"Hagia Sophia is simply unique ... "The glorious impression of harmoniously blended space and light we receive in the interior today should be supplemented in imagination by visualizing the ...

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is about to get a makeover. In light of recent earthquakes in Turkey, experts fear the 1,500-year-old mosque is structurally vulnerable, and the Turkish government has ...

mosaic-covered interior. When Justinian ordered the Hagia Sophia’s construction, Byzantium had officially separated from Rome to form its own, independent empire. As Constantinople broke with ...

Hagia Sophia, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage ... The work on the dome will also include the conservation of the mosaics on the interior surface. To prevent damage caused by weather ...

It was Byzantine Emperor Justinian I who ordered the construction of Hagia Sophia (meaning “holy wisdom” in Greek). At the time, it was the largest interior space in the world. When the ...

Hagia Sophia saw 7.7 million visitors stream through its spacious interior last year. Visitors take photographs of Byzantine mosaics in the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14 ...

Istanbul, Turkey CNN — Whether you’re a believer or not, visiting Hagia Sophia is a spiritual experience. The architectural genius of this place of worship — which was built as a church in ...

Hagia Sophia has survived fire, riots, earthquakes, bombardment and looting by both Christian and Muslim armies in its long life. Its interior decoration has been hacked away by iconoclastic ...

Millions of visitors - Hagia Sophia saw 7.7 million visitors stream through its spacious interior last year. Around 2.1 million of them are foreign tourists, many of whom pay 25 euros for an entry ...