Which city is home to the Hagia Sophia landmark?

Istanbul is home to the Hagia Sophia landmark.

Hagia Sophia stands in Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet district. The present building was commissioned by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and completed in 537 CE. For nearly a thousand years, it was the world’s largest cathedral and served as the principal church of Constantinople, the Byzantine capital.

After the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Hagia Sophia became an imperial mosque. In 1935, under the Republic of Turkey, it opened as a museum. The building was reconverted for use as a mosque in 2020 while remaining open to visitors under arrangements that protect its historic features.

The structure is famous for its massive dome, pendentives and blend of Christian and Islamic artistic traditions. Istanbul itself was known as Constantinople for much of its Byzantine and Ottoman history. Ankara is Turkey’s modern political capital, but Istanbul is the country’s largest city and historic imperial centre.