Hagia Sophia Mosque Debate

Changing the secular space back into a religious one is a risk for the world heritage site.
Hagia sophia mosque debate. After decades of disputes recep tayyip erdoğan has chosen to. The hagia sophia was built in late antiquity as a byzantine cathedral and enjoyed nearly a millennium as one of the holiest sites in christianity. The debate about turkey s recent decision to turn hagia sophia in istanbul back into a mosque after being a museum for 86 years continues to rage on social media. Rabat turkey s council of state is debating whether or not the hagia sophia one of the country s most significant religious and political symbols should be converted back into a mosque.
Photo taken in hagia sophia in 2009. Erdogan shows the cathedral to then us president barack obama. Erdogan stokes debate over hagia sophia s future as a cultural attraction the hagia sophia draws tens of millions of visitors each year afp via getty images laura pitel in. Most condemn the decision although there are those who support it as well.
The hagia sophia was a cathedral a mosque and a museum. Turkey debates the hagia sofia july 07 2020 hagia sophia or ayasofya a unesco world heritage site that was a byzantine cathedral before being converted into a mosque which is currently a museum. The hagia sophia considered among the most cherished masterpieces of byzantine era architecture was converted into a mosque following the 16th century ottoman conquest of the city that was then. When the ottoman empire conquered constantinople in 1453 the victors converted the building into a mosque which it remained until the founding of the republic of turkey in the early 20th century.