The symbol of Byzantine glory at its zenith, and a sanctuary designed on an extraordinary scale, the 6C Aya Sofya basilica was converted into a mosque in the 15C and then a museum in 1935. Although a little clumsy in style when viewed from the exterior, inside, the overall sensation beneath its majestic ribbed cupola (56m high and 31m in diameter), is of an almost mystical sense of awe, with its dazzling rays of light, deluge of golden Byzantine mosaics, forest of colonnades with finely carved capitals, and arrangements of precious green, white and pink marble. A quite memorable visit!