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The Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II, conquered Constantinople after a 54 day siege, which was the location of the church, Hagla Sophia. Eventually, Mehmet converted the church into a mosque after witnessing a man saying that this church was for infidels. Over the years, the Hagla Sophia has gone over a few changes by the Empire. For starters, the Sultan Bayezid ordered a new minaret, which is a tall slender tower with a balcony from which prayers are called, to be built. In the 16th century, Suleiman the Magnificent had two Hungarian colossal candles to be placed on both sides of the mihrab, which is a is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque. Towards the end of the 16th century, the exterior of the structure was strengthen by famous architect Sinan. Sinan also built two minarets on the western end of the building and the mausoleum of Selim II, which is a building housing a tomb or tombs, to the southeast of the building. In the 17th century, two mausoleums were added next to Selim II’s: Murad III and Mehmed III. Over time, two restorations were done, one in 1739 and one in 1749.

Around 500 years of following the conquest of Muslims, it became a grand location for the Muslim community, with its beauty and history giving it something to be proud of. In 1935, Ataturk, the first President of Turkey, ordered to convert the mosque into a museum of Turkish Republic. It than became a rich foundation of history of Turkey and the world.