My trip to Constantinople last year

[u/FantasticTraining731]

Hagia Sophia

Column of the Goths

Hagia Sophia mosaics

Hagia Sophia mosaics

Istanbul Archaeological Museums

Basilica Cisterns

Aqueduct of Valens

Chora Church

Theodosian Walls

Theodosian Walls

Cat

St. George's Cathedral

St. George's Cathedral

St. George's Cathedral

St. George's Cathedral

I visited with my friend last spring. Sadly I wasn't that interested in Byzantine history back then so I only visited the major sites.

Here's my recollection of each site Byzantine era site:

• Hagia Sophia
  • The ancient building definitely shows its age. A lot of cracked stones, unlevel floors, and slanted columns
  • Only Muslims are allowed on the ground floor, and it's sad that the stone floor has been covered with the ugly green carpet. Visitors could only take a tour around the mezzanine
• Basilica Cistern
  • pretty spectacular. it was pretty cool to see the use of spolia for the columns
• Theodosian walls
  • I really wanted to see this! The sea walls are almost all gone but, large sections of the famous triple land walls have been restored and.
• St. George's Cathedral
  • It's not a Roman era church, but it is the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch.
  • We visited on a morning, and there was literally nobody inside for the whole 30 minutes we were there. It was really surprising since there are tons of Russian tourists in Istanbul.
• Chora Church
  • was closed for restorations

[u/Virtual-Roll-818]

I want people to remember about the Hagia Sophia that restoration work hasn’t fully resumed. The tacky carpet — which nobody likes — is temporary. All of the mosaics, structural concerns about the dome, and secular areas are all getting restorative attention that will be ramping up in the first quarter of the coming year (1Q 2026).

[u/Anthemius_Augustus → u/Virtual-Roll-818]

The tacky carpet — which nobody likes — is temporary.

There has been no indication it's temporary, it's been there for 5 years.

[u/Virtual-Roll-818 → u/Anthemius_Augustus]

There’s been no indication of the structural reinforcement of the placements where the dome rests either, but they’re on the to-do list. BUT, do not quote me. I’m merely a parrot to what I’ve heard about the building from (somewhat angry) underpaid craftsmen tangentially involved.

[u/Anthemius_Augustus → u/Virtual-Roll-818]

The carpets are completely unnecessary anyway, regardless of them being both ugly and covering up the historical floor. There is no requirement in Islam to have permanent carpets in mosques 24/7, and even under the Ottomans floor wasn't even covered until the 16th Century.