Why was the Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque?
Why was the Hagia Sophia turned into a mosque?
The 1934 decree was ruled to be unlawful under both Ottoman and Turkish law as Hagia Sophia’s waqf, endowed by Sultan Mehmed, had designated the site a mosque; proponents of the decision argued the Hagia Sophia was the personal property of the sultan.
Why is Hagia Sophia in Turkey important in our church history?
Hagia Sophia, or the Church of Holy Wisdom, was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I on the site of an destroyed basilica of the same name. Completed in 537, it was among the world’s largest domed structures and would serve as the foremost Orthodox Christian church for some 900 years.
Which country has the most mosques?
List
| Name | Capacity | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Masjid al-Haram | 4,000,000 | Saudi Arabia |
| Al-Masjid an-Nabawi | 1,500,000 | Saudi Arabia |
| Grand Jamia Mosque, Karachi | 950,000 | Pakistan |
| Imam Ali Shrine | 800,000 | Iraq |
What was the purpose of Hagia Sophia?
It served as a center of religious, political, and artistic life for the Byzantine world and has provided us with many useful scholarly insights into the period. It was also an important site of Muslim worship after Sultan Mehmed II conquered Constantinople in 1453 and designated the structure a mosque.
Should Hagia Sophia be turned into a mosque?
Turning the site into a mosque has hit at the heart of Turkey’s religious-secular divide. Nationalist and conservative groups in Turkey have long yearned to hold prayers at Hagia Sophia, which they regard as part of the Muslim Ottoman legacy. Others believe it should remain a museum, as a symbol of Christian and Muslim solidarity.
What is Erdogan’s stance on Hagia Sophia?
When Erdogan entered politics a little less than three decades ago in Turkey, observers say the status of the Hagia Sophia was not particularly on his agenda. On the contrary, he once objected to the calls to convert it into a mosque. But his rhetoric changed in 2019 during municipal elections in Istanbul that he ended up losing.
Why did Turkey and Greece fight over the Hagia Sophia?
Greece had said the Hagia Sophia had “been designated a museum of world cultural heritage and is currently being used to promote other purposes”. Turkey responded by saying that Greece’s objections to the reading of passages from the Quran were indicative of its “intolerant psychology”.
Is the status of Hagia Sophia a domestic matter?
According to observers, the view among some within Turkey’s political circles is that the status of the Hagia Sophia is a domestic matter where the interference of “international players” is not welcome. What is next for Hagia Sophia?