>According to the legend, Islam was rejected first, solely on account of banning alcohol. That may be one version. In another the people tasked with finding a

>According to the legend, Islam was rejected first, solely on account of banning alcohol. That may be one version. In another the people tasked with finding a new faith came back to Vladimir and talked about how boring the muslim rituals were, "they first look this way, then that way", whereas when they came to Hagia Sophia they "thought they were in heaven". There were also geopolitical considerations, Byzantium was still very strong and Vladimir wanted to marry the emperor's sister Anna (Porphyrogenita).