Hagia Sophia was the first Christian Cathedral build by the Roman Empire in the Byzantine era. It has served as a Greek Orthodox cathedral, a Roman Catholic cathedral, and an Ottoman mosque over the course of its long history. It was once called the Church of Hagia Sophia and later, in 1943, Great Mosque of Ayasofya. In 1934 a presidential decree converted the building into a museum. For 85 years it was a museum. That court ruling that granted the museum status was annulled on July 10, 2020 and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the conversion of the city’s historic Hagia Sophia back into a mosque.
Hagia Sophia became UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. UNESCO released a statement expressing that it “deeply regrets the decision of the Turkish authorities, made without prior discussion, and calls for the universal value of World Heritage to be preserved.” Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, said in the statement, “It is important to avoid any implementing measure, without prior discussion with UNESCO, that would affect physical access to the site, the structure of the buildings, the site’s moveable property, or the site’s management.”
The site will now be managed by the country’s Presidency of Religious Affairs, rather than the Ministry of Culture, CNN reported. “Since its status as a museum is changed, we are canceling the entrance fees,” said Erdogan in a speech on July 10, 2020 according to the Anadolu news agency. “Like all our mosques, its doors will be open to everyone — Muslim or non-Muslim. As the world’s common heritage, Hagia Sophia with its new status will keep on embracing everyone in a more sincere way.”
What will happen to the artifacts and art within it? Artifacts include, includes medieval mosaics depicting the Holy Family and images of Christian imperial emperors, which Muslims who make use of the building as a mosque are expected to cover up using curtains or lasers. It is not clear how the lasers would work. The Christian icons would be uncovered and be open to all visitors at other times.
Hagia Sophia will officially begin regular worship services beginning July 24, according to CNN.
My sketch done in 2015 is of the Tulip Festival that takes place in front of Hagia Sophia. The festival took place this year in April. In April, it was confirmed that COVID-19 had spread all over Turkey. On April 14, 2020, the head of the Turkish Ministry of Health, Fahrettin Koca announced that the spread of the virus in Turkey has reached its peak in the fourth week.
