11 May 2023
Walking up to the Hagia Sophia before it opened we were approached by Metin, recognizable by the big M on the front of his baseball cap (Michigan in the back). We weren’t too sure, but after he told us that we could sit under a tree and when the gates opened we would jump to the front of the line, we decided to give it a try. True to his word, he hustled us up to the front of the line and we were one of the first people in the mosque…which felt very different from when the crowds caught up to us later. He packed a lot of information into a one hour tour. Very knowledgable and included cultural information about modern Istanbul along with historical context. Great value for what it cost. Through Metin we heard the story of The Hagia Sophia and the walls spoke to us. PS his English is excellent