TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking site, announced the winners of its Travelers' Choice awards for Landmarks. The historic Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul, which was formerly a Greek Orthodox basilica that was later converted into an imperial mosque after the conquest of Constantinople, is among the top 25 landmarks in the world, ranking 12th.
TripAdvisor's top 10 landmarks in the world are Machu Picchu in Peru followed by the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the Taj Mahal in India and the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. The top 10 also features the Church of the Savior on Spilt Blood in Russia, the Alhambra in Spain, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington and the Milan Cathedral. "A jaw-dropping building that takes you back to Constantinople. This is the history of three empires in one place," TripAdvisor wrote about the Hagia Sophia on its website. As an architectural marvel, the Hagia Sophia, which lies in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square, displays 30 million gold tiles throughout its interior and a wide, flat dome that was a bold engineering feat at the time it was constructed in the sixth century.
"These Travelers' Choice award-winning landmarks attract millions of visitors each year and represent some of the world's most impressive examples of human ingenuity," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor, in a press release. "Travelers who want to discover, or rediscover, these iconic attractions can book tours for unique experiences including in some cases exclusive behind-the-scenes access," she said. For those planning to visit a winning landmark this year, TripAdvisor has also identified the average bookable accommodation rates for summer in each destination, as well as top-rated tours bookable on TripAdvisor and upcoming events.
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