Navigate Hagia Sophia in this indie VR simulation adventure. Hold historical objects to hear details on mosaics, history, and Quran recitations. Explore the structure's transformation after 1453, when Ottoman forces under Mehmed the Conqueror turned it from a Christian cathedral into a mosque.
Bells, altars, and relics vanished as Islamic elements like a minbar, minarets, and mihrab took their place. Mosaics of Jesus, Mary, saints, and angels got covered or removed. This experience suits history enthusiasts who enjoy interactive simulations of architectural and cultural shifts.
This Experience allows you to navigate through Hagia Sophia, and by holding Historical Objects, it allows you to listen to Mosaic, History and Quran.
After the Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, it was converted to a mosque by Mehmed the Conqueror. The patriarchate moved to the Church of the Holy Apostles, which became the city's cathedral. Although some parts of the city had fallen into disrepair, the cathedral had been maintained with funds set aside for this purpose, and the Christian cathedral made a strong impression on the new Ottoman rulers who conceived its conversion. The bells, altar, iconostasis, ambo and baptistery were removed and relics destroyed. The mosaics depicting Jesus, his mother Mary, Christian saints, and angels were eventually destroyed or plastered over. Islamic architectural features were added, such as a minbar (pulpit), four minarets, and a mihrab – a niche indicating the direction of prayer (qibla). From its initial conversion until the construction in 1616 of the nearby Sultan Ahmed Mosque, aka the Blue Mosque, it was the principal mosque of Istanbul.
