Interpreters of Hagia Sophia: A Survey on Turkish Art History Literature

Hagia Sophia church, which is considered as an architectural zenith of centuries, has a major effect on literature. As a prestige building, it had been used extensively until the late Ottoman period and it determined a standard for the greatness of the architecture. In this context, Hagia Sophia had long been a subject for the Ottoman literature until 19th century, especially with the semi-legendary stories regarding its construction. But since the beginning of the 20th century, when the nationalist movements emerged, the interpretations of Hagia Sophia Church became more critical. These comments are based on national concerns rather than advanced arhitectural analysis; anyway, these are keys to understand and analyze the Turkishness, Turkish art and architecture concepts in the imagination of Turkish intellectuals.