Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum: tickets, opening hours, review

Updated on October 1, 2026

The Hagia Sophia History and Experience Museum (Ayasofya Tarih ve Deneyim Müzesi) tells, in thirteen rooms, the roughly 1,700-year history of [Hagia Sophia](/fr/attractions/sainte-sophie-istanbul): church, mosque, museum, then a mosque again. Opened in July 2023 by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, it occupies the former Defter-i Hakani building on Sultanahmet Square, a few minutes' walk from the basilica. The route combines immersive rooms (projections, sound, an audio guide in 23 languages) with more than 200 historical objects, many of them on public display for the first time. It is a good complement to a visit to Hagia Sophia, where tourists now see only the upper gallery: allow about an hour.

Highlights

The Defter-i Hakani building

Built from 1908 to 1910 by the architect Vedat Tek to house the Ottoman land registers, this stone building with arched windows and tile panels is one of the first works of the Turkish "First National Architectural Movement". It served as the land registry office until it was handed over to the Ministry of Culture in 2020.

The immersive rooms

The third floor covers the Roman and Byzantine period, the second the Ottoman period: large-scale projections and soundtracks recreate the building of the basilica under Justinian, the conquest of 1453 and the transformations of the building.

Church, mosque, museum, mosque

On the first floor, four sections follow the main periods of Hagia Sophia with real objects: Christian liturgical objects, such as this gilded silver processional cross set with stones and medallions of the Evangelists, rare candlesticks, construction bricks bearing Greek inscriptions, 15th-century Qurans and the endowment deed (vakfiye) of Mehmed II, shown to the public for the first time.

The seraphim medallions

Among the most curious pieces: the bronze medallions that the Fossati brothers placed in the 19th century over the faces of the four seraphim decorating the pendentives of the dome. On the ground floor, windows look down into a Byzantine-era cistern beneath the building.

Infos pratiques

Tips

Tickets cost €25 for foreign visitors aged 8 and over (prices checked in October 2026); the ticket is separate from the Hagia Sophia one, and neither the Museum Pass Istanbul nor the Müzekart is accepted. The audio guide is available in 23 languages: take it to follow the immersive rooms in your own language. Official sources differ on the closing time (7pm or 8pm): arrive before 6pm to see the whole route without rushing. The museum has a café, a shop and a lift.

How to get there

Binbirdirek Mahallesi, At Meydanı Sokak No:10, 34122 Fatih/İstanbul, on Sultanahmet Square, near the northern end of the [Hippodrome](/fr/attractions/hippodrome-de-constantinople). Tram T1, Sultanahmet stop, a few minutes' walk away. The [Basilica Cistern](/fr/attractions/citerne-basilique) and Hagia Sophia are close by; to string together visits in the area, see our [Sultanahmet guide](/fr/articles/quartier-sultanahmet-istanbul).