HAGIA SOPHIA

Figure 3: Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, designed by Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Miletus, also called Church Of The Holy Wisdom, Turkish Ayasofya, cathedral built at Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) under the direction of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. It is a unique building and one of the world's great monuments, despite time's ravages. The structure, a domed basilica, was built in the amazingly short time of about six years, being completed in AD 537. The architects were Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus. For an illustration and floor plan of Hagia Sophia, see Architecture, History of Western: .