The Hagia Sophia, officially known as the Holy Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, is probably Istanbul's most important landmark.
As your audio guide or live guide will inform you should you opt for these Hagia Sophia tickets, it served as a center of religious, political, and artistic life for the Byzantine world.
Its history and architecture offer many scholarly insights into the period. It was also an important site for Muslims following the conquering of Constantinople in 1453 by Sultan Mehmed II, who designated the structure a mosque.
The building, famed for its giant, glimmering dome, was known as the world's most spectacular church for centuries, and art historians have even labeled it “the 8th wonder of the world.”