Hagia Sophia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Christianity

The part of the world that is now Turkey features regularly in the New Testament. Paul the Apostle travelled extensively around the Aegean Sea, which is now the southern coast of Turkey. Although there is no record of him travelling as far north as Istanbul, Christianity spread rapidly across the area in the first few centuries after Jesus had died.

Hagia Sophia was built as a Christian cathedral during the reign of Justinian I, the Byzantine emperor. Before Hagia Sophia, the site was home to a Christian cathedral called Megale Ekklesia, and before that it was a pagan temple.

Answer: Bosphorus

The Bosphorus is the dividing line between Europe and Asia in Istanbul. It is a natural strait that connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. It was a strategic military position, so a number of fortifications have been built along its banks. Hagia Sophia was built near to the water's edge.

Answer: Mihrab

The Ottoman Empire was heavily influenced by Islam, so when the Ottomans gained control of Constantinople (now Istanbul) in the 15th century, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. The building gained a number of additions to fulfill its new religious purpose, including a mihrab. A mihrab is a niche in a mosque wall that indicates the direction of Mecca.

Answer: False

The first church was constructed in 360 CE, but was burned down during a riot. The Hagia Sophia museum contains bricks that were probably part of the original building. Another church was built in its place in 415 CE. Since it opened as a museum, a collection of stone remnants could be seen in the Hagia Sophia garden.

The stones included column bases, as well as stone beams engraved with sheep that represented the twelve apostles.

Answer: Marble

Emperor Justinian wanted Hagia Sophia to be huge and grand. Each province under his reign sent a selection of the best architectural supplies that they had. Different coloured marble was used from a variety of different places: Marmara Island supplied white marble for the project; Afyon provided pink marble; and yellow marble came from North Africa. Egriboz Island (now the Greek island of Euboea) also provided green porphyry.

Answer: Temple of Artemis

The Temple of Artemis was built in Ephesus 550 BCE and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Over the years, it was destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times by flood and fire. It was completely destroyed by the Goths in 262 CE. As was common practice at the time, some of the building materials were used in other structures.

The Hagia Sophia museum website claims that some of the columns in the nave were taken from the Temple, though other sources suggest that this was a myth. Hagia Sophia had over 100 columns, some of which travelled long distances, such as the ones that came from Egypt.

Answer: Yes

Some of the walls were covered with marble, while others contain beautiful and detailed mosaics. They were created with terra cotta, silver, gold, glass, and colourful stones. Many of the original mosaics depicted plants and geometric patterns. Between the 10th and 12th centuries, more mosaics were created, including ones portraying religious figures. Mosaics that depicted Christian characters (like Jesus and the saints) were destroyed or covered up when the building became a mosque in the 15th century.

Answer: The coronation of new emperors

New emperors were crowned at Hagia Sophia because it was the main church of the Empire. There was a section of flooring next to the nave that was covered with colourful stones set in a circular pattern. Multiple Eastern Roman Emperors were crowned on that spot. The other three choices were events relating to the British royal family.

Answer: An educational institution

'Madrasah' is an Arabic word for 'school'. It was a type of Islamic educational establishment, and one was built at Hagia Sophia under the reign of Mehmed II. It was abolished two centuries later, then rebuilt in 1849 when much of the building was renovated. It also had a library containing an extensive collection of texts.

Answer: 1935

In February 1935, Hagia Sophia opened as a museum, showcasing the building's astounding architecture and its colourful history. Visitors can explore the main building and learn about Hagia Sophia in the museum building. There are also a number of external features in the museum's grounds, such as the fountains and the Sultan's tombs. Over 25 million people visited the museum in the decade between 2007 and 2017.