Hagia Sophia Museum

Hagia Sophia Museum

A beautiful and picturesque church converted into a mosque and later into a museum that still has stunning frescoes within—just like its namesake in Istanbul.

A beautiful and picturesque church converted into a mosque and later into a museum that still has stunning frescoes within—just like its namesake in Istanbul. The Hagia Sophia church is an important example of late Byzantine architecture, being characterised by a high central dome and four large column arches supporting the weight of the dome and ceiling. 24 metres to the west of the church is a tall bell tower, 40 metres high. It was built in 1427 and also contains frescoes. It has been visited by 16,454 foreign and 99,725 domestic visitors in 2011.