Hagia Sophia's main dome partially collapsed in 558 CE following an earthquake. Which architect, nephew of one of the original builders, was commissioned to redesign and rebuild it? — Options: Isidore the Younger, Anthemius of Tralles, Trdat the Armenian, Mimar Sinan

The dome of Hagia Sophia is pierced at its base by a ring of how many arched windows, a feature that contributes to the famous 'floating dome' visual effect? — Options: 24, 32, 40, 48

The Deësis mosaic in the south gallery — widely considered one of the finest examples of Late Byzantine art — depicts Christ flanked by which two figures? — Options: Saints Peter and Paul, The Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena, The Archangels Michael and Gabriel

Sultan Mehmed II's conversion of the building into a mosque in 1453 required adding a mihrab. Why is its placement slightly off-center relative to the building's main axis? — Options: The original Byzantine apse was structurally unsound at the central point, The direction to Mecca does not align with the building's east-west orientation, Ottoman tradition required offsetting the mihrab from any prior Christian altar, The mihrab was reused from an earlier mosque and could not be widened

Which structure stood on the site before Justinian's church and was destroyed during a major civil uprising in his reign? — Options: The Church of the Holy Apostles, The Chalkoprateia Basilica, An earlier church on the same site built under Theodosius II, The Basilica of Saint Mary of Blachernae

The four enormous calligraphic roundels hung in the nave, bearing the names of Allah, Muhammad, the first four caliphs, and the Prophet's grandsons, were installed in the 19th century. They are attributed to which calligrapher? — Options: Şeyh Hamdullah, Hâfiz Osman, Mustafa Râkım, Kazasker Mustafa İzzet Efendi

During the conversion to a museum in 1934, the Turkish Republic invited which American institution to lead the systematic uncovering and conservation of the Byzantine mosaics? — Options: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Byzantine Institute of America, The Smithsonian Institution, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library