Hotels near Hagia Sophia

No list of places to visit in Istanbul can start anywhere else. Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) has been a Byzantine cathedral, Ottoman mosque, secular museum, and - since 2020 - a functioning mosque again, all under the same vast dome. Built in 537 CE under Emperor Justinian, the structure held the record as the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years. The central dome, 31 metres across and 55 metres above the floor, appears to float on a ring of 40 windows that flood the interior with light.

Inside, Byzantine gold mosaics coexist with Islamic calligraphy medallions - a visual record of the building's layered history. The Deesis mosaic on the upper gallery (depicting Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist) is among the finest surviving Byzantine artworks. Since the reconversion to a mosque, entry is free for worshippers; foreign tourists pay EUR 25 (as of 2024) and access via a separate entrance on the south side. The upper gallery, which holds many of the best mosaics, reopened to visitors after restoration.

Pro Tip: Buy tickets online at muze.gen.tr to skip the main queue, which can reach 90 minutes by 10:00 in summer. Arrive at 09:00 when doors open for tourists, or visit between 13:00-14:30 (during Friday prayer the tourist entrance closes, but on other days this slot is quieter). The building faces southeast - morning light through the dome windows is the most dramatic.