Hagia Sophia, One Of The Wonders Of The World Erdogan Will Return To A Mosque

Hagia Sophia Architecture (Abdullah Öğük / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's plan to change the Hagia Sophia museum back into a mosque looks closer to being realized. Despite many critics of his move, Erdogan has insisted from the start that the Hagia Sophia issue is Turkey's internal affairs, meaning that all decisions are in the hands of the Turkish government.

Launching TRT World, the Turkish government has even started to socialize to tourists that the Hagia Sophia is no longer a museum, but a mosque. "The Hagia Sophia will no longer be called a museum. Its status will change. We will call it a mosque," Erdogan said, Wednesday, June 24.

Erdogan argued through questions. When many other sovereign nations turn mosques into churches or even close mosques, why can't Turkey do the same?

Erdogan also quipped silencing foreign officials when the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Israel was attacked. "Those who remained silent when the Al Aqsa Mosque was attacked, was trampled on, the windows were broken, couldn't tell us what to do about the status of Hagia Sofia," he added.

Wonders of the World

During his journey, Hagia Sophia was included in the "eight wonders of the world" by historians. The title is the fruit of the splendor of works of art and architecture of buildings built in 547 AD.

In fact, the building which is famous for its large dome is considered a pioneer of architectural history in its time. Therefore, historians consider it the highest point of Byzantine architecture.

From 537 to 1453, the building served as an orthodox cathedral church. However, when the Ottoman dynasty captured the city, Fatih Sultan Mehmet turned the Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 1453.

This means that the Hagia Sophia has been used as a mosque for 482 years, or to be precise it ended in 1935. At that time, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, began turning it into a museum. During that time, Hagia Sophia has experienced various types of restoration and addition of towers by the architect, Mimar Sinan.