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A30 FEATURE
Thursday 2 July 2020
Museum or mosque? Turkey debates iconic Hagia Sofia’s status

By SUZAN FRASER and AYSE change in the status of the
WIETING Hagia Sophia as diminish-
Associated Press ing the legacy of this re-
ISTANBUL (AP) — In its more markable building and its
than 1,400-year existence, unsurpassed ability—so rare
the majestic domed struc- in the modern world—to
ture of Hagia Sophia in Is- serve humanity as a much-
tanbul has served as the needed bridge between
Byzantine Empire's main those of differing faith tra-
cathedral, a mosque under ditions and cultures," Pom-
the Ottoman Empire and a peo said in a statement.
museum under modern Tur- Hours later, Foreign Minis-
key, attracting millions of try spokesman Hami Aksoy
tourists each year. expressed "bewilderment"
The 6th-century building at Pompeo's comments,
is now at the center of a saying Turkey has been
heated debate between protecting Hagia Sophia's
nationalist, conservative "historic, cultural and sen-
and religious groups who timental" values since the
are pressing for it to be conquest.
reconverted back into a Aksoy added that the issue
mosque and those who was domestic: "Hagia So-
believe the UNESCO World phia, like all cultural assets
Heritage site should remain An aerial view of the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main tourist attractions in the on our lands, is the property
a museum, underscoring Is- historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul, Saturday, April 25, 2020. Associated Press of Turkey."
tanbul's status as a bridge Greece also strongly
between continents and readings from the Quran objects to attempts to
cultures. inside Hagia Sophia and change Hagia Sophia into
On Thursday, Turkey's Erdogan himself has recit- a mosque, arguing that
Council of State, the coun- ed prayers there. This year, its designation as a his-
try's highest administrative he oversaw by video con- toric monument must be
court, begins reviewing ference the recital of the maintained."I hope that
a request by a group de- "prayer of conquest" on the President Erdogan does not
voted to reverting Hagia anniversary of the Ottoman proceed with something
Sophia into a mosque. They conquest. that will deeply hurt Turkey,"
are pressing to annul a On Tuesday, Istanbul- Greek Foreign Minister Nikos
1934 decision by the Coun- based Ecumenical Patri- Dendias said. "This monu-
cil of Ministers, led by secu- arch Bartholomew I, con- ment has endured many
lar Turkey's founder Mus- sidered the spiritual leader things and it will always re-
tafa Kemal Ataturk, that of the world's Orthodox turn, but Turkey's image will
turned the historic structure Christians, noted that Ha- take a severe blow."
into a museum. A decision gia Sophia had served as a Turkish media reports say
could come later Thursday A view of the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main place of worship for Chris- the government was con-
tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul,
or within two weeks, the Thursday, June 25, 2020. tians for 900 years and for sidering the possibility of
state-run Anadolu Agency Associated Press Muslims for 500 years. keeping Hagia Sophia
reported. "As a museum, Hagia So- open to tourists even if it
President Recep Tayyip Er- lished Hagia Sophia as a structure with cascading phia can function as a were turned into a mosque.
dogan, who leads an Islam- museum to underline his vi- domes and the building place and symbol of en- That status would be similar
ic-oriented party, has previ- sion of secularizing Turkey. was turned into an imperial counter, dialogue and to Istanbul's Blue Mosque,
ously spoken about possibly And nearly 100 years later, mosque following the 1453 peaceful coexistence of which sits right across from
changing Hagia Sophia's Erdogan is trying to do the Ottoman conquest of Con- peoples and cultures, mu- Hagia Sophia and func-
status to a mosque but has opposite." stantinople — the city that tual understand and soli- tions both as a house of
said his government would "(Erdogan) feels the pres- is now Istanbul. darity between Christianity worship and a tourist spot.
await the Council of State's sure of popular support The building opened its and Islam," he said. Hurriyet and other media
decision. dwindling and therefore doors as a museum in 1935, Bartholomew added: "the have reported that Hagia
Analysts believe that Erdo- he wants to use issues that a year after the Council of potential conversion of Ha- Sophia could be recon-
gan — a populist, polar- he hopes will remobilize Ministers' decision. gia Sophia into a mosque verted into a mosque by a
izing leader who in nearly his right-wing base around Islamist groups, however, will turn millions of Christians public holiday on July 15,
two decades in office has nativist, populist, anti-elitist regard the symbolic struc- across the world against Is- when the country marks
frequently blamed Turkey's topics," said Cagaptay, au- ture as a legacy of Otto- lam." the fourth anniversary of
secular elites for the coun- thor of the book "Erdogan's man Sultan Mehmet the U.S. Secretary of State Mike the foiling of an attempted
try's problems — is using the Empire." Conqueror and strongly Pompeo also urged Turkey coup.
Hagia Sophia debate to Built under Byzantine Em- object to its status as a mu- on Wednesday to keep Cagaptay, the analyst
consolidate his conserva- peror Justinian, Hagia So- seum. Large crowds have Hagia Sophia as a museum said, the Hagia Sophia issue
tive base and to distract phia was the main seat gathered outside Hagia to serve as "an exemplar of would likely have a "tem-
attention from Turkey's sub- of the Eastern Orthodox Sophia on the May 31 an- its commitment to respect porary impact in keeping
stantial economic woes. church for centuries, where niversary of the city's con- faith traditions and diverse Erdogan's base with him."
"This is not just a debate emperors were crowned quest to pray and demand history." He called on the "(But) if he does not de-
about a building," said amidst ornate marble and that it be restored as a government in Ankara to liver economic growth, I
Soner Cagaptay, Turkey mosaic decorations. place of Muslim worship. ensure the structure re- can't see him winning elec-
analyst for the Washington Four minarets were added In the past few years, Tur- mains "accessible to all." tions as he did in the past,"
Institute. "Ataturk estab- to the terracotta-hued key has been allowing "The United States views a Cagaptay said.q