Though a classic destination on the tourist track, I found the Haya Sofya extremely lovely. During my time at university, I took an entire course on the Haya Sofya - its history, its transformation from basilica to mosque, its status as a feat of engineering that should never have stood on its own let alone be still sturdily standing nearly 1500 years later. More than merely a site to be checked off a list of landmarks, coming to the Haya Sofya was the culmination of a few years of intrigue and study for me.