ministry of civilization and tourism completed a integer scan of Hagia Sophia, creating a "digital twin" of the temple to marque definite they could rebuild it if ever needed.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

Tourists are present allowed to participate lone the precocious level (the gallery) of this historical gathering and presumption its interior from above. It does not dilatory them down, however. 

There are agelong lines to acquisition tickets for those who person not secured tickets online.  Also, pistillate visitors indispensable screen their heads upon entering. 

Head coverings are mandatory for women entering the Hagia Sophia.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

Once inside, they find themselves facing the images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary and different saintly figures created by Christian artists truthful galore centuries ago. 

There is simply a abstracted entranceway for Turkish citizens that leads to the crushed level of the mosque.

This 11th period sheet features Christ seated connected the throne betwixt Emperor Constantine IX and his wife, Zoe, astatine the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

The Hagia Sophia receives an mean of astir 50,000 visitors regular and astir 6-7 cardinal annually, according to Istanbul Deputy Akturkoglu.

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The influx of visitors depends connected the season. 

The entranceway for Turkish citizens successful Hagia Sophia, Istanbul.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

These days, Istanbul is simply a fashionable tourer destination, known for its colorful Turkish carpets, bustling bazaars and fragrant spice markets.

A spice bazaar is pictured successful Istanbul, Turkey.  (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

But for galore visitors, the focal constituent is inactive the Hagia Sophia, the temple that was built earlier the religion of Islam came to exist. 

Positioned supra the southbound doorway successful the vestibule of the Hagia Sophia successful Instanbul, this mosaic dates to the 10th century. (Danuta Hamlin/Fox News)

Curiously enough, its Byzantine domes are replicated successful mosques crossed Istanbul connected some ends of the Bosporus, each looking benignant of similar. 

Istanbul mosques with Byzantine-style domes.  (Danuta Hamlin)

Perhaps the 2 Greek architects, Isidore and Anthemius would beryllium arsenic amazed arsenic the tourists are.

Their 6th-century Byzantine plan lives connected and multiplies.