President Recep Erdogan of Turkey says he will turn Turkish land mark Hagia Sophia which is a Museum and former Cathedral into a Mosque.
President Erdogan revealed the move this week ahead of local elections this weekend.
The Hagia Sophia, called Ayasofya in Turkey, has been a church and a mosque in the past.
For nearly nine hundred years after being built in five hundred and thirty-seven by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, it was a Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral.
From 1453 until 1931 it was one of Islam’s greatest mosques, under the Ottoman Empire.
Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1934, by a decree from Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey.
This secular status allows worshippers of all religions to enjoy the building. The status often creates tensions between Muslims and Christians, because the readings of the Koran or collective prayers are sometimes held in the Hagia Sophia.
But President Erdogan said that it had been a very big mistake to turn it into a museum.
According to reports, President Erdogan’s decision risks angering Greece, Turkey’s neighbour and historical adversary.
The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, visited the Hagia Sophia after meeting with President Erdogan last month.
Comments are closed for this post.