In April 2022 another controversy arose when reports emerged of damage to the Imperial Gate, dating back to the Byzantine era. Archikatta on LinkedIn: Famous Architecture Tour With Sathe Academy President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey signed a decree allowing the Hagia Sophia to be used as a mosque again. The poor condition of the mosque is a matter to be resolved with shoe racks, tourist access and cleaning, he wrote. Im really sorry to tell you this but the smell is 99% likely to be the stench of feet. The countrys Cabinet of State repealed the 1934 order this week, following 15 years of legal back-and-forth over the sites status; after the final ruling was issued, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued the order. of the names of God, Muhammad, and the first four caliphs of Islam, were added to this monument. 'Holy Wisdom'; Turkish: Ayasofya; Greek: These include Turkeys Christians who form, Following the decision to reconvert the monument to a mosque, the UNs cultural heritage organization UNESCO said in a statement that it , the move. David and Joan Traitel Building & Rental Information, National Security, Technology & Law Working Group, Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group, Military History/Contemporary Conflict Working Group, Technology, Economics, and Governance Working Group, Answering Challenges to Advanced Economies, Understanding the Effects of Technology on Economics and Governance, Support the Mission of the Hoover Institution, Military History in Contemporary Conflict Working Group, Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine. Hagia Sophia's change of status by Turkey was not a show of power, but evidence of weakness, he declared. Hagia Sophia as a mosque. Some critics lamented what they saw as a blow to Turkish secularism. by Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay and Dr. Steven Zucker. Changing Hagia Sophias status appears to be a move to appeal to his base and assert his political brand a strident nationalism inflected by his religiosity that anchors itself in a decades-old ideological struggle with more secular Turks. #hagiasophia https://t.co/xsrQhDmfWx. Turning the Hagia Sophia into a museum demonstrated that the buildings composite history could exemplify the power of secular modernity. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. By that time the Eastern Orthodox church based in Constantinople and the Western Catholic church based in Rome hadbroken apartin the great schism of 1054 A.D. After the Byzantine reconquest of Constantinople, ittook some convincingfor the population to return to the cathedral that had been despoiled by the crusaders. The opening of Hagia Sophia for worship does not prevent local or foreign tourists from visiting the place, he said. But Mr. Erdogans supporters speak of the building as the third holiest site in Islam, after the Grand Mosque of Mecca and Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, and insist that once a mosque it should never be unconsecrated. By Friday the scaffolding was largely covered by red panelling. Hagia Sophia, an stanbul landmark with a history dating back more than 1,500 years, is again in the spotlight due to an unpleasant odor that has led to complaints three years after it was converted from a museum to a mosque by the Turkish government, local media reported Monday. To understand whats happening now, we have to go back to 1453 CE, the year the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II conquered the city of Constantinople (been a long time gone, Constantinople). Built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral, Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. 192 Turkey's president wants to convert Hagia Sophia in Istanbul back into a mosque, which threatens to set off an international furor over one of the world's architectural treasures. Hagia Sophia | History, Architecture, Mosaics, Facts - Britannica Video, Four scientifically-proven ways to live longer, Why tensions have flared between Turkey and Greece, Trump bail set at $200,000 in Georgia election case, Trudeau slams Facebook over wildfire news ban, X removes Holocaust denying post after criticism, Pioneering wind-powered cargo ship sets sail, Several killed by floods on Moscow sewer tour, Flooding from Storm Hilary cuts off Palm Springs, Spanish FA president Rubiales apologises for Hermoso kiss. In the past decade, less famous former churches in other parts of Turkey some also named Hagia Sophia have resumed services as mosques, but Erdogan and his allies still shied away from claiming their greatest prize. It is not about us, neither the agendas to convert it to a mosque nor loud reactions against it in Turkey or abroad, Ziya Meral, director of the Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research in Britain and a Turkish Christian, told Todays WorldView. To convert it back to a mosque is to say to the rest of the world unfortunately we are not secular anymore, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk told the BBC on Friday. Hagia Sophia is the most visited tourist site in Turkey, with 3.7 million visitors last year. Cevdet Yilmaz, the deputy chairman responsible for foreign affairs for Mr. Erdogans Justice and Development Party, known as the A.K.P., said the government would determine how to carry out the change. The monument is the most visited tourist site in Turkey, with 3.7 million visitors last year. I am more interested in preserving Hagia Sophia as a cultural treasure, said Zeynep Ahunbay, a conservation architect who has worked on the scientific committee for Hagia Sophia for 25 years. When the plan for Hagia Sophia was floated, it met a chorus of dismay from religious and political leaders around the world. After the prayers are completed, the curtains can be removed so visitors can see them. Hagia Sophia, znik - Wikipedia The Old areas of Istanbul, particularly, Sulthanamet is replete with historical attractions, all located closed to each other. Blue Mosque (AKA The Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Sultanahmet Camii). Carlotta Gall is the Istanbul bureau chief, covering Turkey. Constructed as a Byzantine cathedral work on the Hagia Sophia was completed in 537. Hagia Sophia Mosque, Istanbul: "Will upstairs be ever open again?" | Check out 5 answers, plus see 44,737 reviews, articles, and 36,474 photos of Hagia Sophia Mosque, ranked No.3 on Tripadvisor among 5,048 attractions in Istanbul. Hagia Sophia Becomes A Mosque Once Again. For a leader who has championed the steady reassertion of his nations Islamic heritage, restoring Turkeys most famous site of worship to the Muslim faithful would be a powerful legacy. By that time the Eastern Orthodox church based in Constantinople and the Western Catholic church based in Rome had, in the great schism of 1054 A.D. After the Byzantine reconquest of Constantinople, it. Ive been asked why the Hagia Sophia stinks. But Mr Erdogan stressed that the country had exercised its sovereign right. Hagia Sophia has been converted back into a mosque, but the veiling of Kiona N. Smith The World Council of Churches, a worldwide Christian organisation, warned the decision would sow division. A 45-year-old woman said she had always liked Hagia Sophia as a museum, but "always thought it was a cold building". Complementing these attractions are the beautiful parks with fountains, restaurants, shops, etc. 2023 BBC. But it has been a source of Christian-Muslim rivalry, having stood at the center of Christendom for nearly a millennium and then, after being conquered, of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, when it was last used as a mosque. Ozan Kose/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. Ad Choices, By Jorge Lscar from Australia - CC BY 2.0. Hoover scholars offer analysis of current policy challenges and provide solutions on how America can advance freedom, peace, and prosperity. Minarets were added, and later the great Ottoman architect Sinan built massive buttresses to prevent the walls from buckling under the weight of the dome, which was damaged in earthquakes. Thomas Madden, writing in First Things, has argued that the Hagia Sophia should "no more be a mosque than the Parthenon should be restored to the worship of Athena," but the fact of the matter . In pictures: Hagia Sophia opens for Muslim worship, Turkey turns iconic Istanbul museum into mosque, Pope 'pained' by Hagia Sophia mosque decision, Ukrainian drone destroys Russian supersonic bomber, Cruel Lucy Letby to spend rest of life in prison, The red Lahaina house that survived Maui fires, The race to unravel the mysteries of Moon's south pole, Solving the air-con conundrum. Erdogan declares Hagia Sophia a mosque after Turkish court ruling "We have been waiting for this moment since our childhood.". Even before these developments, proponents of the church, and a cross reinstalled on the crest of the dome. Tens of thousands of men and women waited for the call to prayer - many had travelled from cities across Turkey. Erdogan Talks of Making Hagia Sophia a Mosque Again, to International The many mosaics of Christian figures such asJesus,Mary, the apostles and saints, as well asvarious Byzantine rulerswere mostly left intact and not completely plastered over until the 1840s when SultanAbdlmecidII hired the ItalianFossati Brothersto renovate and restore the building. Hagia Sophia has experienced a lot, and there is still more future ahead. Hagia Sophia Becomes A Mosque Once Again - Hoover Institution This shows that there is something catching fire, something burning in the dynamics of this country, Mr. Erdogan added. The world will watch and wait to see whether the change in the status of Turkeys most famous monument is more than symbolic. The museums rules actually forbade any religious group from holding services inside (except for a small prayer room set aside for museum staff). Four muezzin recited the call to prayer from each of the four minarets. The Turkish people have the great responsibility and the highest honor to give prominence to the universality of this exquisite monument, he said. At its peak,3 million people a yearpassed through the complex with foreign visitors paying the equivalent of US$10 to enter; Turkish nationals could visit at reduced rates. In a strongly worded statement, the Greek culture minister, Lina Mendoni, condemned Turkeys decision as a direct challenge to the entire civilized world, adding that Mr. Erdogans nationalism had pushed the country back six centuries. by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. , who are opposed to these developments. Are you on Telegram? But in its shadow, there existed large and prominent Greek and Christian communities throughout what is now Turkey. Scaffolding was erected inside the dome as builders scrambled to convert the interior of the ancient building. The founder and leader of the new Turkish Republic, numerous projects to minimize the public role of religion, in society, from changing the script of the language from Arabic to Roman to outlawing public displays of religiously marked clothing. 2023 Cond Nast. These include the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, the Cistern, Hippodrome, and Topkapi Palace. Having lost Istanbul in local elections last year, the president has watched the standing of his party continue to slide in the polls as the Covid-19 pandemic has further undone a vulnerable economy. Is the Decision to Turn the Hagia Sophia Into a Mosque an Obstacle to Mr. Erdogans opponents say he has raised the issue of restoring Hagia Sophia as a mosque every time he has faced a political crisis, using it to stir supporters in his nationalist and conservative religious base.
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