Hagia Sophia (meaning: "Holy Wisdom"; Greek: Ἁγία Σοφία, romanized: Agia Sofia), formerly known as the Church of Holy Wisdom and Hagia Sophia Museum or today officially known as Hagia Sophia-i Kebîr Câmi-i Şerîfi (Holy Great Hagia Sophia Mosque), [4] [5] It is a mosque and former basilica, cathedral and museum located in Istanbul.
The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental boundaries between Asia and Europe. It also divides Turkey by separating Anatolia from Thrace. It is the world's narrowest strait used for international navigation.
Topkapı Palace (Topkapı Sarayı) and Harem are likely to have more colourful stories than most of the world's museums put together. Libidinous sultans, ambitious courtiers, beautiful concubines and scheming eunuchs lived and worked here between the 15th and 19th centuries when it was the court of the Ottoman empire.
This subterranean cistern was called Basilica because it was located under a large public square, the Stoa Basilica, on the First Hill of Constantinople.[2] Prior to its construction, a great basilica stood on the spot. It had been built during the Early Roman Age between the 3rd and 4th centuries as a commercial, legal and artistic centre.[1] The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.
