Hagia Sophia
The sixth-century Byzantine cathedral, later an Ottoman mosque — the defining monument of Istanbul.
Built by Emperor Justinian and completed in 537, Hagia Sophia was the largest church in Christendom for almost a thousand years. Its vast dome, marble revetments and gold mosaics were later joined by Ottoman minarets, calligraphic roundels and a mihrab after the conquest of 1453.
Hagia Sophia is an active mosque. Foreign visitors enter through a separate entrance and visit the upper galleries with a paid ticket, while the ground floor is reserved for worship. The galleries hold the finest surviving mosaics, including the Deesis panel, and look down into the main space.
- →Modest dress is required: shoulders and knees covered; women need a headscarf. Shoes off where indicated.
- →Visits pause around prayer times, especially Friday midday — schedule Hagia Sophia first thing in the morning.
- →Licensed guides cannot lecture on the prayer floor; brief the group outside before entering.
Tours visiting this place
Hotels nearby
An intimate luxury hotel in a restored early twentieth-century building, set around a garden courtyard in the heart of Sultanahmet.
A well-run four-star hotel in Sultanahmet, known for its rooftop restaurant overlooking the historic peninsula.
A landmark luxury hotel on the Karaköy waterfront, created from three historic buildings and a new wing within Galataport.
Places nearby
- Basilica Cistern0.2 km
A sixth-century underground cistern of 336 marble columns, with the famous Medusa heads.
- Topkapı Palace0.4 km
The palace of the Ottoman sultans for almost four centuries, overlooking the meeting point of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn.
- Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque)0.5 km
Sultan Ahmed I’s imperial mosque, famous for its six minarets and blue İznik-tiled interior.
- Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı)1.0 km
One of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world — a labyrinth of vaulted streets, hans and thousands of shops.
- Spice Bazaar (Mısır Çarşısı)1.2 km
The seventeenth-century Egyptian Bazaar at Eminönü — spices, Turkish delight, nuts, dried fruit and teas.
- Süleymaniye Mosque1.6 km
Mimar Sinan’s masterpiece for Süleyman the Magnificent, crowning the third hill above the Golden Horn.