From a museum to a mosque,, on 11 July 2020, the Church of Santa Sophia in Istanbul decided that its World Heritage status needed to be reassessed.
Turkey's president, erdogan, announced friday (july 10) that the identity of istanbul's santa sofia cathedral (Hagia Sophia) will be changed from a museum to mosque ,Muslim believers will hold prayers here on July 24.
Countries such as the United States, the European Union, Russia and Greece have all expressed concern. The Greek authorities said Erdoğan's move, which set Turkey back six centuries, was & quot;'s challenge to the civilized world & quot;, the Russian Orthodox Church also expressed regret.
Erdoğan stressed that any criticism of the move was seen as a challenge to Turkey's sovereignty. Restoration of the identity mosque the St. Sophia Cathedral was welcomed by religious conservatives and Turkish nationalists as Erdoğan's main support force.
The journalist of The British Broadcasting Corporation in Istanbul, Ola Juellin (Orla Guerin), said the change in the identity of the Cathedral of Santa Sophia was strongly symbolic.
Many in the international community believe that this monumental building belongs to all mankind, not Turkey; they say it is a bridge between two faiths and a symbol of coexistence. Everything about this cathedral should remain the same.
A museum is a cultural institution, mosque a religious place.
UNESCO will reassess the location of the Cathedral of Santa Sophia in the World Heritage List.
mosque, was Santa Sophia 600 years ago
St. Sophia Cathedral was founded in the fourth century AD and was originally an Orthodox church and is considered one of the most important historical legacies of the Byzantine era.
The Ottoman Empire occupied Constantinople in 1453 and changed it to mosque; After the First World War, the first President of the Republic of Turkey, Ataturk (Kemal Ataturk), signed a decree in 1934 to convert the Cathedral of Santa Sophia from mosque to a museum.
After the decree was revoked by the Turkish Supreme Administrative Court on 10 July 2020, an hour later President Erdogan announced that the Cathedral of Santa Sophia had been changed from a museum to a mosque..
Co-EIO (UNESCO) expressed its deep regret and concern that the protection of this world heritage would be weakened as a result.
The Director-General of the organization, Azulai (Audrey Azoulay), issued a statement in which he expressed deep regret at the decision of the Turkish government to change the status of St. Sophia Cathedral without prior dialogue. She also expressed concern about the matter to the Turkish Ambassador to UNESCO.
Some prominent figures in Turkey's domestic cultural community also expressed dissatisfaction with the change.
The St. Sophia Cathedral is an important part of the historical region of Istanbul, which was included in the World Heritage List in 1985. It attracts 3.7 million a year and is Turkey's most famous tourist attraction.
According to the Turkish government, St. Sophia's Cathedral will continue to be open to Christian believers and others.
