🇹🇷 Hagia Sophia: How can you not go?

Last month I went on a trip to Istanbul and it truly is a crossroads of civilisations. No building exemplifies this spirit of crossroads more so than the Hagia Sophia. A first trip to Istanbul would not be complete without visiting the Hagia Sophia. The Hagia Sophia was built in the early Byzantine period by Justinian as an Orthodox church, then was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, then converted into a museum by the modern Turkish Republic. Today it is a mix - the ground floor is a prayer area of the grand mosque while the upper floor is a viewing gallery for tourists. To access the viewing gallery, the cost is pretty high, about 1200 liras. Once inside, you get a good view of the mosque and its dome. See the inscriptions in Arabic of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH and other important figures in Islam, such as Ali and Abu Bakr. On the walls you can see the remnants of some Byzantine Christian mosaics, depicting figures such as Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Emperor Constantine and Emperor Justinian. It is extremely jarring to see the co-existence of two major religions in this manner. If you are Muslim you can just go downstairs to the prayer area at specific timings. #turkey #istanbul