Hagia Sophia was originally an Orthodox Christian church in Constantinople, later becoming a mosque and now a museum. Rome was the capital of the Roman Kingdom, Republic and Empire for over 700 years, influencing the Mediterranean region. Batumi was originally a Greek colony called Bathus or Bathys, later becoming a fortified Roman port and part of the kingdoms of Lazica, Tao-Klarjeti, and the unified kingdom of Georgia.