The Byzantine mosaics and images are still visible during visiting hours, and are covered with special lighting effects during worship and prayer hours. Whether Hagia Sophia should be a mosque or ...

"Hagia Sophia's grand dome and intricate mosaics symbolized the rich artistic and engineering skills of the Greek-speaking Byzantine world," notes Greek Reporter. Following the Ottoman conquest of ...

Inside the building, four columns will support a platform to allow for restoration of the Hagia Sophia’s mosaics, and a crane will be used to work on the roof, dome and minarets. Simulations of ...

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey has begun a new phase in sweeping restorations of the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, focusing on preserving the monument's historic domes from the threat ...