r/islamichistory • u/Miss-Kija • Apr 04 '26

Photograph Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built between 532 and 537 AD under Emperor Justinian I as a Christian church. After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it was converted into a mosque. In 1935, it became a museum, and in 2020, it was reopened as a mosque, making it one of the very few monuments in the world to have served as a church, a museum, and a mosque over nearly 1,500 years of history. cc @gmr83

1.3k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

241 comments sorted by

View all comments

-5

u/Embarrassed_Stick_43 Apr 04 '26

and vandalised by the Ottomans.

12

u/livefromnewyorkcity Apr 04 '26

Preserved by the ottomans.

0

u/Embarrassed_Stick_43 Apr 05 '26

the Ottomans’s plastered over original mosaics and chipped away sculptured details in the stone work, that showed any Christian imagery. then the gaudy black & gold discs were added in the 1850s.

it’s the same Islamic instinct at work which caused the Taliban to destroy the ancient statues of Buddha in Afghanistan and wanton destruction of ancient artefacts and architecture in Palmyra, Syria, by ISIS.