Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey

Experience Tranquility and Harmony at this Mosque/Museum

Quick Information

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Best time to visit
Apr - May, Aug - Oct
Ideal Duration
6-7 Days
Visa
On Arrival
Starting from
Rs. 23,520
  • Ideal for friends
  • Beach
  • Nature

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul (Turkey)

A country with both Islam and Christian histories, Turkey is a delight to visit; and Hagia Sophia is one of the go-to places in Turkey. Located in the old capital Istanbul, it is a cathedral that was later found out to be a mosque and now runs as a museum, mainly as a tourist spot that runs on the visits of foreigners as well as Turkish local purists. Now a historic place, this attraction holds great importance in Turkey. The interesting fact about the architecture of Hagia Sophia, Istanbul is that it was constructed by both Christians and Ottomans, hence, considered as both church and mosque. Since 1935, it has been used as a mosque, creating great revenue for the Turkish government both in terms of purchases of replica-artifacts and visits.

History of Hagia Sophia

The history of Hagia Sophia commences from the 6th century when this cathedral was constructed under the instructions of Justinian I- a Byzantine emperor. While, it is believed that the original church on its site was built by Constantine I. Made into a museum in 1935, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985.

Attractions of Hagia Sophia  

The main attraction of Hagia Sophia mosque is the architecture of the great monument as it simply catches your breath while sending a tingle down your spine as to what your country lacks, in terms of beauty and nature. The entire place can be a delight, but there are some of the main spots where tourists usually like to settle, to get the whole view, and have an amazing experience.

Virgin Mary Mosaic – As you approach the main exit doorway of Hagia Sophia museum, you shall spot the exuberating 11th-century Mosaic that depicts the Virgin Mary surrounded by Byzantine Emperors Constantine to her right and Justinian to her left. There is a euphoric feeling around this place, because it looks as if Constantine is offering Mary the virgin Constantinople, whereas Justinian is offering the monument Hagia Sophia to her.

The Weeping Column – This is one of the main attractions to visit in Hagia Sophia church. This column located in the northern side aisle of the Imperial door, is said to have been blessed by St. Gregory the Miracle Worker, and one of the most popular and to-do things to do here is to place a finger in a sizeable hole, as it is thought to cure any sort of sickness. Or at least that’s a myth and is followed by many.

Designated Ottoman Tombs - There are 5 tombs of Sultans who were laid to rest in the Hagia Sophia mosque, just outside as you approach the main exit from the building, alongside the original baptistry. All the tombs are decorated with stylish interiors featuring Iznik (Ancient Turkish) tile work.

Artifact shopping – There is a large display of artifact that or on sale here and it is a must-visit for those who are looking to carry some memorabilia home. Make sure to purchase the mini-look-alike of the museum or even some coins of ancient Turkish heritage.

Pictures at sunset – Pictures captured here are just reminiscent of ancient Turkish architecture and intelligence. Be sure to get your DSLR or even regular phone cameras ready at sunset, to get the best experience and also carry away some great memories of the place.

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Istanbul Packages Reviews

Read on to find out why our customers love us!

Dhatri's 7 days trip to Istanbul

Me and my husband with two others recently had the pleasure of booking a 10-day Turkey trip with Travel Triangle, and it was an absolutely unforgettable experience! From start to finish, everything was organized seamlessly, and the team at Travel Triangle made sure our journey through Istanbul, Antalya, and Cappadocia was filled with memorable moments. Istanbul: Our trip began in the vibrant city of Istanbul, and everything was very well arranged. From exploring the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque to enjoying a boat ride to Princess Island, every detail was taken care of. The local guide provided insightful knowledge of the city’s history, and the accommodations were comfortable and centrally located, allowing us to explore on our own as well. Only in Princess Island, the guide could have been more helpful in explaining the island insights rather than just dropping us to the place and explore on our own. Antalya: In Antalya, Travel Triangle arranged an excellent blend of historical tours and leisure time on the beautiful beaches. The guided visit to the ancient city of Perge, Pammukale, Old town walk and a relaxing trek to 2 waterfalls were definite highlights. The choice of hotel with its sea view was perfect! Cappadocia: Cappadocia was the highlight of the trip! We approached Travel Triangle in the last minute to book Hot air balloon and they didn't disappoint us. They planned a magical experience with the hot air balloon ride, which was a dream come true. The fairy chimneys, underground cities and even ATV ride at sunset were fascinating. I’m grateful for the attention to detail, from the transport to the personalized local tours. Every activity was well-timed, allowing us to soak in the surreal landscapes. Overall: The only drawback was that we couldn't spend more time in each place as it was a group trip or we weren't allowed to alter . We were taken to multiple jewelry shop / workshop which personally felt was not required. We would have enjoyed more if they had taken us to lot more historical place. However, the tour was perfectly balanced between sightseeing, adventure, and relaxation. I highly recommend Travel Triangle for anyone looking to explore Turkey, as their services made this trip truly special.

Dhatri Hv

Sushiman's 6 days trip to Istanbul

Things were well arranged. Their team created a whatsapp group and we're constantly giving updates. Thanks for all the help, Ruksana, Karishma and team. Airport transfer, Green tour, Hot air balloon rides were great. The ATV ride was a bit risky though. We got bad helmets. No elbow/knee guards.

Sushiman Bengaluru

Dryogita's 7 days trip to Istanbul

The trip was well organised and coordinated.Our travel agent "rohit" was in constant contact with us through out the trip and was quick at resolving our queries. Cave hotel at Cappadocia was really good.Hotel room at antalya was not so great although the location of the hotel was good. Overall it was very nice trip..Thanx @traveltriangle

Dryogita New delhi

Samarth's 8 days trip to Istanbul

Overall good experience but hotel selected by travel agent was not upto mark, very poor selection though we opted for 4 star hotel

Samarth Agarwal New delhi

Karthik's 9 days trip to Istanbul

did 2 weeks turkiye trip with travel triangle, was splendid and easy bookings end to end. would highly recommend

Karthik Gandhi Hyderabad

Kadavrakesh's 6 days trip to Istanbul

Had a great experience in Cappadocia, beautiful hotel and excellent trip with a great tour guide. Istanbul hotel was not been great as describe in the hotel website. Specially chosen the prefer hotel but very upsetting of not having the a comfort stay. We have allocated in a coner room and then service felt bit of poor as per there standards. Staff not much of helpful thou. Istanbul Tour & guide was the best to make us most of our journey but the prince island wasn't up to the standard as describe. The boat tour to island was a shamble and food offer felt us like eating in canteen food. Rest service was been great

Kadavrakesh Foreign

Pankaj's 10 days trip to Istanbul

It was our first time dealing with Travel Triangle and their network of Indian travel agents. We booked a family trip to Turkey which was fabulously organised and we came back with amazing memories. We would certainly use Travel Triangle again for our future holiday needs. Thank you for taking the stress out of planning and arranging such a comprehensive 5 cities with 3 domestic internal flights, 13 days holiday! Too many to list but personal favourite was the ATV sunset tour in Cappadocia which was amazing with breathtaking sunset view in Rose valley.

Psbhakta London

Sunil's 10 days trip to Istanbul

We booked 9 nights and 10 days all inclusive tour for four person for TURKEY from FLY HIGH GLOBAL tour company. We are very delighted and satisfied with the services they provided during the tour.Their prices for the package were transparent and most competitive.Selection of hotels,flights ,coaches,domestic flights,transfers,English speaking guides were excellent.However we feel lack of Indian food.Their services and response of phone calls were good and quick.We would definitely recommend FLY HIGH Global for Turkey tour. Thanks a lot for wonderful trip. Sunil Kumar Gupta

Sunil Kumar Anupshahar

Ram's 7 days trip to Istanbul

Dear Travel Triangle / Lykke Travels / Corbieco Travel Team, At the outset let me thank you all for the nicely arranged and executed Turkey Tour from the 07th of August to 13th of August. ☺️ The domestic flight tickets were booked as per our requirements and the Pick-up / Drop from the Airport to Hotel and Vise-versa was very well arranged, the vehicles were very good as well.

Ram Prabhakar Chitewale Madhya pradesh

Christobelniranjani's 9 days trip to Istanbul

Good: Abishek and Kanwaljeet Singh coordinated my trip. They were very supportive throughout. The tours in Istanbul, Capadoccia were great. Private transfers were excellent. Improve: expensive, private transfer team could speak english, could improve flexibility of tour options. I booked visa on own and sent it for confirmation to the team and it was confirmed a week ago. However, 2 hours before the trip i was told the visa had an issue and charged 6300 for instant visa. This could have been handled better

Christobelniranjani Chennai

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FAQ's of Istanbul

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The Virgin Mary Mosaic, Ottoman Tombs and the weeping column are some of the most famous attractions housed in the Museum

The Hagia Sophia Museum is a Church, a mosque as well as a museum all in one. Muslims from all over the city visit here to pray under the Mosaic of the Virgin Mary, while tourists go about viewing all the artifacts on display here.

Yes. Because of its Byzantine architectural style and quintessential beauty, embodying the culture and design of its year of construction, Hagia Sophia is considered as one of the seven wonders of the world.

 

Post the Greek emperor got defeated by the Ottoman Turks, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque in the 15th century.

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