Despite these events, Emperor Justinian opined that the Hagia Sophia was a better building. It has been said that the Hagia Sophia was to the Eastern Orthodox Church what St. Peter’s Basilica is to the current Roman Catholic Church. So, built-in AD 537 long before the Middle Ages, the Hagia Sophia was famous in particular for its massive dome. As Islam was the central religion of the Ottomans, the Hagia Sophia was like virtually all the other numerous churches there, renovated into a mosque. However, since 2013, some Islamic religious leaders in the country have sought to have the Hagia Sophia once again opened as a mosque.

Source: The Guardian January 12, 2020 11:15 UTC