Hagia Sophia Mosque
620 reviews
November 10, 2024
Very unpleasant staff! We went as a group of 10 adults and we were followed by a lady from the security, who was picking on absolutely everything: we were looking at the wrong way and standing in the wrong place, we were asked to move, while in the same aisle there was a huge group with a guide. And so the whole tour we were harassed, criticised and pressed. We were covered, did not break the rules, behaved culturally and talked quietly. In the end, the lady called the head of security, and then we couldn't stand it and got indignant. The lady was never able to explain what rules we had broken and what she didn't like. After paying 25 euros we were subjected to reprisals. This is not hospitable and absolutely inappropriate! Shame on you, security staff. Don't overstep your authority by hating people based on nationality or religion.
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December 13, 2024
So beautiful and historical place
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December 7, 2024
It’s a must visit place!
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January 22
Didn't get inside but the view is so magnificent. Will come again another day
December 13, 2024
Magnificent
January 5
Beautiful!
1
August 19, 2024
So dangerous to be there. There are a lot of street sellers and pickpockets around.
3
January 18
St. Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul is an outstanding monument of Byzantine architecture, the former Greek Patriarchal Orthodox Cathedral. For almost 1,000 years, it was the largest Orthodox church in the world and the center of religious life in the Byzantine Empire. In 1453, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, by order of Sultan Mehmed II, the temple was transformed into the Hagia Sophia Mosque.
After 2020, St. Sophia's Cathedral was restored to the status of an active mosque, but the building is still accessible to visitors. Entrance for tourists is paid 1,500 liras per person. Children under 8 years old are free of charge.
Near the entrance, you can meet Russian-speaking and English-speaking guides.
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November 13, 2024
A stunning cathedral, everything is very majestic inside, just a huge space that you want to consider. In 1453, the Ottoman troops who entered Constantinople looted St. Sophia Cathedral, then it was still Christian. But it was not completely destroyed, but converted into a mosque and named Aya‑Sophia. At the entrance to the mosque, shoes must be removed, there are special storage boxes. If possible, be sure to visit this legendary building, which is the greatest symbol of Istanbul.
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4
October 17, 2024
A unique place. The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is an outstanding monument of Byzantine and world architecture, a symbol of the "golden age" of Byzantium, which is sometimes called the "eighth wonder of the world". In 2020, by decision of the State Council of Turkey, it has the status of a mosque, while the second floor is still a museum. The entrance to the cathedral costs 25 euros. A truly historical architectural monument that united Muslims and Orthodox under its arches. I definitely recommend that you familiarize yourself with the history of this amazing place before visiting, then you will not need a guide. Thank you for your time!
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2
January 20
Great Sofia!! It's an incredibly beautiful place!! The second floor was opened for tourists, where the Orthodox frescoes are located. There are signs with a description next to each one, if there is a translator in the phone, I recommend using it and reading it! I recommend you to visit, despite the current price. In January 2024, it was 850lr.
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October 20, 2024
My favorite place in Istanbul. A beautiful historical monument. Both as a mosque and as a temple, this is a very sacred place. There is always a feeling of peace and love in the heart, regardless of religion
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December 24, 2024
It is worth returning to Istanbul and visiting this mosque again. People of all nationalities notice Al Sofya for themselves. Perhaps everyone is comfortable in it. Spaciousness, grandeur, simplicity. People come here to pray, to feel the peace and power in this peaceful place. I don't want to leave, this is a paradise where you can hide from the hot sun and restore tourists' strength.
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January 3
A huge cathedral, nearby there are other shrines of Istanbul that are very beautiful, five minutes walk from the sea. I recommend it!! There are also many good small hotels and delicious restaurants nearby.
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1
August 25, 2024
a beautiful mosque combining elements of the Byzantine Empire and elements of a Muslim mosque. A wonderful world and historical monument, truly legendary. The museum is also striking (a truly spectacular story about historical events related to the mosque), the entrance to which is attached when buying a pass to the mosque itself
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September 2, 2024
The entrance to the museum is expensive, but worth a visit. The mosque itself is gorgeous, the history is in every centimeter, I did not like the museum: it is small, the tour is for fifth graders, but there are interesting exhibits of ancient Kapan, ancient icons. It is convenient that there is an audio guide in both the mosque and the museum.
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December 12, 2024
This is the heritage of mankind, as
- architectural building
- interior and decoration as an achievement of imaginative art and aesthetics
- as a place of inspiration and spiritual charging for people of all faiths (Muslim, Christian, Catholic, etc.)
, you always miss something from the outside and from the inside. And I always want to visit her again!!!
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3
November 13, 2024
This is one of the main attractions of Istanbul! A very beautiful mosque, breathtaking! I definitely recommend everyone to visit!!! You have to be there to feel all the greatness and beauty!
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4
December 30, 2024
I was deeply disappointed by visiting the mosque, 5 years ago it was an amazing museum and all the most interesting things were on the ground floor. Now it is an active mosque, the entrance to the ground floor is only for prayer-seekers. For Z0 €, you can only walk along the balcony of the 2nd floor, while you can not approach, there are restrictions on passage everywhere. It's just like the rest of the world lately. There is no more desire to come
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4
November 12, 2024
It's just a delight, for lovers of objects with a long history, it's a must-visit, the scale of construction is simply impressive! A huge vault! The place is really sacred, although lost to Christians, some of the frescoes were opened to tourists
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3
November 12, 2024
Entrance is paid. There is a ticket for only this one mosque, there is a little more expensive, but to several locations and with an audio guide. They check at the ticket offices next to the entrance to the mosque. There are cashiers who can explain it quite well in Russian. There was no queue just before the opening. I don't remember the time. But the queues are moving fast. The males are not allowed in the mosque, go straight upstairs to the balconies. From there, you can see a little below. There are signs with explanations, we translated with an online translator. It's a nice translation, but mostly understandable. I recommend it at any time of the year.
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November 11, 2024
It's amazing!!!! after the cathedral, I advise you to go to the Hagia Sophia Museum, the entrance is opposite the German fountain at the hippodrome.
A unique place of its kind , striking to the depths of the soul .
Yes , it 's expensive !!!!! But it's worth it, the fantastic story of the temple and then the mosque.... Through the ages …
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1
December 4, 2024
You get into it and it takes your breath away from the beauty and majesty!!!! The spirit of Sultans and sultans reigns there!!!! Under the competent story of the guide, you just get into these times!!!! We were in November 2024, to my great regret, the 1st floor of the mosque is closed directly to the passage, its beauty can only be viewed from the balconies of the second floor! The frescoes of the icons are very well preserved, the faces of the saints are energizing! But, big but!!!!! The price this year is just incredibly high - 1,690 litas for one!!!!
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3
August 15, 2024
Of course, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is an architectural monument that deserves all the stars of the World rating! BUT now tourists cannot enjoy the World Masterpiece to the fullest. The Turkish government has no right to deprive Humanity of this! Therefore, in order to somehow express this feeling of annoyance, I minus the asterisk. Alas...
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July 2, 2024
A place that is definitely worth visiting in Istanbul is to pay tribute to history and antiquity. The temple is more than 15 centuries old, the basilica-mosque-museum-mosque/museum has been rebuilt several times. It is located in the Sultanahmet district in the center opposite the Blue Mosque. There is a long queue constantly crowding the square in front of the main entrance - this is a queue for free admission for believers (and masquerading as believers). The ticket offices and the entrance for tourists are on the right side of the mosque from the side of the Bosphorus. Believers enter the lower part of the building, and tourists enter the upper galleries around the perimeter. It seemed to me more interesting to look at the beauty from above - more general plans, closer you can see mosaics, angels (only one of them has a face open), a general panorama of the cathedral, chandeliers, inscriptions, etc. Quite an adequate audio guide (included in the ticket price), but it is better, of course, to read in advance about the history of this miracle of Constantinople and already absorb the spirit of the times here. Together with the mosque itself, it is offered to visit the St. Peter's Museum for an additional fee.Sofia, which is located in the park opposite the Blue Mosque (walk 300 meters from Hagia Sophia). It is more interesting for children to move from hall to hall in small groups, accompanied by an audio guide and interactive paintings on the walls of the halls telling about the history of St. Sophia from the beginning of time to the present day.
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14
December 13, 2024
Of course, it's interesting, the main thing is not to compare it with the blue Mosque, that's where the really impressive and beautiful architecture is, and even free admission, and the entrance to Hagia Sophia in autumn with the museum cost 50 euros
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1
November 4, 2024
A dream has come true, the great history of Orthodox Christianity has been touched by a small
hint: tickets for 2 parts are offered at the ticket offices of Hagia Sophia - the museum and the second floor of the cathedral. The museum is 5 minutes from the cathedral. In the cathedral itself, only the second floor is allowed, only Muslims can enter the first floor.
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January 10
The grandiose structure is impressive both inside and out. Frescoes, mosaics, carpet, lamps. It's a pity that you can't go everywhere, the entrance to the 1st floor is free for Muslims to pray, tourists only go to the second floor for a fee. There is a Wi-Fi and a free audio guide in Russian (on the billboard at the entrance, you need to scan the quarkode and take your headphones.)
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August 23, 2024
A wonderful place, it looks very beautiful and majestic from the outside, even more beautiful in the evening. The interior is even more beautiful, goosebumps, A magnificent mosque
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3
December 29, 2024
A beautiful historical building. It's a pity that it's no longer a museum. But you can still get in. A unique architectural masterpiece. Touching the columns of the cathedral feels like you're touching history. And this feeling is quite justified, because the cathedral is almost 1.5 thousand years old.
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January 18
Grandiose, monumental, exciting, epochal. So many centuries, so many events inside this cathedral.... The tour is better with a guide, Russian-speaking Turkish guides work 100%. It's expensive, but it's worth it. After all, when will you come here again?..
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October 24, 2024
If you come to Istanbul, then this place is a must-visit! I think this is the same idea that everyone who comes to Istanbul is guided by, because the queues there are quite long. We need to look out for a time when there will be fewer people.
Moreover, it is a little inconvenient that you first have to queue for tickets, and then join the queue at the mosque itself.
By the way, there are two types of tickets: only the upper tier and a ticket to both parts of the mosque. The prices are quite high, as in principle for all the sights of Istanbul.
But it is definitely worth visiting this place to touch one of the most famous cultural monuments!
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November 15, 2024
Monumentally, Vayb was not caught and there are questions about Turkey's discriminatory policy. Why do guests pay more than locals? We didn't decide where to be born or what nationality to be. Why do you even have to pay to enter one of the most important places in the history of your Orthodox religion? I don't think it's fair to close the entrance to the first floor for non-Muslims. According to the rules, Muslims come to pray, but even there some women are not allowed into the common room with their husbands — okay, their business, but the "believers" themselves do not pray, but immediately rush to take pictures. Let either everyone pay and go to the museum, or no one pays and access to the floors will be equal. Otherwise, it is a segregation policy.
On the case: on November 24, admission costs 25€. It is profitable to pay in euros, not lira, if you change it. You can buy a ticket at the ticket office at the entrance to Sofia — there is usually a huge queue there. And you can also go to the ticket office at the museum. It will be a couple of euros more expensive, but without a queue, if you only have a cache. There are two options for visiting at the ticket office: there or "there and back" — this is the cathedral itself or the cathedral + museum. We took the cathedral and the museum. It turned out to be 2 times more expensive for a ticket. For this price, we walked around the top, listened to the audio guide a little — the Wi-Fi is slow, the AR is sluggish. And in the museum you will actually watch a cartoon for 25€. The most interesting exhibit is the archangel mask. In the evening, Sofia is not illuminated from the outside in any way, compared even with simple mosques, which also suggests a disdainful attitude towards the cathedral
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5
November 29, 2024
I give 3 stars because:
On the one hand, it is a great building with an impressive history.
On the other hand, a lot of things require restoration, and the entrance costs a lot of money.
We thought for a long time whether to go or not, and finally went, deciding that we should visit such a place once. The building doesn't look very good from the outside, it looks very inferior to the surrounding mosques, although scaffolding is visible - I hope that restoration work is really underway.
Inside, too, sooo much needs restoration and repair. It's beautiful, of course, but it looks really shabby in places. I am glad to see Christian attributes in the mosque and giggle from my unbelieving bell tower over the confrontation of religions. Temple - mosque - museum - mosque - building changes from one "aggregate" state to another.
The cost of entry was shocking - € 25 for a walk through the upper floor with a view of the interior of the building and the lower floor "for believers". The entrance is like a cool museum, the rest of the existing mosques in Istanbul are free of charge. Therefore, this harassment of tourists is doubly outraged.
If you go, I recommend taking the option for 25 €, the second one is twice as expensive and, as they say, is not worth it. Although to be honest, the passage for € 25 is not worth your money, especially if you pay in lira, with the current exchange rate. But if you really want to, then why not) at the end they also offer to go into a small room, there is a fresco with Constantine (founded the city) and Justin (founded the temple).
At the checkout, the employee said that a ticket for € 25 is only for 10 minutes, as if time is limited, but in fact you can walk there for an hour in peace - it depends on how interested you are in history, religion, and so on)
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December 19, 2024
Definitely this is the place that is a must-visit:
- we took a one-hour tour and went inside with a guide to learn the story and pay attention to all the details inside, understanding what/how/why
- an incredible place with history, atmosphere and energy
- the interior of the mosque is perfectly preserved, considering that the building of the 6th century, it is hard to believe the eyes
- the intertwining of religions in Sofia is very unusual and interesting
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October 2, 2024
The cathedral is certainly impressive, but standing in line for an hour and paying 25-50 euros for a ticket just to see the big mosque doesn't make much sense (the rest of the mosques are free and not very different)
If the Turkish government had not decided to cover Christian symbols with Islamic banners, maybe there would have been some sense in visiting, but outwardly it makes a much greater impression
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January 17
The cathedral has a thousand-year history, walls, corridors, ceilings, windows, every corner is steeped in the history of centuries. Excellent preservation of all the ancient delights of the architects' work. A must-see place in Istanbul.
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January 6
My husband went to Istanbul only because of St. Sophia.Of course, you should see it, because all the other mosques are built in its image and likeness.The mosque is operational, services are held on the ground floor, you can only see the second floor.But the building is huge.Impressive.Admission costs 30€, in terms of lira.Only the tickets were held for 45 minutes.There is not a single toilet where tourists go.
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April 22, 2024
The Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul is an amazing historical structure, striking in its beauty and grandeur. Inside the temple, you can see stunning mosaics and murals preserved from the time of the Byzantine Empire. The building is surrounded by interesting historical buildings such as an openwork fountain and tombs of the Ottoman rulers. A visit to the Hagia Sophia Mosque leaves an unforgettable impression and allows you to plunge into history.
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January 1, 2024
The world-famous St. Sophia. In ancient times, it was a Christian temple, and now it is a functioning mosque and museum. Every tourist who visits Istanbul dreams of visiting there. St. Sophia is located in the center of old Istanbul and is well visible from the central square with dancing fountains. Behind him is the equally famous Blue Mosque. It is also worth visiting (especially after the recent restoration). As a rule, during the high tourist season, there is a long queue for St. Sophia, but it moves quickly and after some 30 minutes you will enjoy the beauty and scope of the structure. The only drawback of waiting in line is the scorching sun (the queue runs through an open area). Therefore, be sure to stock up on umbrellas, so as not to get sunstroke. As a rule, you can take a free umbrella at the exit of the hotels, if you do not have your own. So don't be afraid of queues and enjoy the beauty of Istanbul at any time of the year
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December 15, 2024
Beautiful! We spent an hour and a half there, looking at every corner. If you run, you can forget in 15 minutes. But when I read what kind of marble was brought from where, and then you see these yellow, green structures, the story comes to life.
We found Christian elements that we had preserved. They tore off patterns for themselves. In short, we examined it thoroughly in order to firmly say to ourselves: we have lived here for 1.5 hours of our lives.
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December 16, 2024
The grandeur of the building both from the outside (soft lines, rounded shapes, stability) and inside (tall arches, spacious halls) is fascinating. The feeling of touching centuries-old history appears as soon as you cross the threshold. With great regret and a sense of irretrievably lost, you look at what remains of the Christian frescoes :(
The ticket is expensive for foreigners, but it is necessary to go. It seems to me that this is the main attraction of Istanbul.
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November 3, 2024
It captures the imagination! I highly recommend visiting the museum before going to Sofia itself, it is in another building. Interactive, with an audio guide in Russian - very interesting!
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3
May 14, 2024
The Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul is a unique architectural structure that impresses with its beauty and grandeur. Built in the sixth century, it was for a long time the main temple of the Byzantine Empire, and then became the mosque of the Ottoman Empire.Today, the mosque is open to both Muslims and tourists. Admission is free, but certain rules must be followed: clothes must be closed, and shoes are left at the entrance.Inside the mosque you can see magnificent mosaics, frescoes and stained glass windows that have survived to the present day. Especially impressive is the huge dome, which seems weightless and floating in the air.The Hagia Sophia Mosque is not just a religious building, it is a symbol of Istanbul's cultural and historical heritage. Visiting this mosque leaves an indelible impression and allows you to better understand the history and culture of Turkey.
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January 9
Guys, don't go. Little has been preserved of St. Sophia, and even less will be shown.
Instead of a beautiful temple for 25 euros, you can only take a short walk on the 2nd floor. and take a look at the Muslim ornaments.
The dress code is stricter than in the operating room - you can close your knees, but you can't wear trousers, only a skirt for women, God forbid the hair from under the scarf will appear - you can't go!
It's a shame, I wanted to see the great monument, But maybe we saw the fifth part...
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December 16, 2024
As the mosque was not impressed, unfortunately you can only go to the 1st floor, when the mosque was a temple it was much more interesting and informative, there was an opportunity to climb and appreciate the beauty of the structure and historical significance
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October 13, 2024
It's beautiful outside, beautiful inside, no more. According to the Istanbul museum map, you can squeeze through without queuing, the card costs about 10 thousand rubles and gives you the opportunity to visit 12 places, including Sofia. But there is nothing to do here more than once, we looked at the achievements of past people and moved on.
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January 10
A place that must be visited once in a lifetime. The mother of churches .
Yes, the price is high, we only walked along the balcony, but to visit Istanbul and not come here..
We arrived on the same day - the queue is a kilometer long.
Not the next day early, it's empty.
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July 5, 2024
The Hagia Sophia Mosque is an absolute cultural must-have! In June 2024, it was just soulful inside: stunning architecture, the spirit of history at every step. The mosaics and the colossal dome structure were especially impressive. Definitely worth a visit if you are planning a tour of Istanbul — an incomparable experience!
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2
April 24, 2024
The Hagia Sophia Mosque is a beautiful and majestic landmark that is worth a visit. Inside the mosque, you can see ancient mosaics and frescoes, as well as enjoy the atmosphere of tranquility and tranquility. Entrance to the mosque is free, but it is necessary to follow certain rules of conduct and dress appropriately.
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