Amazing Hagia Sophia 2022 - Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

The Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia) is a magnificent architectural beauty and an absolute must visit when in Istanbul, Turkiye. As it is a working mosque, remember to dress respectfully before entering. There are stalls nearby to purchase a head scarf if you don't have your own. It's free to visit, but best to avoid during prayer times.
You can find many restaurants and cafes in short walking distance from the Hagia Sophia. We ate at Ayasofya Kebap House. Good food and a friendly team.
Ayasofya Kebap House
Address: ALEMDAR MH, İncili Çavuş Sk. NO:8/A, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul
To find the Column of the Goths monument, visit Gülhane Park. From where the Gulhane Park sign is, head up the hill til you spot it.
#hagiasophia #ayasofya #istanbul #İstanbul #turkey #türkiye
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VLOG DATE: 17 May 2022
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[@Milena_Sl]

The most beautiful Orthodox Church ever built. ✝️

[@dionf3858]

Stunning piece of Greek Orthodox architecture that the whole world admires and despite the Islamic additions , it still looks like a church

[@Estelleeeeee]

@Ahmad Hijaz What no?? It's Byzantine architecture, one of the biggest and greatest Christian churches, even the icons scream church. Do you think because they put 4 minares, it made a difference, and people won't know the history behind it?

[@selvieksi5143]

​@@Estelleeeeee because we never tried to delete his past like u Christians ,Sultan Mehmed took it 600 years ago and he protect ,in our mosques pictures not allowed but he didnt erase ,Christians burned womans because of witchcraft in the middle age ,thats differency between our cultures

[@berkeleyu.8734]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKLbgZijid6GkNU

[@mustafakutlu1650]

It was converted into a mosque and prevented it from being demolished. It was maintained for centuries. It was considered as the house of God. Why is it so important which religion it is from? How conservative and bigoted are you?

[@dionf3858]

@@mustafakutlu1650 true, maybe it’s time to give it back to the patriarch of Constantinople as all religions are the same anyway. That was the seat of his church 1000 years before you arrived

[@linnyunt]

Turkish apple tea is the best! The mosque was beautiful inside.

[@PeterandYen]

💯 when I see Elma Cai on the menu it is instant buy 😁

[@nikotheamazing16]

It’s such a beautiful church

[@mariaandbryan]

Hagia Sophia is incredible indeed. Adana kebap is Lieles' favorite kebap in Turkey. We always had it with fries even in other cities so i think that's just how it is served. Turkish people and their hospitality is one of a kind.

[@PeterandYen]

😁🤙 OK good to know. I've always enjoyed it with fries and now I'm glad and reassured to know no one will be taking those fries away 😂

[@chriskeentechnician]

Looks like an amazing place to adventure around! I was surprised by the lack of face masks, but after looking into it more, that’s because Turkey has basically eliminated COVID 💪

[@PeterandYen]

We heard on arrival that face masks stopped being mandatory a few days before we got there. Pretty lucky 😅

[@SubTobLanK]

I like how you guys make your videos interesting and cool but at the same time you teach us things about the location

[@PeterandYen]

😊 that's 💯 what we try to do with our videos.

[@McPilot_W3DDS]

Hagia Sofia is a Greek Orthodox Church.... Built by the Greek Orthodox as a church...

[@deshkavirus6386]

In Spain many beautiful mosques built by Muslim but now converted in to church so first turn them back in to mosque then cry for hagia sofia

[@Estelleeeeee]

Complain to Spain about it. Erdogan turned Hagia Sophia into a mosque to provoke the Greeks, not the Spanish.

[@berkeleyu.8734]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKLbgZijid6GkNU

[@vladimirvladimirovvladimir1560]

One day it will be Christian again🕊

[@mariaandbryan]

Hey that's us! 😂 It was so awesome meeting you guys and spending quality time together. Hope that happens again soon ☺️

[@PeterandYen]

Yes! Most definitely looking forward to the next catch up where ever that may be

[@SeoulMan2020]

“I can taste like one million different herbs in there…” And just as Yen said a million, in my head I said a million in sync 😆😆 That’s some tasty kebab!!! Food looks amazing 😋😋😋 (had a shawarma wrap for breakfast to get into the mood😁) Thanks for the super insider knowledge tour of the Column of the Goths….for some reason I found it more interesting than the Hagia Sophia…something about it being in its original form…not sure why…. Thanks for a very cool vlog guys!! Stay safe and looking forward to where you take us next….to eat😁

[@PeterandYen]

Hahahaha yes! I really enjoy finding these random little gems too. Though the column was super cool to see.. probably would still put it a bit behind the Hagia Sophia tho 😂 Food is so good in turkey 🤤 however we're in more touristy cappadocia right now. Miss all our more local eateries.

[@linnyunt]

Yo, great thumbnail, guys!

[@PeterandYen]

Thanks Lin 🤙

[@MilicaPetkovic]

Thank you so much for sharing with us this lovely video. I wish you a wonderful day! 🧡🙏👍28

[@berttroubleyn3475]

I told you guys earlier how I visited Istanbul 20 years ago and it wasn't very friendly at the time. Well, the advantage was: no lines or entry fees and not even crowds at Hagia Sophia. The disadvantage? I was just 20 years old and dumb. I did not appreciate enough of the history and the grandeur of the place. But then again, that's hindsight bias and I had a great time there. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

[@PeterandYen]

😁 I'm sure you had an incredible time regardless. I fondly look back at our trips from our 20s too things were very different just a few years back. The world has catered much more to tourism now. What do you recon your best memories were of that trip?

[@berttroubleyn3475]

@@PeterandYen the food! 🤣 And the friendship - I was there with a whole gang of friends.

[@PeterandYen]

😂 the best kind of memories!

[@JapanHiroshima]

Thank you so much for sharing with us this lovely video

[@jimakcelik6486]

Actually as a Turk I have to thank to byzantine Empire have to admit it marvelous architect. Talking about Hagia Sophia

[@Xarula]

Danken ? Keiner hat dich eingeladen. Freut euch solange ihr noch könnt, eure Heimat ist Zentralasien und dort werdet ihr hingeschickt.

[@darylmckay]

Mmmmm Turkish food is so delicious 😋. The Hagia Sophia is stunning 😃. I'm jealous of the balmy weather while New Zealand rains seemingly endlessly...

[@PeterandYen]

Take care Daryl! Heard that the weather back home is horrendous. It's only early June too 😯 Hahaha all this talk of adana kebab... that's what I feel like for dinner now 😂

[@darylmckay]

@@PeterandYen thank you, we're growing gills back home 🐠. Ha ha, rub it in about the amazing food 😋 😉

[@LifetimeTravelmates]

The Ayasofya looks so gorgeous! good to know the prayer time in advance yes. One of the things we really are excited about Turkey is the food! yum! the kebab 🥳 oh we are sorry for the Tulip... but the park is still full of beautiful nature to enjoy! cant wait for the next episode :)

[@mariaandbryan]

And to see us too, right??

[@PeterandYen]

😂😂 yeah can't miss the mamuchos from that list of excitement

[@LifetimeTravelmates]

@@mariaandbryan of course!

[@dipladonic]

This says a lot about the Turks. It was very disrespectful for them to convert this too and for anyone to call this a mosque. This sacred church was at the centre of the Byzantine Christian empire and should be revered as such.

[@rob1971]

Such beautiful places to visit and so steeped in history from many different cultures!

[@PeterandYen]

It's pretty crazy to think how many great civilisations called Anatolia home... been researching them little by little

[@thumbsuptravel1031]

Brilliant! You’ve now made me change my travel plans .

[@PeterandYen]

😁 what did you change?

[@thumbsuptravel1031]

@@PeterandYen I’ll go to turkey and surrounds other than Carribean

[@intrepidadventurer1932]

Oh my gosh I almost forgot it was upload day for you guys! Gosh the world is small huh? Bumping into your youtube friends there! Some amazing building and I love the tile art at the 1:56 point! Wonderful building you went in with the stained glass too! yeah the food always looks good, even better when someone else cooks it! Always appreciate the research and information you provide! Nice coastline too! Once again a wonderful job on this video!

[@PeterandYen]

😁🤙 thank you glad you enjoyed this one. It's cool cause everyday feels like an adventure here in turkey. Everything is so different and as we move from region to region it continues being a surprise 😮 plus all the delicious food is another huge plus.

[@ChandySaoStreeteats]

wow the inside looked amazing! I can't believe I missed out on this one! Looking forward the next vlog!

[@PeterandYen]

Ooo no! Can always come back to turkey 😉

[@avecnayo]

Love that you guys are in Turkey. I definitely want to visit with my wife one day!

[@PeterandYen]

💯 you'd both have an amazing time

[@rrocketman]

I'd love to travel back in time to the Byzantine Empire during it's prime

[@Thirstytraveler41]

Very nice day, and Hagia Sophia is magnificent!

[@PeterandYen]

Had a lot of really fun days out in istanbul. Missing that city

[@lh6135]

Thanks for sharing your visit to The Ayasofya, though it appears crowded, could sense the peace! Lunch as usual, looks good. It was another good breakfast vlog for me, thank you. Have a great week ahead😁

[@PeterandYen]

😁👍 hello hello L H hope you had a yummy breakfast. Still think about the Hagia sofia from time to time it's such a unique building. Looking at it takes you to a time long ago 😯

[@RudyVisuals]

Hagia Sophia looks absolutely incredible on the inside. Would love to see it ourselves one day, the history behind that place is so vast and you can really see the architectural influences that came from its various stages

[@PeterandYen]

It's so cool. Should be on the list of wonders of the world imo 😊 that list needs a big overhaul update 😂

[@russellturner1909]

Amazing looks great its flooding and storms here in nz

[@PeterandYen]

😅 o dear... stay safe back home looks like a terrible winter weather wise

[@davidbeazley1958]

Chips with your kebab is standard, especially in Istanbul... Same with chips and gyro in Athens. 🙂

[@PeterandYen]

😁👍 thanks for the info

[@AksarayMerkez-zl3vg]

I wish I had met you during your stay in Istanbul. Love from Istanbul.😊

[@chasingadeline]

wow...that place is someting on my bucket list...my wife has been to Istanbul, but I have not. the good looks delicious

[@PeterandYen]

😁 hagia sofia is most definitely a bucket list item. You might be lucky and catch all the art works too when you eventually make the trip.

[@Jayrogg]

Watching from a very wet and windy Auckland 😅😅.....Thank you so much for taking us on your Turkish adventures...safe travels ❤️❤️

[@PeterandYen]

Stay safe back home in New Zealand. Take care through all this bad weather. Glad to have you along for the adventure 😁

[@lebitosu6339]

Hi guys, I have been living in Istanbul for 25 years, but I am gonna move to Auckland soon due to work. This is the moment where I found out your channel while looking for some video about New Zealand. It made me happy to see Istanbul on your channel. I hope you're enjoying your vacation. By the way Istanbul has its own glamour and culture which is unique. I am gonna miss this city 😊

[@PeterandYen]

😁 hahaha that's so cool that you found us while looking for New Zealand videos even though we're in turkey right now. Istanbul is an amazing city. We had the most incredible 3 weeks there. Looking forward to going back and seeing all the historical sites again. But for the moment we're having so much fun exploring the rest of 🇹🇷

[@donbrashsux]

The Mosque looks so incredible on film so I can imagine being inside there I person would be up another level .. what an amazing tour guys as for the food what can one say but god that food makes me feel soo 😋

[@PeterandYen]

It's pretty hard to capture the exact beauty of things on film. Some things in the moment just look so breath taking in person make you say wow out loud. Like when we were looking up at the side of the Hagia sofia as we were about to enter it was one of those moments so massive and the color and textures were just beautiful.

[@murattahan2391]

👍👍👍

[@TwoHungryDiners]

Hagia Sophia is so beautifullll You guys captured the beauty of this amazing architecture very well. The open kebab looks so good and juicy! The pomegranate juice is so Turkish iconic drink, can see it's so refreshing from your reaction, Yen. I need to try that apple tea, you convinced me well, Peter :P

[@PeterandYen]

😂 apple tea is my #1 go to drink with meals if I want something hot otherwise the fresh fruit juice is amazing here pomegranate/ orange or wild berries

[@agungsusilo7206]

Subhanallah...❤❤❤

[@bookwormfaith]

did you guys spot the way the wooden doors have shadows in the shape of crosses, where they were removed?

[@PeterandYen]

Oooo didn't notice that gonna re watch the video to try n spot them. Thanks for that detail 👍

[@user-vz6vf5zn9t]

Always will be a Church!!!

[@nawsoesoechain7048]

Believe in Jesus .Jesus saved everyone from hell .God bless all of you .

[@thegreatestjourney]

Nice and amazing video! I visited Istanbul and Hagia Sophia in 2005 (half a lifetime ago), and it was still a museum. I remember it as not being very busy. Interesting to see it being reused as a mosque.

[@PeterandYen]

😯 interesting a few people have mentioned to us a couple of years back it was no where as busy. Seems like things have really changed since then.

[@barryeldridge2998]

hi peter and yen so pleased that you are enjoying turkey, i had a great time in greece and already booked to go to peru in 3 weeks time its another great vlog and so well done ,you guys enjoy yout time there and you take care too

[@PeterandYen]

Oooo how was your trip to Greece Barry? Hope you had a good time. My parents are going to Greece in September and they were going to go peru a few years back but covid happened so that all got canceled. We're doing well in turkey currently in cappadocia 😁

[@YoungCampbell]

I've watched the ottoman empire series and the geek in me wrote Constantinople in the bucket list. Thanks for touring us guys =)

[@PeterandYen]

😂❤️ love it, we are geeks too so totally understand that.

[@NorjahanAKarim]

Hi Peter & Yen. Love the food & beautiful scenery. Absolutely,I will follow along with your Istanbul journey.👍

[@PeterandYen]

😊 thanks you! The food in istanbul really is on another level. Everything is so tasty and there is such a wide variety of activities to do 🤙

[@shamaleejayakodiarachchige2447]

You guys are so sweet ! Thank you for the info.

[@rlim9947]

Very impressive looking mosque. So grand and magnificent, excellent video guys.... very informative too !

[@PeterandYen]

Thank you 😁 ✌️ the Hagia sofia was a bucket list item that we finally managed to tick off

[@rosepereira7832]

Mother Mary Imag👏👏👏👏👏

[@asliVbehzat]

👏👏👏👏👏❤️

[@PeterandYen]

Grand Bazaar video next Sunday Behzat 😊🙌❤️

[@jeetendravarma4750]

Do you recommend to take a guided tour when visiting Hagia Sophia?

[@arstiahsu793]

Turkey is so amazing, the food, ambience, history and the shopping (OMG!!) - If I am going there I think I need the 28ins luggage eh? 😂

[@PeterandYen]

😂😂 sounds like the grand bazaar is the perfect place for you Aristah. Can't blame you there's so much to see in there and like you say the atmosphere is fantastic.

[@thesoulrecipe]

yoooooo sooo cool mad props to your camera work great shots esp loved 3:33 and the cat.

[@PeterandYen]

😁🤙 chur bro got to get those angles

[@ouradventerousdays]

Good you see u guys explore and show us around. You guys always making me hungry with food. In Australia, tulip season is around September and we have festival called Floriade in Canberra, ACT.

[@PeterandYen]

Good to know thanks for the heads up 😁🤙

[@designereats3661]

I’m going on a Thursday afternoon at 2pm, do you think there would be a long line?

[@erktsngl2249]

Çok güzel video izlemekten keyif aldım

[@PeterandYen]

Teşekkür ederiz 🙏🙂

[@Biancalitchi]

LOVE apple tea too!

[@PeterandYen]

It's the best 👌

[@josephlownang6992]

good video mate

[@johnwilliams7999]

Looking forward to seeing you all eating kebabs and some local dishes lol

[@PeterandYen]

Hahahaha we've had a ton of kebabs and other local foods. Turkish cuisine is the bomb

[@BudiDi-vd8id]

☁️☁️🌷🌷🍀🍀🐎🐎 MARYAM / MARIA ☁️☁️🌷🌷🍀🍀🐎🐎

[@Urantia_]

The temple of Solomon is Aya Sofia. Nevermind what they do. Aya Sofia always is chritian church.

[@berkeleyu.8734]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKLbgZijid6GkNU

[@Mr-vy2lb]

How about a cleanliness in istanbul, like the street, transportation, and food..?

[@PeterandYen]

Generally it's very similar to other large cosmopolitan cities that we've been to in Asia like Thailand or Shanghai for cleanliness. Each have their strong points in some areas but weaknesses in others. The food we have eaten have been all good though, no upset tummies or anything.

[@sasisaniman9982]

thank you for telling us about custom how to visit religion place.

[@PeterandYen]

No worries thank you for watching 😁 ✌️

[@Raelis963]

This is mostly parts of Efes temple.

[@asimjoker4827]

Maşallah very beautiful

[@merrinbuchan2488]

So sad that it was converted to a Mosque. The interior lacks soul. Must have been truly beautiful when built in the age of Justinian. The separation of men and women is an affront to human decency.

[@askerzeynal8638]

SLAVA UKRAİNE! LET'S SUPPORT UKRAINE

[@itchyfeet8695]

Unfortunately the Hagia Sophia highlights Turkey’s political underbelly where you have an increasingly desperate president trying to hang onto power anyway he can. Beautiful country, beautiful people, loads of history, but …….

[@mariaandbryan]

Let's see what happens in the elections ... Though many people have little hope 😥

[@PeterandYen]

It's a fascinating country in all aspects. Both historical and modern politics/economics but it's so sad when people are suffering.

[@dipladonic]

This says a lot about the Turks. It was very disrespectful for them to convert this too and for anyone to call this a mosque. This sacred church was at the centre of the Byzantine Christian empire and should be revered as such.

[@FotisTubegr]

It's ORTHODOX, and no one can change it

[@reefmohammad5374]

When remain a church and musuem you can enter with naked uncover and dirty behavior center of evi like christian but when turn into mosque you cannot enter with naked and have to respect even more, think about that

[@FotisTubegr]

@@reefmohammad5374 who said its ok to go naked in the church? Because tourists are doing this that doesn't mean that we are doing it

[@FotisTubegr]

@@reefmohammad5374 you are just using lies to protect yourself you want is to respect muslim from the moment you doesn't support Christianity

[@advanture5082]

@@reefmohammad5374 Respect.

[@advanture5082]

Agree

[@andydaliwal3058]

Please be careful when you place your shoes outside prior to going inside. Though it is a worship place but it is no temple that your shoes will be there especially if you have nice and expensive shoes. The thieves are lurking around and will take those away.

[@jimakcelik6486]

Greek tragedy happened in may 29 th 1453😂

[@Lukannio]

one suggestion, in Europe you don't drink tea with a spoon in a glass, it's an inelegant custom, you don't cut chicken with a knife... 😅

[@HalitHarun]

Did you come all the way to Turkey and did not meet Islam? Come to İslam!

[@steffenweigl7765]

I don’t say Goodbye America - just - it was nice to see you - but not again - Bye - So IS - is do the EX - with U.S.A. - the 8. - eight! - EX.

[@ercanylmaz967]

Welcome to my country

[@PeterandYen]

Thanks ✌️