Minbar

View looking east at the “gate” and the steep steps that lead up to the “preaching platform” (upper right) used by the Imam—called a “minbar.” 

The Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque after the conquest of Constantinople in A.D. 1453.  This version of the Minbar dates to the mid–nineteenth century.

For a brief description of the Hagia Sophia Click Here.