Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a very old and special building in Turkey. It was built a long, long time ago – more than 1,500 years – by the Byzantine Empire which was a big empire in Europe and Asia.
The people who built the Hagia Sophia wanted it to be a really important place for their religion, which was called Christianity. They wanted it to be a really big and beautiful building with lots of special decorations inside.
For more than 900 years, the Hagia Sophia was the biggest church in the world and lots of people would come to see it and pray inside it. But then, some people who followed a different religion called Islam took over the city where the Hagia Sophia was built.
These people decided to make the Hagia Sophia into their own special building, so they added some decorations and things that were important to their religion.
Over time, lots of different groups of people have controlled the Hagia Sophia and changed it to fit their own beliefs. But even though it's changed a lot over the years, the Hagia Sophia is still a really important and beautiful building that lots of people love and visit.
The people who built the Hagia Sophia wanted it to be a really important place for their religion, which was called Christianity. They wanted it to be a really big and beautiful building with lots of special decorations inside.
For more than 900 years, the Hagia Sophia was the biggest church in the world and lots of people would come to see it and pray inside it. But then, some people who followed a different religion called Islam took over the city where the Hagia Sophia was built.
These people decided to make the Hagia Sophia into their own special building, so they added some decorations and things that were important to their religion.
Over time, lots of different groups of people have controlled the Hagia Sophia and changed it to fit their own beliefs. But even though it's changed a lot over the years, the Hagia Sophia is still a really important and beautiful building that lots of people love and visit.