Is Hagia Sophia the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are not the same mosque. Hagia Sophia used to be a Byzantine church, but it was turned into a mosque later on. That being said, the blue mosque is a nod to the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Ahmed built it.

Here is a more in-depth look at Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque:

Hagia Sophia

The building of Hagia Sophia began in 532 under the rule of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and was finished in 537. It was built as a church for Christians. For about 912 years, Hagia Sophia was a church. After that, in 1453, Mohammed Fatih turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque. World War I put an end to the Ottoman Empire.

After that, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk turned Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934. But in 2020, Hagia Sophia was opened again for prayers. Hagia Sophia was built during the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires and is a beautiful example of their art. The dome of the mosque is very big. It's about 55.6 meters high and 43.5 meters across. There used to be Christian religious work in the mosque. But now there are signs of Islamic art. This building is very important for both the West and Turkey.

Tourists come to see the view inside the building. A lot of people can pray here—about 10,000. You have to take off your shoes to get in, and taking pictures is not allowed at all. To get into the temple, you have to dress modestly.

The Hagia Sophia is a masterpiece of art from the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.

Blue mosque

A lot of people think of Hagia Sophia as the "Blue Mosque". But there is no link between the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. There are two different churches. There is a blue mosque that stands for the Ottoman Empire. The building of the blue mosque began under Sultan Ahmed in 1609 and was finished within 1616. The Blue Mosque gets its name from the blue tiles that cover the inside walls of the mosque.

A lot of people come to see the mosque. There are six minarets in this building. After the war with Persia, Sultan Ahmed thought about building a mosque to wake up the troops. For the Sultan, Sedefhar built a blue mosque. The blue mosque was built to bring back the power of the Ottoman Empire.

We can now say that the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are not the same thing. There are two different churches. This beautiful building was built by the Byzantine Emperor. The Ottoman Empire, on the other hand, built the blue mosque. People come from all over the world to see these two churches.

Read More: When Was Hagia Sophia Built