A magnet for tourists worldwide, the Hagia Sophia was first constructed as a cathedral in the Christian Byzantine Empire but was converted into a mosque after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who critics say is chipping away at the Muslim-majority country's secular pillars, announced Friday that Muslim prayers would begin on Jul 24 at the UNESCO World Heritage site.
Erdogan's announcement came after a top court cancelled a 1934 cabinet decision under modern Turkey's secularising founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to preserve the church-turned-mosque as a museum. Erdogan said the nearly 1,500-year-old Hagia Sophia, which was once a Christian cathedral, would remain open to Muslims, Christians and foreigners.
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US 'disappointed' by Turkey mosque move on Hagia SophiaWASHINGTON (AFP, REUTERS) - The United States said on Friday (July 10) it was 'disappointed' by Turkey's decision to turn the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and urged equal access for all visitors.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
US 'disappointed' by Turkey mosque move on Hagia SophiaWASHINGTON, DC: The United States said on Friday (Jul 10) it was 'disappointed' by Turkey's decision to turn the Byzantine-era monument Hagia ...
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Turkey's Erdogan rebuffs criticism over Hagia Sophia conversion to mosqueISTANBUL (AFP) - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday (July 11) rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque, saying it represented his country's will to use its 'sovereign rights'.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »
Erdogan rebuffs criticism over Hagia Sophia conversion to mosquePresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday rejected worldwide condemnation over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine-era monument Hagia ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
US 'disappointed' by Turkey mosque move on Hagia SophiaWASHINGTON, DC: The United States said on Friday (Jul 10) it was 'disappointed' by Turkey's decision to turn the Byzantine-era monument Hagia ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »
US 'disappointed' by Turkey mosque move on Hagia SophiaWASHINGTON (AFP, REUTERS) - The United States said on Friday (July 10) it was 'disappointed' by Turkey's decision to turn the Byzantine-era monument Hagia Sophia back into a mosque and urged equal access for all visitors.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »