The Underground World of the Hagia Sophia

For over a thousand years until its fall to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, the city of Constantinople was one of the greatest urban centres in the Christian world. At the heart of this city was the Hagia Sophia (meaning ‘Holy Wisdom’ in Greek), one of the most iconic buildings of Constantinople. The current structure can be dated to the reign of the emperor Justinian in the 6^th century A.D., and is the third to be built on the site. Compared to its predecessors, Justinian’s basilica was an architectural feat, and a monument to the empire’s (and the emperor’s) greatness. None can deny that the Hagia Sophia is indeed a masterpiece. Yet, what is beneath this structure may be as interesting as, if not more than, what can be seen above ground.

The spectacular Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. Credit: BigStockPhoto