Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia has stood for over 1,500 years, first as a cathedral, then as a mosque, and now as a museum. But a recent battle to return the Hagia Sophia to mosque status threatens to upend decades compromise and may bar some travelers from future visits.
The Battle Over Hagia Sophia
The Association for the Protection of Historic Monuments and the Environment has asked Turkey’s Council of State to re-designate Hagia Sophia from a monument to a mosque.
Hagia Sophia was built as a Christian cathedral and completed in 537. For nearly a millennium, it served as a Christian house of worship. But Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of 1453.
Modern-day Turkey was founded in 1923 as a secular state, with religious liberty and a wall of separation between church/mosque and state. In 1935, Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum. The decision outlawed religious services and even group prayers there. Millions of tourists visit each year.
But Turkey has pivoted back toward Islam under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The former Mayor of Istanbul and Prime Minister has cloaked patriotism and Islam under the banner of his AKP party. He has called the decision to make Hagia Sophia a museum a “very big mistake.”
Step into the Hagia Sophia and its history will become clear. You’ll see ancient Christian mosaics next to Islamic calligraphic medallions. Outside, you see both the cathedral dome and the minarets that were later raised.
There is concern that if the Hagia Sophia reverts to a mosque, Christians pilgrims and all tourists will be banned.
The issue has even caught the attention of the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said:
“We urge the government of Turkey to continue to maintain the Hagia Sophia as a museum, as an exemplar of its commitment to respect Turkey’s diverse faith traditions and history, and to ensure it remains accessible to all.”
My Perspective
Earlier this year, I wrote about my struggle entering the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Muslim custodians have appropriated that space with historic links to the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths exclusively for themselves. I increasingly view that as tragic and unreasonable.
The Hagia Sophia is an architectural and artistic marvel and has important roots to the Christian and Islamic faith. It also belongs to the world in the sense that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
I understand how majoritarian politics work…I also understand why a majoritarian Muslim country would want to revert Hagia Sophia to a house of worship. In some senses, it is a reasonable desire.
Whatever happens to the status of Hagia Sophia, I hope that the Christian mosaics are not covered. I also hope that tourists and Christian pilgrims are not barred from visiting. Unlike many mosques, the nearby Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) is open to all, so there is some hope that even if Hagia Sophia converts to a mosque, tourists will still be welcomed outside of worship hours.
> Read More: Who Can Enter The Dome Of The Rock?
CONCLUSION
For any who want to decry this move by Turkey, we would all do well to remember that sectarian struggles are hardly unique to Turkey. But Hagia Sophia is an important landmark in human history and I would hate to see it closed off to the world, especially as so much of Turkey’s shift toward Islam seems more geared at consolidating power and encouraging division.
This is very sad and is akin to the Muslims in Damascus destroying so many priceless ancient historical sites, including the oldest known Christian church and many many other sites that are of great significance to the Abrahamic faiths. It is tragic.
Can you imagine what the outrage would be if a mosque was converted to a Christian church, or a synagogue? It’s interesting that the world has no problem with the Hagia Sophia being converted from a Catholic church, but if the mosque at the temple mount would be converted back to a Jewish temple, then the world would burn.
Hmm. Maybe you should invent a time machine, go back in time to 1453, and file a complaint with the relevant Ottoman authorities?
I’m certain that, like this current decision, at every point in history, decisions made regarding religious matters are done with only temporal considerations in mind
Oh you mean like all the statues of historical figures, who are now being judged by current morals and knowledge? The current Turkish government could likewise disavow their ancestors sins and return it to being a Catholic church if they wanted, but of course we know that won’t happen.
Israel has desecrated some Christian and Muslim sites within it’s borders and the world has yet to burn…
La Mezquita in Cordoba (also a World Heritage Site) is a mosque that was converted into a cathedral. Turns out the world is not in outrage over it.
And are non-Christians excluded from visiting?
Agia Sophia was never a Catholic Church. It was a Greek Orthodox church.
Western Turkey was Greece until recently And when I mean recently, lets say 1922 when the Turks ethnically cleansed over a million Greeks in Anatolia and Asia minor who had lived there for thousands of years. Its always sadly amusing when I see Turkish travel guides try not to mention most of what is worth visiting in Western Turkey is Greek, and had been for years. It’s disgusting actually.
As an important aside, the Catholics actually sacked and destroyed Constantinople in the 4th Crusade. They hated the Greeks and were extremely jealous. Pope Urban rejoiced. Barbarian Latins took a lot of treasures from Constantinople to St. Marks in Venice (you can still see them today). Venice was a rat infested canal town at the time, driven by a guy named Dandolo (he was a Doge). Ernle Bradford has probably the best book on the destruction of Constantinople titled “The Great Betrayal”. I would suggest reading it. By the time the Mongolians (now Turks) got to Constantinople in 1453 it was a shell of its former self, thanks to the great betrayal by fellow Christians. Money is a hell of drug, you’d kill your own over it in a heartbeat.
Agia Sophia is being used as a political ploy now, by Erdogan. There are plenty of Mosque’s nearby that cannot get to capacity even during religious holidays.
As for covering the Greek paintings, they already scraped most of the mosaics off as you can see and scribbled all over them. Will not be surprised if this happens and if the world just watches with passive aloofness.
So sad and so true my brother. Serb here
In a thread with some truly idiotic, deliberately inflammatory comments, thank you so much for providing an insightful, informed comment.
Constantine, great commentary. Thanks.
I was a frequent visitor to Turkey for nearly 20 years, going nearly yearly to Istanbul, Kusadasi, Bodrum, etc. I was there about 4 years ago and the feeling was much different, gone was the “lightness” of the people, I decided not to return until I hear that things have changed. It is always hard when things change so much. Turkey has also had a huge refugee problem that has contributed to this change.
Erdogan was elected into a modern secular state with the military as guardians of that democracy. He’s worked tirelessly to destroy that, imprisoning dissidents and intellectuals, eradicating the military command that traditionally acted as a counterweight to the elected government, and removing a century’s worth of women’s progress in the name of religion. Add in a little good old fashioned corruption and it would warm the cockles of any dictator’s heart. In order to complete the job, he has to remake the biggest symbol of Turkey into a more acceptable image: a mosque. This is not sectarian, it’s a combination of nationalism and doing a combover on history.
Corruption is one of the larger underlying issues in Erdogan’s consolidation of power. He, his family, and his cronies have benefited quite well financially over the last decade or so…
Hagia Sophia was built as a Christan Cathedral and Constantinople was founded by Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great as a Christian city. Than the Ottomans came in conquered the city and changed the church into a mosque.
Ever since this has been a very sensitive issue for both faiths which are part of the same Abrahamic family of religions.
It would be like a Christan conqueror conquering the city of Baghdad which was founded as a Islamic city and converting its mosques to churches.
We in all faiths should be more sensitive to this all, respect each other and get along as God would want us to do.
“But Turkey has taken pivoted back toward Islam under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.”
“He has called the decision to make Hagia Sophia a “very big mistake.””
For the love of peanut butter, please have someone edit and proofread your posts before you upload them…
“Muslim custodians have appropriated that space with historic links to the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faiths exclusively for themselves.”
Hey, American custodians appropriated an entire country more or less from the people native to that land…a few religious houses of worship being off-limits to non-believers isn’t that bad in the great big scheme of things, assuming Turkey does just that, which we have no idea if they will or won’t at this point.
Hence the first sentence of my conclusion.
“American custodians appropriated an entire country more or less from the people native to that land”. So because of them doing something bad, this makes it ok? Typical whataboutery to justify an apologist stance.
They did the right thing re-appropriating at a museum in the early 1900s. The custodians of the Dome of the Rock would be smart to follow suit to avoid any further conflict. Unfortunately the ‘my way or the highway’ way of thinking among the Houses of Abraham will continue to lead to strife.
Not whataboutery, just putting things in context in the grander scheme of things.
Granted, there is an irony in discussing appropriation with someone named UK, but still.
In 1453, the Ottomans captured Constantinople and raped many white Christian women. Many white Christians were sold into slavery. Anyone who complains about slavery of blacks should realize whites as well were slaves even before them: all slavery throughout history should be condemned. The reason western explorers turned to the Americas for colonization is because the Ottoman Empire took away white Christian land. Imagine how different the world would be if the ottomans were defeated and turned back.
Its interesting that everyone has forgotten or the so called author traveller that in Spain all mosques were turned into churches until today.Please note non are museums .The greatest mosque in Spain in Cordoba with its excellent architecture is a Church.
And did you forget that 1.) Córdoba Catherdral was a church before it was a mosque (it was taken over by invaders in 784 AD) and 2.) Muslims are allowed inside Cordoba Cathedral and are free to conduct silent prayer?