Halgia Sophia, in the Istanbul Turkey

           Hagia Sofia, which is Greek for The Church of Holy Wisdom, is a museum that had once been a church and a mosque, and is located in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Grand as the edifice is, its history is the stuff that legends are constructed of. The Hagia Sophia isn’t just one of Turkey`s national treasures, but one of the best monuments of the world. Its rich heritage and breathtaking beauty hold magnetic charms for the history buffs, the art connoisseurs and the lay tourist alike.

           The Hagia Sophia have been a church for 916 years, a mosque for 481 years and since 1934, it is playing the type of a museum. It has a history that can, at best be referred to as being unique. The Hagia Sofia had its beginnings in a humble looking wooden roofed basilica way back in 390 A.D. The church was dedicated to Hagia Sophia or the Divine Wisdom. The church, then generally known as Megale Ecclesia or The Great Church, was burnt and reduced to rubble in 404 A.D.

           At its site, Theodosius built an even bigger church. This building was again destroyed in the Nika Revolt of 532 A.D against Emperor Justinian. Under his orders, and supervised by architects Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, the Hagia Sophia began to be rebuilt in that year itself. The 4th Crusade of 1204 saw the plunder of the Hagia Sophia. The iconoclastic crusaders systematically eradicated all images with religious connotations from the Hagia Sophia.1453 was a watershed year in the already battered good reputation for Hagia Sophia.

          Sultan Mehmet, after winning over Constantinople, in the year 1453, ordered the Hagia Sophia to be turned into a mosque. Hagia Sophia, or, The Church of the Divine Wisdom, thus began its metamorphosis into a mosque. Minarets, from which the summon cries for the daily prayers are issued; the Mihrab, an alcove in the wall facing Mecca and the member, which is a platform for the rendering of sermons, were the typically Islamic inclusions in the Hagia Sophia. Eight wooden plates bearing Islamic calligraphy are amongst other such add-ons.