The sisters of the Hagia Sophia

Fatih Sınar

There are several namesakes and replicas of İstanbul's Hagia Sophia, which was constructed in A.D. 537 upon the order of Emperor Justinian I of the Eastern Roman Empire, also known as Justinian the Great in Anatolia, Thrace and Macedonia.

The soaring Hagia Sophia reflects different periods in Istanbul’s history. (Photo: John Cavacas)

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Monumental: Istanbul’s Dazzling Architecture

Ron Gluckman

The soaring Hagia Sophia reflects different periods in Istanbul’s history. (Photo: John Cavacas)

Istanbul makes all the latest travel hot lists, for good reason. Domed mosques, topped with fairy-tale minarets, anchor scores of neighborhood squares where prayer calls echo down cobbled lanes. Boats of every size navigate the Bosporus Strait, where old men crowd bridges to drop fishing lines and gossip, while along the shores, cafés serve thimbles of thick Turkish coffee.

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Turkey and its many sides

Olusola Fabiyi, who has just returned from a trip to Turkey, writes on his experience and places of interest, especially in Istanbul, which is the only city in the world that is on two continents. Fabiyi shares his impressions on a panoramic museum that depicts conquest of Istanbul in 1453, and gives extensive details on the artwork in the museum.

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