the viewing deck: Istanbul Sultanahmet Square 1st part; Inside the Hagia Sophia

Sunday, January 04, 2015

Istanbul Sultanahmet Square 1st part; Inside the Hagia Sophia

4-days Turkey Summer Solo Escapade
June 27 to July 03, 2014

Cappadocia last part; trekking to Goreme rock formations

How to go to Hagia Sophia;
Hagia Sophia is inside the Sultanahmet Square of Istanbul which is 50km distance from Sabiha Gokcen Airport and 27km from Ataturk Airport. Admission is included in Istanbul Museum Pass, if not availed, entrance fee costs 30TRY. Photography and video taking is permitted inside. Monopod is allowed but the tripod is strictly prohibited.

Many of Istanbul’s historical gems, mostly consisting of Byzantine and Ottoman-built monuments are in Old City. Most are located a short walk away from, if not immediately on the edges of, Sultanahmet Square.

Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya), was originally a basilica constructed for the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I. A masterwork of Roman engineering, the huge 30m diameter dome covers what was for over 1000 years the largest enclosed space in the world. The church was looted by the fourth Crusaders in 1204, and became a mosque in the 15th century when The Ottomans conquered the city. It was converted into a museum in 1935. Don't miss the excellent mosaics, including those in the gallery, reached by a stone ramp to the left of the entrance. As of August 2013, construction work is being carried out so expect scaffoldings inside.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Istanbul/Sultanahmet-Old_City