Ancient landmark Hagia Sophia, 'simply unique, without parallel,' attracts long line of tourists

When Western tourists who are visiting Istanbul, Turkey, cruise into a port, many typically look for one particular landmark: the Hagia Sophia. 

Then there is the Blue Mosque, an Ottoman-era temple just a short walk from the famous landmark, followed by many other similar structures. 

The Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is a Muslim place of worship - but that is not the reason it attracts so much attention. 

"Hagia Sophia is simply unique, without parallel," Robert Nelson, Robert Lehman Professor of the History of Art, emeritus, Yale University, told Fox News Digital.  

"The height of its dome was not surpassed until the building of St. Peters Basilica in the 16th century. Even more impressive than just its size is its beautiful, lavish marble decoration inside." 

"Massive marble columns were brought from around the ancient world. The walls are sheathed in handsome marbles that have dulled over time but still impress," he said.

It was commissioned by Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I and designed by two Greek architects and mathematicians, Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles. 

"Justinian dreamed of an entirely new kind of church," wrote Italian Renaissance scholar Frederick Hartt. And Justinian got exactly what he wanted. 

"Solomon, I have vanquished thee!" the imaginative emperor reportedly boasted upon the completion of his magnificent basilica.

"The glorious impression of harmoniously blended space and light we receive in the interior today should be supplemented in imagination by visualizing the majestic procession of the Byzantine emperor and his court," wrote Hartt. 

The Hagia Sophia is grand and awe-inspiring - and makes visitors wonder how people so many centuries ago managed to engineer such a complex structure. 

Then again, this is about the Greeks.

When the basilica was erected, Constantinople, perched at the eastern end of the European continent and named after emperor Constantine the Great, was one of the most important capitals of Christendom. 

Constantinople remained the center of the Greek Orthodox church, but its power was weakened. 

In 1204, Constantinople was sacked by the crusaders in retaliation for the massacre and held by the West for several decades, according to numerous sources.

In 1453, trouble came from the Asian side. The city was sacked again - this time by the Turks - and incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. 

As a result, the Basilica of Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque and minarets were added.

"Ottoman architects, beginning in the later 15th century, strove to copy its dome and interior."

Historians say the Ottoman Empire grew in power, spreading into Africa and eastern parts of Europe, menacing towns, raiding villages, taking inhabitants into slavery. 

Things had gotten pretty rough, especially for the Habsburg Empire (Austria). The city of Vienna found itself under siege several times. 

The turning point came on Sept. 12, 1683. That's when Polish King Jan III Sobieski, the ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth, came to the rescue of the besieged Austrian capital. 

Confident that this time they would conquer Vienna, the vast Ottoman force, led by Kara Mustafa, was instead crushed by Sobieski and his Polish-heavy cavalry, the famed winged hussars. 

Pope Innocent XI hailed Sobieski as the "savior of Vienna and Western European civilization."

The battle of Vienna marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire, but the city of Constantinople on the Bosporus Strait, a natural waterway dividing Europe and Asia, remained in Turkish hands. 

According to Nelson, the reason was the movement toward Romanticism. "It brought a new attitude toward the past, especially toward ancient and medieval Christianity," he said.

The ancient city of Constantinople sprawls across two continents, and in 1930 it was renamed Istanbul. 

Over the years, the former basilica and mosque underwent significant renovations and became a favorite among tourists. But in 2020, despite many objections from UNESCO and international communities, the government of Turkey rescinded Hagia Sophia's museum status and turned it back into a working mosque. 

There are long lines to purchase tickets for those who have not secured tickets online.  Also, female visitors must cover their heads upon entering. 

There is a separate entrance for Turkish citizens that leads to the ground level of the mosque.

The Hagia Sophia receives an average of around 50,000 visitors daily and approximately 6-7 million annually, according to Istanbul Deputy Akturkoglu.

The influx of visitors depends on the season. 

These days, Istanbul is a popular tourist destination, known for its colorful Turkish carpets, bustling bazaars and fragrant spice markets.

But for many visitors, the focal point is still the Hagia Sophia, the temple that was built before the religion of Islam came to exist. 

Curiously enough, its Byzantine domes are replicated in mosques across Istanbul on both ends of the Bosporus, all looking sort of similar. 

Perhaps the two Greek architects, Isidore and Anthemius would be as amazed as the tourists are.

Their 6th-century Byzantine design lives on and multiplies.