islamic arts  ayasofya  interior designs  calligraphy  ayasofya cami  hat sanatı  museums  hagia sophia  ancient history  antik tarih  bizans  byzantium  ἁγία σοφία  holy wisdom  sancta sophia  sancta sapientia  

A view of interior Hagia Sophia in Şehr-i İstanbul. The Hagia Sophia ~Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, Holy Wisdom; Latin: Sancta Sophia or Sancta Sapientia; Turkish: Ayasofya~ is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey. The mystical city Istanbul hosted many civilizations since centuries, of which Byzantium and Ottoman Empires were both the most famous ones. The city today carries the characteristics of these two different cultures and surely Hagia Sophia is a perfect synthesis where one can observe both Ottoman and Byzantium effects under one great dome.