Steven Zucker · CC BY 2.0
6th century · c. 482–565
Justinian I
Iustinianus · Türkiye
Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor
He took the throne in 527 and reigned until 565. In 532 the chariot-racing factions of Constantinople joined in the Nika riots and he nearly lost his throne; the old church of Hagia Sophia was burned in the riots. He ordered it rebuilt, and today's Hagia Sophia was completed in 537. He also ordered the closure of the Temple of Isis at Philae.
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History · Old Istanbul: Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and the Grand Bazaar
The cathedral after the riot
In January 532 the chariot-racing factions of Constantinople set aside their usual rivalry and united against Justinian I — the 'Nika riots'. The emperor almost lost his throne, and the old church of Hagia Sophia was burned down in the rioting. Justinian then ordered it rebuilt, and in 537 today's Hagia Sophia, with its enormous dome, was completed; for nearly a thousand years it was the spiritual centre of the Byzantine Empire.
