Hagia Sophia: From Museum to Mosque Again

The world-famous Turkish landmark Hagia Sophia that was originally a cathedral is no longer going to remain a museum, as of Friday, July 10th, 2020, and is now decreed a mosque that will keep the Christian emblems, such as mosaics of the Virgin Mary, intact.

The first Azaan, the Islamic call to prayer, was given shortly after the announcement and was broadcast on the country’s main news channels. The first Namaz, the Muslim prayers, will be held in the building on Friday, July 24th, 2020.

The decision was announced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after the court annulled the site’s status as a museum. The massive, ancient church Hagia Sophia was built in 537 AD as an Orthodox Christian cathedral under the Byzantine era of Justinian. It was then converted into a mosque under the Ottoman era in 1453, and was later declared a museum site under UNESCO World Heritage in 1934.

This move has attracted both negative and positive responses from heritage and religious organizations across the world. UNESCO, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Greece are against the decision. UNESCO says that they ‘deeply regret’ it and have asked Turkish authorities to ‘open dialogue’. In a statement, Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni called it an ‘open provocation to the civilised world’ that has taken Turkey ‘back six centuries’. – BBC.

What is your opinion on this court ruling on reverting Hagia Sophia’s status as a heritage site back to a mosque?