Hagia Sophia: Symbol of Peace and Diversity.

• Author: Kiran, Yavuz Selim
• Position: COMMENTARY

On July 10, 2020, the Council of State (Dantstay), the highest administrative court in Turkey, revoked a 1934 Cabinet decree that had turned Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985 and part of the Historic Areas of Istanbul, into a museum. The Court's decision was followed by a decree signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to reopen the monumental building as a mosque after a hiatus of 86 years. The decision was welcomed by the Turkish and Muslim world with excitement.

As our Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has made it clear that, the issue of Hagia Sophia's status is not an international matter but is a matter of national sovereignty for Turkey. Having said that, in order to demonstrate the extent to which the claims regarding the functional transformation of Hagia Sophia are unfounded and biased, we hosted a tour to the Grand Mosque of Hagia Sophia for a number of Ambassadors and Heads of International Organizations to Turkey on August 6-7, 2020. This tour was an invaluable opportunity for all of the participants to see first-hand this great masterpiece in its current status. After the tour, we met with the distinguished participants at a working dinner where Turkey's enterprising and humanitarian foreign policy was also discussed. In the following paragraphs, readers will find some of the points that I shared with the Ambassadors and other participants regarding the recent steps taken by the Turkish authorities on the status of Hagia Sophia, a landmark that has graced the magnificent silhouette of Istanbul for nearly 1,500 years.

Eighth Wonder of the World

One of the most important common goals of humanity should be to preserve cultural heritage sites of universal value. Hagia Sophia, which means 'Sacred Wisdom,' is one of the most extraordinary architectural monuments in existence, and has even been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. It goes without saying that the Republic of Turkey and its historical predecessor the Ottoman Empire have long been aware of its outstanding cultural, historical and spiritual value in all senses and have, for centuries, protected, renovated, and fortified this sanctuary accordingly.

Among the most majestic architectural structures of the Byzantine era, Hagia Sophia, remained a church for more than 900 years and hosted many significant events. Although the building survived natural disasters, including huge earthquakes, a large number of its collections and priceless artifacts were looted during the invasion by the Crusader Army in 1204, at which time the structure was also desecrated.

Historical records show that when Istanbul was conquered by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, 'the Conqueror' (Fatih) in 1453, he headed directly to Hagia Sophia where the local residents had taken refuge, to let them know that their lives and properties would be safe and untouched. Unlike the 13th...