The Hagia Sophia was for a thousand years the largest cathedral in the world.
The first church was built on this site in 360 and consecrated by Constantius II; after it was burned down in riots, a new church was built in 415 (which was burned down during riots in 532).
This present building was consecrated by the Emperor in 537. More than 10,000 people are thought to have worked on its construction over a 5-year period
After the city was conquered by the Turks, Sultan Mehmed II ordered the cathedral to be converted into a mosque
In 1934, Ataturk had the Hagia Sophia converted into a museum. At that time archaeologists uncovered parts of the 2nd church on the site. Also, the carpets were removed to reveal the marble floor and the mosaics (which had been whitewashed over) had been restored.
(This was my first visit to a mosque where - when I looked up - the first thing I saw was a mosaic of Jesus)
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