Recently, when I stepped into Hagia Sophia, the air felt almost heavy with history. Light spilled through windows high above, catching on golden mosaics that once reflected the prayers of emperors and sultans alike. It was breathtaking—but also unsettling. This was beauty in the service of power, devotion built to command awe as much as faith.

Built as a Christian basilica under Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the crown jewel of Byzantine Christendom, a shimmering statement that God favored Constantinople. Centuries later, Sultan Mehmed II conquered the city and claimed Hagia Sophia as a mosque, placing his own mark upon its dome.

When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk transformed it into a museum, it became a symbol of secular modernity and the rebirth of a nation determined to separate religio

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