a Turkish President never dare to Islamize the Hagia Sophia when the candidacy of Ankara’s EU membership still had a chance of success. Today, when her dreams of Europe drowned in the Bosphorus, the Cathedral becomes for Erdogan a way to escape from the resentment to the West.
We know the name of 3 272 of the first mosque of Istanbul, Hagia Sophia mosque. Having considered the request of the local Muslim Association, the Turkish Council of state recalled on Friday, the status of a Museum in this building with a millennial history. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can now use this solution to realize the dream of the Turkish Islamists: to win in religious and political terms, this symbol of Istanbul.
Starting in 537, the Hagia Sophia during the 900 years remained a Church, jewel of Byzantine art. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II turned it into a mosque, but did not destroy its Christian heritage. In 1934, 11 years after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Republic and its first President Mustafa Kemal Ataturk “gave the temple of humanity”, turning it into a Museum. For decades the round plates for the glory of Allah and his prophet Mohammed coexisted there with the mosaic depictions of Jesus and the virgin Mary. Last year it was visited by 4 million people, which was a record figure for the Turkish Museum.
Abandoning its past rulings, the state Council decided that from the time of the Ottoman conquest, the Hagia Sophia is the property of the Fund Mehmed II, the Charter which guarantees the use of the building exclusively as a mosque. And that the founder of the Republic atatürk was not supposed to turn it into a Museum.
The decision of the state Council has not yet had time to dry the ink, as the President signed a decree on the transfer of the Cathedral in the jurisdiction of the Department of religious Affairs and open it for prayer. This can happen very soon, after construction of the building for the conduct of Islamic rituals.
In the political camp of the President the return of Islam the dome of Hagia Sophia is an old dream, which exists since the transformation of the Church into a Museum. “Hagia Sophia — a symbol of conquest,” says Yunus genç, head of the Istanbul branch of the Association of Anatolian youth, which refers to the Islamist movement “National vision” (Erdogan was a member, but subsequently broke away from it). “By right of war, this building, the property of the Byzantine Emperor, became the property of the Ottoman Emperor, — he said. — Mehmed II left his inheritance to the Muslims, and it belongs to us.”
He “of course” smiling at the thought that soon will hear the call to prayer from four minarets of the Ottoman mosques. The mthe less he admits with regret that this event turns into a political tool.
“Over the past decade, the government has regularly used the Hagia Sophia and the prospect it opened for prayer as a means to attract voters, he said. — It doesn’t matter… the Important thing is that he will again become a mosque”.
For 18 years the head of Turkey Erdogan had enough time to deal with the fate of the temple. He didn’t even need a solution of some other authorities to turn it into a mosque after the formation of a strengthened presidential regime in 2018 is quite simple decree. So why he decided to act only now?
“the Government faced a crisis of confidence — explains political journalist Kemal Jan. It was obvious last year on a serious defeat in the municipal elections, particularly in Istanbul. By the way, before these elections, he first mentioned the “Hagia Sophia mosque". One of the objectives is to displace these difficulties into the background, using very strong in terms of symbolic political steps.”
Anyway, only one prayer in the Cathedral will not be enough for the victory of Erdogan in the upcoming elections, scheduled for 2023. Status of the building does not cause that much interest: although the majority of Turks would like to pray under the high arches of the temple, they have more important priorities.
Election argument
“This is all political show. The mosque of Hagia Sophia is of course good, but it won’t let me work,” says unemployed Ercan. As it is, 44% of Turks believe that “the opening of Hagia Sophia for prayer was intended to divert attention from the current economic crisis”, as follows from the June survey Metropoll. About 12% see all pre-election argument in front of potential early elections. “In political terms, there was little he could win here. All this is due to the growing tensions and rivalry with the West,” — said the journalist Kemal Jan.
In a period when the candidacy of Ankara to join the EU was the future President of Turkey could not risk the Islamization of the Hagia Sophia. But now, when his actions in Syria, Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean critique of the West, and dreams of Europe drowned in the Bosphorus, Saint Sophia has become the focus of the ambitions of the head of state and a way to vent anger at the West.
The temple embodies the Islamo-nationalist future that writes for the country, Erdogan, with the support and under pressure from the Union of the nationalist movement Party. The building is insistently presented as a “property of the Turkish state” and a symbol of national sovereignty. The transformation of a mosque confirms this property. In addition, this step is done with the knowledge edinoglasnoon the condemnation of the Western world, in particular Athens (maybe with the expectation of it). Thus, the President is Turkey an independent country, which is not afraid of anyone or anything. And it becomes a campaign argument.
UNESCO recalls the obligations
The Greek government reacted harshly to the decision of the Turkish Council of state and called it a “provocation against the civilized world.” The Minister of culture Lina Mendoni condemned Erdogan and his “nationalism, which rejects the country for six centuries in the past.” In addition, it stressed the “lack of judicial independence in Turkey.” A few minutes later, the Minister of culture of Greece Nikos Dendias criticized “the Turkish provocations in relation to the world cultural heritage of UNESCO”.
UNESCO is indeed emphasized, that the Hagia Sophia was “on the list of world heritage Museum”, which “entails a number of obligations and legal duties.” The organization reported its “concerns the Turkish Republic in several letters.”
UNESCO stressed that the Hagia Sophia is the “unique integration of architectural masterpieces that reflect the meeting of Europe and Asia for centuries” and that it “was a sample for a group of churches and later mosques” because “the mosaics of Constantinople’s palaces and churches influenced art in the East and in the West.”
In Washington on Friday said that “disappointed” the transformation of the Cathedral into a mosque, and called on the Turkish authorities to ensure equal access for all visitors. Paris in turn has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of Turkey. “France regrets the decision of the Turkish Council of state to change the status of Hagia Sophia Museum and the decree of the President Erdogan to transfer the building to the Office for religious Affairs. These decisions have questioned one of the main symbols of modern and secular Turkey,” — said the Minister of foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian. “We must maintain the integrity of the religious, architectural and historical jewels, a symbol of religious freedom, tolerance and diversity, part of the UNESCO world heritage”, — he added.
