The iconic Hagia Sophia Museum has been reconverted into a mosque after a court ruling. Hagia Sophia museum is an architectural marvel situated in Istanbul, the capital city of Turkey. It was built by Christians around 1500 hundred years ago during the Christian Byzantine Empire. It was constructed by Christians as a cathedral but when Muslims of Ottoman empire captured it, they converted it into a mosque. It was named Ayasofya Mosque. But when Ottoman Empire ended, Turkey became a secular and a liberal country. Under the leadership of its modern secular leader, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, Turkey underwent many religious, political, legal, and cultural reforms. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk converted Turkey into a modern country on the lines of western countries. Under his leadership, in 1934, his cabinet passed a resolution and converted the Mosque into a museum. It became a UNESCO world heritage site and it is now, one of the most popular tourist attractions and the most visited monuments in Turkey.
Hagia Sophia Museum is a significant part of both Islamic and Christian history. It is a center of worship for both Muslims and Christians. Ever since Rece Tayyip Erdoğan came into power, he backed the decision to reconvert the museum into a mosque again. And finally, after the court ruling, President Erdogan announced that the iconic site will no longer be a museum and its status of a mosque will be restored. Hagia Sophia Museum has always been a controversial site and the decision to reconvert the museum into a mosque may create more differences in the Arab and the western world. Despite the international warnings and pressure, President Erdogan announced the reconversion of the museum. The decision has received a lot of flak and criticism from around the world. The United States, Russia, and Greece, along with the Russian Orthodox Church slammed the decision and question the motive behind the move. According to the International media, the decision might create more divisions and the western world will retaliate by converting the mosques into Churches.
UNESCO too criticized the court ruling and said its World Heritage Committee would review Hagia Sophia’s status. Further, they said, “How can the Turkey government stripped its museum status without any dialog nor notification beforehand”.
UNESCO calls on the Turkish authorities to open a dialog without delay in order to avoid a step back from the universal value of this exceptional heritage whose preservation will be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee in its next session,” the United Nation’s cultural body said in a statement.
The Hagia Sophia Museum is a landmark monument for Orthodox Christians and Muslims. Since 1935, it has been operated as a museum and the western world thanked the Turkish government for honoring the sentiments of Christian faith. Its museum status has sparked a large international debate among Christian and Muslims. Christians never wanted to change its museum status but Muslims wanted to reconvert it into a mosque. Many Islamic religious organizations in Turkey filed legal petitions to reconvert the museum into a Mosque. And finally, after a fierce 16-year legal battle, the Turkish court stripped Hagia Sophia monument of its museum status. President Erdogan announced that the first official Islamic prayers will be held on 24 July 2020.
Yukti Kumar @ Samacharline
