Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia,
“Holy Wisdom,” was
originally a
basilica style
church built in the
fourth century.
After the church
burned down twice,
Emperor Justinian
built the present,
fireproof structure
around 537 A.D.
Hagia Sophia
served as a
Christian church for
900 years until
1453, when Moslem
Turks took the city
and converted it
into a mosque. In
1935, it was turned
into a public
museum.
St. Sophia Cistern
A legend about the
design of the church
says that one day
during Mass, Emperor
Justinian dropped
the holy bread from
his hands. Before
he could grasp it, a
bee picked it up and
flew away.
Justinian sent a
message to all
beekeepers in the
empire to look for
the bread in their
hives. After a
couple of days, a
beekeeper arrived
with a hive of
peculiar design.
Upon seeing it,
Justinian decided
that he would build
a magnificent church
with the design of
this hive as its
ground plan.
Church of St. Irene
Before the
Byzantine era,
the city of
Istanbul was
called Byzantium.
The Roman Emperor
Constantine I made
the site the new
capital of the Roman
Empire, naming it
Constantinople.
Shown here is the
church of St.
Irene. The 2nd
church council was
held in the church
in 381, but that
building burned down
and was rebuilt by
Justinian in 532.
It was later
enlarged by another
ruler.
Topkapi Palace
Mehmet II
constructed
Topkapi palace
atop the
Byzantine
acropolis around
1500 A.D. and
Ottoman sultans
after him continued
to build up the
site. It was the
residency of the
sultan, his harem,
and all the wives
and concubines of
the former sultans.
They continued to
reside here until
1909, when the harem
was dissolved.
Today the four
courts and harem are
open to visitors.
The Blue Mosque
Between 1609 and
1616, the
Blue Mosque,
also called the
Sultan Ahmet Camii,
was partially built
over the
hippodrome and
partially over the
site of the
Byzantine
imperial palace.
Sultan Ahmet I
ordered architect
Mehmet Aga to
construct the
mosque, possibly in
competition with the
Hagia Sophia,
located just across
from it. It has
seven minarets and
260 windows.
