I've wanted to visit Istanbul to see the Hagia Sophia for atleast 15 years now, and yesterday was the day !
I'm a very big fan of Roman history and having learned of the significance of this place, have wanted to visit for ages.
Its an absolutely huge building. It was really quite hard to take it all in, there is just so much to look at.
We went there as part of a walking city tour. It was great to find out about its history in detail from a resident of Istanbul.
It was constructed by the emperor Justinian the first, and was the 2nd building of its type with such a huge unsupported dome in the world, the first being the pantheon in Rome.
It was constructed as a Christian cathedral originally, representing the Greek orthodox Christian religion which prevailed in the Eastern Roman Empire at the time. You can still see Greek inscriptions in the grounds of the building.
Taking the city tour was a great idea because the guide was also able to explain when we could visit, and what the protocol was for entering, as the building is now a mosque.
Quite surprisingly it is free to enter, as all the great mosques here in Istanbul seem to be. And again the scale inside is just as incredible as it is outside.
The workmanship is really mind boggling. Its nearly 1500 years old now - and its quite hard to imagine how the could have constructed something this large all those years ago.
I have to saw there was multiple 'wow' moments for me when visiting it yesterday. When turning the corner and seeing it for the first time.
And then again, setting foot inside for the first time.
We walked around it quite a few times in order to take it in from all angles. And its set in quite an interesting part of the city, as its very close to the Blue Mosque, which is also completely stunning, the Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern.
The minarets were only added at a later date after Istanbul was taken by the Ottomans in 1453. Up to that point it was a Cathedral, and converted into a mosque from there.
The queues to get into the building were pretty long most of the day. In the end we actually sat in a cafe just outside at about 6pm, and then noticed that the queue all of a sudden died. So we took the opportunity and just walked straight in without any queuing at all which was pretty handy. I could not have lasted standing in line in the heat.
We can also see the Hagia Sophia from our hotel rooftop. Thats it on the right - as can be seen its quite a dominating building on the skyline.
I have to say that the building did not disappoint at all, and we plan to go back again and visit before we leave on sunday.
I have to say that its been brilliant to see this beautiful building after wanting to see it for so long. What a place !