The judgment of Holy Wisdom

Monuments that have endured through time and hardship are free of the bonds of their age, of the vision and fate of their creators. They become part of our global heritage, "judging" those responsible for their preservation.

The way that people and governments behave toward great works reveals their principles, their qualities, the future of their society.

On one extreme of the scale we have the short-lived "Islamic State," which destroyed not only unique monuments of the pre-Islamic age but also the grand mosque of Mosul in which its leader proclaimed himself caliph; on the other side are nations that respect anything that is in their keeping, recognizing their responsibility to the past and the future.

Turkey today is placing itself before the judgment of history.

On July 2, the country's highest court will decide whether Hagia Sophia will once again...