Hagia Sophia(lit. 'Holy Wisdom'; Ancient Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία (Hagía Sophía), Turkish: Ayasofya), is amosqueand major cultural and historical site inIstanbul,Turkey. It was erected three times by the Eastern Roman Empire. The present Hagia Sophia is the third, built in 537 AD. It carried several titles over its long history, serving as an Orthodoxchurch(with a brief period as a Catholiccathedraldue to the Fourth Crusade), a mosque, amuseum, and then a mosque again. ThoughByzantine-made, it has long since receivedIslamic additions, such as its famousminarets.
hagia sophia