Photo Feature by Hussein Bahbahani
ISTANBUL, Dec 23 (KNA) -- Hagia Sophia mosque is a world-level historic and cultural landmark symbolizing a historic period stretching for more than 1,400 years since its construction as a cathedral in the sixth century.
It was first built as a church, but later was transformed into a mosque, later a museum and recently declared as a mosque.
Construction work had begun upon an order by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I in 532 AD. It finished in 537 AD to become the largest cathedral in the world for nine centuries.
After the Ottomans' conquer in 1453, minarets and other Islamic ornamentations were added to the colossal building. It had remained a mosque hosting prayers until 1935, when it was transformed into a museum during era of Kemal Ataturk. But in 2020, a court ordered that it be transformed into a mosque again. (end) hab.rk