03
@Glam.Halal
april-may. 2019
Hagia Sophia
Location
• Hagia Sophia is located
in Istanbul Turkey. It is at
the European part of the
city in Sultanahmet area
(old town), nearby Topkapi
palace in Istanbul. It is within
walking distance from the
hotels in Sultanahmet.
The distance from Istanbul
International Airport is
20km.
• Hagia Sophia is open
to visit every day, except
Mondays.
• Between 15th April and 1st
October it is open from 9am
to 7pm with the last entry
being at 6pm.
• Between 1st October and
15th April it is open from
9am to 5pm with the last
entry being at 4pm.
• Hagia Sophia is closed on
the first days of Ramadan
and Eid Ul Adha, which is
known as feast of sacrifice,
Festivals for half day.
•Hagia Sophia Entrance fee
is 25 TL about 14 US Dollars
or 10 Euro.
basilica that represented all of the Byzantine
Empire.
The bricks that was used in the walls and
parts of the floor came from as far away as
North Africa, while the marble used for ceiling
and floor was produced in Syria and Anatolia
(present-day eastern Turkey). The interior of
Hagia Sophia is lined with enormous marble
slabs that are said to have been designed to
imitate moving water.
This massive beacon of Christianity was
renovated into a mosque when Islam became
the central religion of the Ottomans. As part
of the conversion, the Ottomans covered
many of the original Orthodox-themed
mosaics with Islamic calligraphy designed
by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet.
The names of Allah, the Prophet Muham-
mad, the first four Caliphs, and the Prophet’s
two grandsons were hung on the columns in
the nave. As is tradition in mosques, a mihrab
or nave was installed onto the wall to indicate
the direction toward Mecca.
The four minarets were also added to the
original building during this period, partly to
fortify the structure following earthquakes
that struck the city around this time and
partly for the muezzin call to prayer.
Hagia Sofia
Istanbul
The bricks that was used
in the walls and parts of
the floor came from as
far away as North Africa,
while the marble used
for ceiling and floor was
produced in Syria and
Anatolia (present-day
eastern Turkey).
The grand museum
Since 1935, this legendary structure has been
operated as a museum by the national govern-
ment, nine years after the Republic of Turkey
was established by Ataturk. Hagia Sophia
attracts more than three million visitors
annually.
Demands for it to become a
mosque again
There has been so much passion and efforts
by people of Turkey and beyond to make the
Hagia Sophia a mosque again, albeit contro-
versially. Greece is one to strongly oppose the
idea of it becoming a mosque, as its history as
one of Christianity’s biggest cathedral being
a strong motivator.
Even today, Muslim citizens and tourists
continue to perform morning prayers outside
of Hagia Sophia, hoping that one day, the
grand architectural wonder can become a
place for Islam once more.
Hagia Sophia combined
the traditional design
elements of an Orthodox
basilica with a large,
domed roof, and a semi-
domed altar with two
narthex or porches.