Vertical view, through the columns, of the Interior of Haghia Sophia with its Dome, Istanbul, Turkey

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Aya Sophya is the oldest and grandest buildings in Istanbul. Built 531-7 AD by the architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus, Opened by Emperor Justinian, December 26, 537. Was built as a Christian cathedral, then converted to a Muslim mosque in the 15th century, and now a museum (since 1935), the Hagia Sophia is one of the oldest and grandest buildings in Istanbul. For a thousand years, it was the largest cathedral in the world and is regarded as the crowning achievement of Byzantine architecture.

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Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: The Haghia Sophia Mosque, Sultanahmet district, Istambul, Turkey
Photo credit: © José Palanca / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: architecture, cathedral, christianity, east, haghia, interior, islam, istanbul, middle, mosque, sophia, turkey