Sultanahmet, Istanbul

Today is a National Holiday* and Robin and I spent the day as tourists in Sultanahmet.  Warm but not always sunny weather.  A day that ended in the pub for a pint before the inevitable two hour journey home due to the joys of evening gridlock Istanbul traffic. A very fun day of sights and shopping, as Robin fills her eyes and bags with memories and mementos before leaving this summer to start a new life in Azerbaijan.

Pictured is Hagia Sophia, (Turkish Ayasofya, Latin Sancta Sophia, also called Church of the Holy Wisdom or Church of the Divine Wisdom),  built at Constantinople in the 6th century (532–537) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian 1. It is considered to be the most important Byzantine structure and one of the world’s great monuments. (Britannica.com)

It was used as a church for 916 years but, following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, Hagia Sophia it was converted and used as a mosque for the next 482 years. Under the order of Atatürk and the decision of the Council of Ministers, Hagia Sophia was converted into a museum in 1935. http://ayasofyamuzesi.gov.tr/en/about-us 


* Following Atatürk's wish, the Turkish government declared May 19 to be Youth and Sports Day and made it an official holiday in 1938. The day received its present name, the “Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day”, in 1981, which became the 100th anniversary of Atatürk's birth. (Wikipedia)