Basic Information & History
Hagia Sophia stands proudly in Istanbul, Turkey, where it has amazed visitors for over 1,000 years — that’s older than many countries!
Hagia Sophia - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Hagia Sophia For Kids
The name “Hagia Sophia” means “Holy Wisdom” in Greek, and it’s pronounced as “AYE-ah so-FEE-ah” — try saying it out loud!
Hagia Sophia was first built in 537 CE by Emperor Justinian I, who wanted to create the most magnificent building in the world!
The current Hagia Sophia is actually the third version — the first two were destroyed, but that didn’t stop people from building it again, bigger and better!
Hagia Sophia became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, which means it’s so special that the whole world works together to protect it!
Over its long life, Hagia Sophia has been a Christian cathedral, a Muslim mosque, a museum, and now it’s a mosque again — talk about a building that adapts with time!
When Hagia Sophia was first built, it took about 10,000 workers to complete it — that’s like having every student from 10 big elementary schools working together!
The dome of Hagia Sophia is about 100 feet (30 m) wide and soars nearly 180 feet (55 m) high — like stacking nearly 18 giraffes (~10 ft each) on top of one another!
When Hagia Sophia was built, the emperor gathered beautiful stone and marble from all over the ancient world — including huge columns from the old Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and massive red porphyry columns all the way from Egypt!
Architecture & Design
For almost a thousand years, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul stood as the biggest church in the world — no one built anything larger for nearly ten centuries!
The architects who designed Hagia Sophia were named Anthemius and Isidorus — they were like the superheroes of ancient architecture!
Inside Hagia Sophia, there are about 104 columns, each one made from different colored marble — it’s like a rainbow made of stone!
Inside Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the row of about 40 windows around the base of the main dome lets sunlight pour in from all sides. That bright ring of light makes the dome look like it’s floating on air!
The marble floor of Hagia Sophia has been smoothed and polished by millions of feet over 1,500 years!
Fun Numbers & Measurements
The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was built in only 5 years, 10 months, and a few days — a super-fast build for such a giant, awesome building!
Hagia Sophia in Istanbul is about 269 feet (82 m) long and 240 feet (73 m) wide — so huge it’s like lining up two super-big whales nose to tail inside!
The Hagia Sophia’s central dome has a diameter of about 31 metres (102 ft) and rises to roughly 55.6 metres (182 ft) above the floor.
Fun and Unique Facts
There’s a special column in Hagia Sophia called the “Wishing Column” that’s covered in bronze, and legend says it grants wishes if you put your thumb in a hole and rotate it in a full circle!
Inside Hagia Sophia in Istanbul there’s a grand entrance called the Imperial Door (or Emperor’s Door). It was used only by the Byzantine emperors when they entered.
Inside Hagia Sophia there are two giant marble urns (or jars) brought from the ancient city of Pergamon during the reign of Murad III. Each one could hold about 1,250 litres of liquid — imagine filling up a big bathtub two or three times!
Inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul you can find a piece of ancient ‘tourist graffiti’ — a Viking warrior carved his name in runes on the marble balcony over 1,000 years ago. It says something like ‘Halvdan was here.’
Inside the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the dome has 40 ribs that help support its massive weight — like the spokes of a giant umbrella held up over the city!
The Hagia Sophia has witnessed the rise and fall of two major empires — the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires — making it a survivor of huge historical changes!
When Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was finished in 537 AD, Justinian I is said to have thrown his arms wide and exclaimed, ‘Solomon, I have surpassed thee!’ — because he believed he’d built something even more glorious than the ancient Temple of Solomon.
The Hagia Sophia survived a terrible earthquake just 20 years after it was built — but its dome was rebuilt even stronger!
During the Fourth Crusade in 1204, Hagia Sophia was looted and turned into a cathedral — most of its treasures were never returned.
When Hagia Sophia in Istanbul fell into the hands of Mehmed II in 1453, he ordered that the building be protected and preserved, even as he converted it into a mosque.
In the 1500s, the famous Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan was asked to help keep the Hagia Sophia standing strong.
In 1935 the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul was turned into a museum, so people of all faiths — and none — could visit and learn about its amazing history together.
In 2020, Hagia Sophia became a mosque again, continuing its long history of serving different purposes!
