Stepping into Hagia Sophia took my breath away. Despite it being crowded with tons of tourists and their selfie sticks, nothing could possibly detract from the beauty that stood in front of me. I remember looking up at the ceiling and not being able to pull my eyes away. Mosaics made from millions of gold, silver, and colored tiles covered much of the ceiling. Along with the chandeliers, natural light was pouring in from all angles to further illuminate the inside. The blue-gold color palette was absolutely gorgeous, and much more glamorous than the faded pink outside. It may have been the beautiful colors and light that made me marvel at what was in front of me, but maybe it was just the colossal size of it all! It really is an architectural wonder considering how massive the Hagia Sophia is and yet has so much open space on the inside. I later learned that the third construction of the mosque (after the original was burned down and the second demolished, both a result of riots) took a mere 5 years! That seems unimaginable, especially since it was built in 532 AD without the modern advancements in building technology we have today. The history of the Hagia Sophia is fascinating as well. It was originally built as a Christian orthodox church and remained the largest for about 900 years. When the Ottoman Empire successfully conquered Istanbul in 1453 (Istanbul was called Constantinople at this time), minarets were added to the Hagia Sophia along with Arabic calligraphy on the inside to cover up Christian symbols, transforming the cathedral into a mosque. In 1934, the Hagia Sophia was converted to a museum by Turkey’s former president Atatürk. It was reopened as a mosque in 2020 by current president Erdoğan. Today, it still reflects the shared history of Christianity and Islam and attracts several million visitors each year.