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They say that if walls could talk,
each building would have a story to tell,

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but few would tell so many fascinating
stories in so many different voices

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as the Hagia Sophia, or holy wisdom.

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Perched at the crossroads 
of continents and cultures,

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it has seen massive changes 
from the name of the city where it stands,

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to its own structure and purpose.

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And today, the elements
from each era stand

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ready to tell their tales 
to any visitor who will listen.

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Even before you arrive at the Hagia Sophia,
the ancient fortifications

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hint at the strategic importance 
of the surrounding city,

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founded as Byzantium 
by Greek colonists in 657 BCE.

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And successfully renamed as 
Augusta Antonia, New Rome and Constantinople

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as it was conquered, reconquered,
destroyed and rebuilt

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by various Greek, Persian and 
Roman rulers over the following centuries.

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And it was within these walls that 
the first Megale Ekklesia, or great church,

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was built in the fourth century.

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Though it was soon burned
to the ground in riots,

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it established the location for
the region's main religious structure

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for centuries to come.

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Near the entrance,
the marble stones with reliefs

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are the last reminders 
of the second church.

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Built in 415 CE, it was destroyed 
during the Nika Riots of 532

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when angry crowds at a chariot race

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nearly overthrew the emperor, 
Justinian the First.

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Having barely managed to retain power,

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he resolved to rebuild the church
on a grander scale,

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and five years later, the edifice 
you see before you was completed.

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As you step inside, the stones 
of the foundation and walls

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murmur tales from their homelands
of Egypt and Syria,

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while columns taken from the Temple
of Artemis recall a more ancient past.

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Runic inscriptions carved by the 
Vikings of the emperor's elite guard

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carry the lore of distant northern lands.

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But your attention is caught by 
the grand dome, representing the heavens.

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Reaching over 50 meters high and 
over 30 meters in diameter

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and ringed by windows around its base,

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the golden dome appears
suspended from heaven,

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light reflecting through its interior.

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Beneath its grandiose symbolism,
the sturdy reinforcing Corinthian columns,

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brought from Lebanon after 
the original dome was partially destroyed

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by an earthquake in 558 CE,

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quietly remind you of its fragility

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and the engineering skills
such a marvel requires.

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If a picture is worth a thousand words,

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the mosaics from the next several 
centuries have the most to say

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not only about their Biblical themes,

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but also the Byzantine emperors who commissioned them,

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often depicted along with Christ.

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But beneath their loud and clear voices,

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one hears the haunting echoes of 
the damaged and missing mosaics and icons,

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desecrated and looted during 
the Latin Occupation in the Fourth Crusade.

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Within the floor, the tomb inscription
of Enrico Dandolo,

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the Venetian ruler who 
commanded the campaign,

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is a stark reminder of those 57 years that Hagia Sophia spent as a Roman Catholic church

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before returning to its orthodox roots
upon the Byzantine Reconquest.

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But it would not remain a church for long.

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Weakened by the Crusades, Constantinople
fell to the Ottomans in 1453

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and would be known as Istanbul thereafter.

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After allowing his soldiers
three days of pillage,

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Sultan Mehmed the Second 
entered the building.

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Though heavily damaged, 
its grandeur was not lost

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on the young sultan who immediately
rededicated it to Allah,

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proclaiming that it would be
the new imperial mosque.

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The four minarets built 
over the next century

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are the most obvious sign of this era,

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serving as architectural supports 
in addition to their religious purpose.

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But there are many others.

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Ornate candle holders relate 
Suleiman's conquest of Hungary,

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while giant caligraphy discs 
hung from the ceiling

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remind visitors for the first 
four caliphs who followed Muhammad.

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Though the building you see today still
looks like a mosque, it is now a museum,

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a decision made in 1935 by Kemal Ataturk,

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the modernizing first president of Turkey

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following the Ottoman Empire's collapse.

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It was this secularization
that allowed for removal

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of the carpets hiding 
the marble floor decorations

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and the plaster covering 
the Christian mosaics.

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Ongoing restoration work 
has allowed the multiplicity of voices

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in Hagia Sophia's long history

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to be heard again after
centuries of silence.

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But conflict remains.

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Hidden mosaics cry out from 
beneath Islamic calligraphy,

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valuable pieces of history that cannot be
uncovered without destroying others.

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Meanwhile, calls sound from
both Muslim and Christian communities

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to return the building to 
its former religious purposes.

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The story of the divine wisdom 
may be far from over,

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but one can only hope that 
the many voices residing there

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will be able to tell their part
for years to come.