General Information
Hagia Sophia is a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The building the museum is held in was formerly a Greek Orthodox Christian Cathedral from 537 to 1453 except for a short period where it was used as a Roman Catholic place of worship. From 1453 the ruling Ottomans converted the cathedral into a mosque, which is what the building served as until it became a museum in 1935. The building is of architectural significance, it is seen as the epitome of Byzantine architecture and was for many centuries in its early years the largest building in the world. The building became famous for its large dome. The museum shows off the grandness of the building, displaying its wonderful architecture and fantastic mosaics.
Getting there
The T1 tram stops close to the museum at the ‘Sultanahmet’ stop. The T2B bus also stops close by.
Opening Times and Admission
The museum is open six days of the week, Tuesday to Sunday 9am-5pm in the winter months and in the summer 9am-7pm; Monday is the museums weekly day of closure. Admission to the museum is set at a price of 60TL.