"Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque landmarks of Istanbul
Their impressive minarets and domes dominate the skyline of Istanbul and no tour to the ancient Turkish city is complete without a visit to its two most important landmarks -- the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque.
The Hagia Sophia, built in the 6th century, functioned as a church for more than 900 years, till the Ottoman Turks converted it into a mosque in the 15th century and it remained so for almost 500 years. It was in 1935 that the farsighted first Turkish president and founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatordered the Hagia Sophia to be converted into a museum.
After the building was transformed into a museum, prayers were no longer allowed inside. The layers of plaster covering the mosaic pictures of Christ and Virgin Mary on the ceilings of the gallery, applied during the Ottoman rule, were removed in many places to show the pictures and the massive building was thrown open to the public."
More:The Hindu : Life & Style / Travel : Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque landmarks of Istanbul