The Final Synthesis

85 years of Silence: Yet, beneath the new identity of a museum lay a profound and historic stillness. For the first time in nearly 1,500 years— stretching back to its dedication in 537 CE, the great dome of Hagia Sophia fell silent. Whether as a Cathedral or a Mosque, the building had always been a house of living breath and prayer. By turning it into a museum, it became part of the past.

While the main hall remained a museum space in Hagia Sophia until July 2020, Islamic prayer was allowed within the adjacent suite or private lodge “Hünkar Kasrı annex” starting in 1991.