Influential history
Hagia Sofia was inspirational in terms of Ottoman architects and designers centuries before today.
They took characteristics of Byzantine stylisation and refined them further. In fact, the Hagia Sofia inspired many of the Istanbul buildings that would follow, such as the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, which was built in the city – then known as Constantinople in the 1550s. It was the work of Mimar Sinan, or Sinan the Architect, who joined the Ottoman Janissary corps and converted to Islam before his passion and talent for architecture came to the fore.
Sinan’s work went on to define the great arches, spires, towers, domes and clean walls of Ottoman architecture that remain to this day, as well as the decorative use of colour and pattern that defines the style. Don’t forget Turkey’s magnificent bazaars, which feature arched walkways with colourful tiles and the constant thrum of commerce – or Turkish baths, which are just as indicative of the Ottoman approach.