The US Greek Orthodox Church said it will go to the UN to ensure Turkey protects the church’s cultural heritage, after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan converted the landmark Hagia Sophia site from a museum into a mosque. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America told AP on Tuesday that it would contact UN rapporteurs and attempt to hold Ankara accountable “for its deliberate policies to erase the cultural heritage of Orthodox Christians.” The Turkish president issued a decree in July converting the Hagia Sophia back into a mosque. Once a Byzantine cathedral, it was repurposed as a mosque under Ottoman rule, […]
Sophia
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by Salman Rafi Sheikh, …with New Eastern Outlook, Moscow, …and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a research institution for the study of the countries and cultures of Asia and North Africa. [ Editor’s Note: We are taking a breather from the Beirut bombing story and Trump’s continued efforts to dominate the political dialogue with his bombastic claims. He is not the only politician using this tactic as Rafi Sheikh presents to us below. Erdogan does so love to play Sultan Erdogan has stolen a page from the Trump playbook, who also stole it from Netanyahu, to always attack […]
By Nadia Bazuk for VT Ukraine Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on July 10, 2020, repealed a decree, signed by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. An Orthodox Christian cathedral built in 537 by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I once again has turned into a mosque. This incident provoked favorable reaction comments among Turkish Muslims as well as massive disappointment in Christian countries. Despite the disputes between Constantinople and Moscow Patriarchate regarding Ukraine, Russians and the Russian Orthodox Church were among the first to support the Greeks and advocated for preserving the non-confessional status of Hagia Sophia, following the initiatives on changing status of […]
Syria has been contemplating the possibility of building its own “little” Hagia Sophia amid Turkey’s decision to convert the former museum into a mosque. The Syrian Hagia Sophia is planned to be built in Al-Suqaylabiyah in Hama province. The commander of the al-Suqaylabiyah National Defence Committee, Nabeel Abdallah, said that the idea of building the church primarily symbolises the life of Syrian Christians, and added that the project was financed from private sources and that there was no political background. “This is a private project that is also privately financed. Even the land where the church is expected to be built […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/19/1079983043_0:29:3289:1879_1200x675_80_0_0_3aa4bfb03dcd0ac84be36560bedd261c.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/europe/202007251079983098-greece-denies-condoning-turkish-flag-burning-after-hagia-sophia-conversion-into-mosque/ ATHENS (Sputnik) – Greece’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday it disapproved of desecration of national symbols after Turkey accused it of encouraging the burning of its flag at a rally against the conversion of Istanbul’s ancient Orthodox Christian temple into a mosque. “We categorically condemn any action that desecrates a national symbol of any country, in this case of Turkey,” the ministry said in a tweet. Angry Greek protesters set a Turkish flag on fire in the Aegean Sea port of Thessaloniki on Friday in response to the first Muslim prayer held in the landmark […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/18/1079975861_0:366:2016:1500_1200x675_80_0_0_c2732751a7d730f72f04592f58cefbeb.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/europe/202007251079979659-several-hundred-people-protest-in-athens-against-turning-hagia-sophia-into-mosque/ ATHENS (Sputnik) – Several hundred people have attended a demonstration in Athens to express protest against Turkey’s decision to transform Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia museum into a mosque. According to organizers of the rally, more than 500 people took part in the demonstration on Friday, while police reported about only some 250 participants. During the rally, its participants read a statement of Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos II, who condemned the transformation of one of the most important symbols of the Orthodox Church into a mosque. On Friday, a Muslim prayer took place […]
People gather to perform Friday prayers at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia for the first time in 86 years. Esra Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Esra Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images People gather to perform Friday prayers at Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia for the first time in 86 years. Esra Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended prayers at Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia on Friday, completing the famous building’s conversion from a secular space into a Muslim house of worship. It had been a museum for more than 86 years. The crowd was large, with thousands […]
Eastern Christian, Catholic, Muslim and then secular – Hagia Sophia has played many roles throughout its nearly 1,500-year history. But following a Turkish court decision last week, this grand structure that has been serving as a museum for 85 years, has now been reconverted into a mosque. On Friday, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia opened for Muslim prayers for the first time since its reconversion from a secular cultural building back into a place of worship. The move was strongly opposed by the heads of Christian churches worldwide. And this is not surprising, bearing in mind its rich history and the significance it […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/10/1079899809_0:237:3017:1935_1200x675_80_0_0_8c05f504a78b915c63ca1023514a47d0.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007241079970240-first-official-prayer-at-hagia-sophia-after-mosque-reconversion—video/ Live outside Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia as the first prayer takes place there after Turkey’s Council of State issued a resolution to turn the world heritage site back into a mosque. Five hundred people are permitted to stay in the mosque for the prayer, with thousands more estimated to join from outside the mosque. On July 10, Turkey’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, annulled the 1934 decree issued by the cabinet of Turkey’s secularist founder Kemal Ataturk converting Hagia Sophia into a museum. The move was not particularly well-received abroad. Austria, France, Greece, […]
(Guest post by Victoria Hudson) Hagia Sophia, which at the behest of Recep Tayyip Erdogan becomes a mosque again, will remain open to visitors outside Islamic prayer times, five times a day, when Christian symbols are to somehow be covered. Diyanet, the Directorate for Religious Affairs of Turkey, led by the mufti Ali Erbas, repeated it, without going into detail after the contested decision to convert Hagia Sophia from museum to mosque. “All human representations inside the Hagia Sophia mosque do not constitute an impediment to the conduct of Islamic rites. Frescoes and mosaics will be covered by a curtain and […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/13/1079931397_0:206:2698:1724_1200x675_80_0_0_db818667f0942f51a8706adcfd1aec53.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/society/202007191079931431-turkish-president-erdogan-visits-hagia-sophia-after-turning-it-into-mosque/ Earlier in July, Turkey’s top administrative court, the Council of State, annulled a 1934 decree that turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. Immediately afterwards, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree allowing to be used as a mosque. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has visited the Hagia Sophia, officially the Great Mosque of Ayasofya and formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, where he was acquainted with the preparatory work for the first service after being turned into a mosque. The president has shared photos on Twitter. Erdogan was accompanied by Turkish Minister […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/11/1079914050_0:171:3000:1859_1200x675_80_0_0_ffecc8d307651fa2bb6cce89e230599d.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202007171079914094-hagia-sophia-where-will-all-the-icons-and-holy-relics-be-taken-/ Earlier this week, Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Directorate of Religious Affairs signed a protocol confirming that Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was recently converted into a mosque, will be preserved as a global heritage site following its change of status. Portable icons and Holy relics from Hagia Sophia will be transported to the Land Registry building located in Sultanahmet Square where they will be exhibited, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, as quoted by Greek City Times. In all, 1359 objects are expected to be on display there. According to the minister, […]
Turkey’s culture ministry has officially handed over the reins of the legendary Hagia Sophia to the country’s top religious authority, reassuring tourists they will still be able to get in and won’t have to pay. The country’s religious directorate and the Ministry of Culture on Thursday signed a cooperation protocol to turn the ancient Byzantine cathedral into a mosque. Also on rt.com Turkish president Erdogan signs decree turning Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia into a mosque after court ruling Turkish Culture Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy tried to address the concerns that the transition will negatively affect tourists by tweeting “The Hagia Sophia Mosque […]
On 10 July, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, after a Turkish court ruled that the site’s secularisation was unlawful. Following an outcry over the site’s status change Turkish observers have weighed up the possible political consequences of Ankara’s decision both domestically and internationally. Consecrated as a Christian cathedral in 537, Hagia Sophia (“Holy Wisdom”) was turned into a Muslim house of worship after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. However, nearly 500 years later, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder and first president of the Turkish Republic, transformed it into a museum as […]
Health Editor’s Note: Years ago, on a road trip to Turkey (which ended up in Crete and then a return back to Paris), a visit was attempted to the Hagia Sophia. No matter how many miles you may have traveled, she was closed on Mondays, even if that is the only day you could be there. The Blue Mosque and Basilica Cistern were delightful!…..Carol Turkey Controversially Converts Hagia Sophia From Museum Into Mosque by Theresa Machemer/Smithsonianmag.com Last Friday, a Turkish court revoked the 1934 order designating Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia as a museum. Within minutes, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decreed that the […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/0d/1079872775_0:77:3073:1805_1200x675_80_0_0_f7744b25fc3eb4d3f51654aeb2996e82.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/europe/202007131079872634-eu-foreign-ministers-condemn-turkeys-decision-to-convert-hagia-sophia-to-mosque/ MOSCOW (Sputnik) – EU foreign ministers condemn Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia from a museum back into a mosque, as it may fuel mistrust between religious communities, European Union Minister for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said Monday. “An important issue was about Hagia Sophia. The council has condemned Turkey’s decision to convert such an emblematic monument as Hagia Sophia back to a mosque. This decision will inevitably fuel mistrust, promote renewed division between religious communities and undermine our efforts at dialogue and cooperation”, Borrell told a press conference. The EU foreign ministers have […]
By Kevin Barrett, Veterans Today Editor From a secular perspective, there is nothing particularly wrong with Turkey’s decision to return Hagia Sophia to its status as a mosque. After all, it WAS a mosque from 1453 to 1934, when the crypto-Jewish Donmeh Sabbatean tyrant Attaturk unilaterally secularized it as part of his genocide against Turkish Islam. (Attaturk’s atrocities were by far the worst cultural genocide in all of world history—he even went so far as abolishing the Turkish written script, which would be the equivalent of an American tyrant ordering the destruction of all English written in Roman script in favor […]
Pope Francis has added his voice to those objecting to the museum status of Istanbul’s famous Hagia Sophia having been revoked. Originally a Byzantine Christian church, the Turkish government has turned it back into a mosque. “My thoughts go to Istanbul. I’m thinking about Hagia Sophia. I am very distressed,” the pontiff said, in the Vatican’s first reaction to the decision taken by the Turkish authorities. The brief remark made during a Sunday prayer marking the International Day of the Sea saw the Pope add his voice to the growing chorus from other Christian churches worldwide that have expressed concern over […]
ATHENS (Sputnik) – Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in an interview with the Skai TV channel that it would be dangerous to look at the issue of Hagia Sophia’s conversion from a museum into a mosque from the perspective of the Greek-Turkish relationship alone, and called for addressing it as a global issue instead. “There, [at the EU meeting] Greece will ask the European Union to draw up a list of the stringiest possible measures against Turkey in case it violates the sovereign rights of Greece”, Dendias said in the interview. The top diplomat went on to say that Greece’s […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/0b/1079858894_0:79:2941:1732_1200x675_80_0_0_72ddf935e0846f33c978c56695174621.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007111079858923-erdogan-says-conversion-of-hagia-sophia-into-mosque-step-towards-making-turkey-great/ ANKARA (Sputnik) – The decision to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia into a mosque is a step towards making Turkey great and the opinions of other countries do not matter, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. “We made a decision to change the status of the Hagia Sophia, based on the opinion of our people and not those who say things about us”, Erdogan stated during an appearance on Turkey’s NTV broadcaster. During his television appearance, Erdogan added that the country will continue to “take the right path, in order to build a […]
On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that he had signed a decree converting Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia into a mosque which will open for Muslim prayers on 24 July. UNESCO has expressed “deep regret” over Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after a court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that made it a museum. “Hagia Sophia is an architectural masterpiece and a unique testimony to interactions between Europe and Asia over the centuries. Its status as a museum reflects the universal nature of its heritage, and makes it a powerful symbol for dialogue”, UNESCO Director-General […]
The US State Department is “disappointed” by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to reopen Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia as a mosque. Erdogan’s decision has been roundly criticized ahead of the move. The Islamic call to prayer will ring out from the sixth-century Hagia Sophia again on July 24, Erdogan announced on Friday, after he issued a decree turning the UNESCO World Heritage Site over to the country’s religious directorate. Though the building will be rededicated as a mosque, Erdogan has promised to allow all faiths to visit the iconic site. The US is “disappointed” in Erdogan’s decision, State Department Spokesman […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/07/0a/1079852246_0:0:3072:1729_1200x675_80_0_0_26e3f5dc717c7af4b7bc64f76f85770f.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202007101079852275-greek-prime-minister-says-change-of-hagia-sophia-status-will-affect-relations-with-turkey/ ATHENS (Sputnik) – Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned on Friday the Turkish government’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia cathedral into a mosque, noting that this will affect Turkey’s relations with Greece and the global community in general. “Greece categorically condemns Turkey’s decision to convert Hagia Sophia to a mosque. This decision, taken 85 years after Hagia Sophia was declared a museum, is an affront to its ecumenical character”, Mitsotakis said in a statement. Ankara’s move offends everyone who recognizes Hagia Sophia as a world heritage site, the prime minister went on to say. […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007101079851882-us-disappointed-over-turkeys-decision-to-revert-unesco-site-hagia-sophia-back-to-mosque/ The US State Department voiced its displeasure on Friday with a decision by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to convert Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque after being made a museum in 1934. “We are disappointed by the decision by the Government of Turkey to change the status of the Hagia Sophia. This building is an important part of the ‘Historic Sites of Istanbul’ UNESCO World Heritage Site,” a State Department representative said on Friday. “We understand the Turkish Government remains committed to maintaining access to the Hagia Sophia for all visitors, […]
Armed police patrol outside the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul’s main tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. Emrah Gurel/AP hide caption toggle caption Emrah Gurel/AP Armed police patrol outside the Byzantine-era Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul’s main tourist attractions in the historic Sultanahmet district of Istanbul. Emrah Gurel/AP A Turkish court has paved the way for the government to convert the Hagia Sophia museum, one of Istanbul’s most famous landmarks, into a mosque. The Hagia Sofia, a major draw for tourists, has a long and complicated history. The architectural marvel was built as a church by the […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202007101079848950-turkeys-state-council-annuls-1934-ruling-to-turn-hagia-sophia-in-istanbul-into-museum-reports-say/ Last year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that the Hagia Sophia, formerly the Church of the Holy Wisdom, which used to be an Orthodox Christian cathedral before becoming a mosque and then a museum, could become a mosque again, with free admission. Source link
If Turkey decides to convert Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia, now a museum and originally a Byzantine Christian church, into an active mosque, this could sow discord between Christians and Muslims, the Russian Orthodox Church has warned. “A threat to Hagia Sophia is a threat to the entire Christian civilization,” Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, said in his address, pointing to the huge religious significance the 6th century temple played in the history of Orthodoxy and Russia. Also on rt.com Erdogan: Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia might be active mosque again Hagia Sophia played a certain role in the baptism […]