Turkey to keep protecting Hagia Sophia as cultural heritage site – Erdogan

“Under Fatih (Sultan Mehmed II who conquered Constantinople – TASS) Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia’s official name – TASS) was acquired in a dilapidated state and later transformed into a treasure. For centuries it has been looked after and beautified. Despite the change in status, it will still be protected by Turkey as a cultural heritage site,” he noted.

According to Erdogan, by the virtue of turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque, Turkish authorities “mended a mistake.” “We heeded the will of 83 million Turkish citizens. In 1934, it was made a museum. Now, we are mending this mistake, this is our sovereign right,” The Turkish leader underlined.

On July 10, the Turkish Council of State canceled the Turkish government’s decree on assigning the museum status to Hagia Sophia. President Recept Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree allowing Muslims to perform prayers in Hagia Sophia, which now has been assigned the status of a mosque.
The Hagia Sophia is a Byzantine architectural monument. The cathedral was constructed between 532 and 537 AD by a decree from then Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
After the fall of Byzantine Empire in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. In 1935, under the decree of the Turkish government signed by the founder of the modern Turkish state Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the building was transformed into a museum. White plaster covering Christian mosaics and murals were removed. In 1985, the building was included on the UNESCO World Heritage’s list of monuments.

TASS