Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya is Istanbul's Legacy of Christian and Muslim Cultures:   Hagia Sophia or Aya Sofya (The Church of the Holy Wisdom), was formerly a Byzantine church which was converted into a mosque when Sultan Mehmed II conquered Istanbul in 1453. When Turkey became a republic in 1934, Hagia Sofia was turned into the Ayasofya Müzesi (Ayasofya Museum), and is one of the top Istanbul attractions. Hagia Sophia Brief History There has been a church on the Hagia Sophia site … [Read more...]