A review of this place — 2 years ago
Once a Byzantine church (the name means “Church of Holy Wisdom”), then converted to a mosque, now a museum, it’s one of the treasures of Sultanahmet. It cost us 15YTL to get in, about 10US dollars, and is quite large. Directly under the big dome is a scaffolding that runs all the way up, obscuring the view a bit. Some Turkish friends told us that the scaffolding had been in place for many years, that politics was keeping some of the restoration from being completed.
Frankly, that shows. Some of the things you’ll see are magnificent, like the gilded mosaics (best seen from the upper gallery) from its time as a Christian church. Other things show the wear and tear of time and a million tourists. The architecture is magnificent. This building is nearly 1500 years old, and has survived earthquakes and wars.
