Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey.

Hagia Sophia is a church that can be found in many countries around the world. This time, I visited the church in Istanbul, Turkey. This church has a history of nearly 1,500 years and is famous for its huge dome. It is a representative of Byzantine architecture and a monument to the heyday of the Byzantine Empire. We entered the church and went up the spiral ramp to the upper floor. Although the church has a long history, it has also suffered many hardships. The original church was called the "Great Church" and was one of the most important churches in the Byzantine Empire at the time, along with the Church of St. Irene. It was later destroyed in a riot. Emperor Theodosius II ordered it to be rebuilt on the original site. On October 10, 415, the church was completed and continued to be called by its original name. Unfortunately, the church was destroyed in another riot. On February 23, 532, a few days after the second church was destroyed, Emperor Justinian I decided to build a third, completely different church, which is now Hagia Sophia. In 1453, the land was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, and the church was converted into an Islamic mosque. The part of the church we visited upstairs is a museum. Looking downstairs is the Islamic prayer hall. However, the upper part retains the original appearance of the church, and you can see the traces of history up close. The main body of the church is rectangular, covering an area of nearly 8,000 square meters, with a front hall of more than 600 square meters and a central hall of more than 5,000 square meters. The huge dome has a diameter of 33 meters and is 55 meters high, which is very impressive. Hagia Sophia was converted from a church to a mosque, but successive sultans did not destroy the basic structure of the church or the artwork in the church, so we are fortunate to appreciate the authentic art of the Byzantine period. The gold-leaf mosaic murals represent the brilliant achievements of Byzantine art and are a historical witness to the art of the Byzantine period.