World History: AD 530s
530–539
View on the mapEvents in this period 2
AD 537 · Europe · Culture
Completion of the Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia, officially the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, is a mosque and a major cultural and historical site in Istanbul, Turkey. It was formerly a church (360–1453) and a museum (1935–2020). The last of three church buildings to be successively erected on the site by the Eastern Roman Empire, it was completed in AD 537, becoming the world's largest interior space and among the first to employ a fully pendentive dome. It is considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture and is said to have "changed the history of architecture". From its dedication in 360 until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as the cathedral of Constantinople in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, except for the period 1204–1261 when the Latin Crusaders installed their own hierarchy. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, it served as a mosque, having its minarets added soon after. The site became a museum in 1935, and was redesignated as a mosque in 2020.
c. AD 538 · Japan · Religion
Buddhism introduced to Japan from Baekje
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185-1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was controlled by the feudal Shogunate. The Meiji period (1868–1912) saw a strong response against Buddhism, with persecution and a forced separation between Buddhism and Shinto.
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Ongoing
Around the same time
- Ajanta Caves paintingsc. AD 480
- AryabhatiyaAD 499
- Founding of the First Turkic KhaganateAD 552
- Sui reunifies ChinaAD 589
- Building of the Sigiriya rock palaceAD 477–495
- Height of Tiwanakuc. AD 500
- Martyrdom of Ichadon; Silla adopts BuddhismAD 527