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What purpose did the minbar added to Hagia Sophia serve?
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Hagia Sophia
A bird's-eye view of Hagia Sophia on the shore of the Bosporus, Istanbul.
The minbar added to the Hagia Sophia serves as the pulpit from which the khutbah (sermon) is delivered during Islamic worship.12
Following the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II repurposed the Hagia Sophia as a mosque, necessitating the addition of Islamic architectural features to facilitate religious services. As a religious object within the mosque, the minbar provides a raised platform for the speaker to address the congregation.21