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My Istanbul Trip and Hagia Sophia Visit

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Hello, everyone! I'm back from my amazing trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and I want to share with you some of the highlights of my journey. Istanbul is a city that has so much to offer, from its rich history and culture, to its delicious cuisine and friendly people. But the most impressive attraction for me was the Hagia Sophia, a stunning monument that has witnessed the rise and fall of empires, religions, and civilizations. The History of Hagia Sophia Hagia Sophia, which means "Holy Wisdom" in Greek, was originally built as a Christian basilica in the 6th century by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. It was the largest and most magnificent church in the world for almost a thousand years, until the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453 and converted it into a mosque. The Ottomans added four minarets, a mihrab, a minbar, and other Islamic features, but they also preserved the original mosaics and architecture of the Byzantine era. In 1935, the founder of t