Built three times during the Byzantine eraCurrent structure opened in 537 

Turned into a mosque after the 1453 Ottoman conquest by Mehmet the Conqueror 

Became a museum in 1934, then a mosque again in 2020

Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) means “Holy Wisdom”

Converted into a Catholic church during the Fourth Crusade, then back to an Orthodox church

After the Ottoman conquest, Mehmet the Conqueror transformed it into a mosque, adding a wooden minaret, a grand chandelier, a mihrab (niche pointing to Mecca), and a minbar (pulpit)

Mimar Sinan later led major renovations to strengthen the structure against earthquakes in the 16th century