"Holy Wisdom"
Zs. N. (7/b) wrote about her favourite building. It is called "Hagia Sophia" (The church of "Holy Wisdom").
Hagia Sophia is a famous building. It is located in Istanbul (earlier called Constantinople), Turkey. It was originally a church built in the time of the Emperor Justinian, between 532-537 A.D. They originally finished it in 534 A.D. but it caught fire, burnt down and collapsed, so they finished rebuilding it in 537 A.D. The word Hagia Sophia means Holy Wisdom.
The building is about 300 metres high. It is a combination of a Roman basilica and a large central dome which is 31 metres wide and 55 metres tall. The architects used an innovation: the pendentive. It means that the dome is supported by four arches forming a square. Hagia Sophia was a Christian church first, decorated with beautiful, shiny mosaics and paintings. There were a few mosaics decorated with silver and gold as well. But when the Turks took over Istanbul, they took the cross off the church and covered the mosaics with plaster. This is how Hagia Sophia became a mosque. Today it is a museum, inside the mosaics are restored and the building has got 40 arched windows, so it is full of light. Outside it is surrounded by minarets (the name means "lighthouse", they are towers used for the call to prayer).
In my opinion, Hagia Sophia is the nicest building ever!
(Source: https://www.hagiasophia.com/)