Impressive architecture.
Both outside and inside.
There is a queue at the entrance in the afternoon.
But if you come in the rain and in the evening, admission is free. It seems to be open around the clock.
St. Sophia is really impressive! A salty place, but...It was a long time ago. It is now a museum. To get to the second level of the temple, you need to climb on foot along a special spiral ancient ramp to the level of the modern 6th floor. It's not just when there's a problem with your legs or shortness of breath. But it becomes clear how the building materials were delivered to the upper floors. It is very interesting and exciting. But there is one significant "but"... When I was in Istanbul a year ago, even then I was "strained" by the sound of "Bulgarians" in the cathedral and the rooms on the upper floors, hastily fenced with plywood....What can you do in a museum, where the base is marble and other noble stone, with a "grinder"? Turks in general have always been "famous" for their attitude towards Christian shrines....And now it is announced on the news that a decree has been signed on the transformation of Sofia into a mosque! Despite UNESCO and Ataturk, who in 1934 made St.Sofia is a museum...Sadly.
A salted place for centuries. Despite the fact that it is now a mosque by the decision of the authorities, it has not lost its greatness and beauty of the Christian monastery.
The grandiose and stunning temple, which later became a mosque, impresses with its size, power, wealth, its 15th century history and splendor! In 1935, Ataturk made it a museum, and the other day Erdogan signed a decree according to which it will become a mosque again, despite UNESCO's recommendations not to do so! So we visited there in time and saw all the beauty firsthand, which is now going to be smeared and painted over again.