Turkey Reopens Kariye Mosque, Former Orthodox Church in Istanbul, for Muslim Worship: A Controversial Move Altering UNESCO Heritage Site's Character
Turkey's Kariye Mosque in Istanbul was reopened for Muslim worship on Monday, four years after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered its transformation from a museum.
The building was previously a Byzantine church and then a mosque before being turned into a museum.
Erdogan's decision followed a similar controversy over the UNESCO-protected Hagia Sophia, which was also converted from a mosque to a museum and then back to a mosque.
The changes were aimed at appealing to Erdogan's conservative and nationalist base but have caused tension with Orthodox and Catholic church leaders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the Kariye Mosque open for worship on Monday during a ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara.
One worshipper was seen waving a Turkish flag and the congregation prayed on a brick-red carpet.
Two mosaics in the ancient church were covered with curtains, but most of the mosaics and frescoes remained visible to visitors.
A French tourist named Michel, who visited the mosque before the renovation, expressed initial concerns but ultimately praised the restoration work.
Greece's foreign affairs ministry expressed anger and concern on Monday night over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine church of Holy Savior in Chora, a UNESCO world heritage site, back into a mosque.
The church, decorated with 14th-century frescoes of the Last Judgment, was converted into the Kariye Mosque in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.
It became a museum after World War II as part of Turkey's efforts to create a more secular republic.
A group of American art historians helped restore the church's mosaics in the 1950s, which are now on public display.
Greece had previously objected to the conversion when it was first announced in 2020.
Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Turkey, was originally a Christian church and later a mosque under Ottoman rule.
Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, converted it into a museum in the 1930s to promote religious neutrality.
Recently, President Erdogan reversed this and turned it back into a mosque.
Michel, a visitor, prefers the less touristic and more intimate Kariye Mosque, which was once a Byzantine church and is better preserved.
Erdogan's decision followed a similar controversy over the UNESCO-protected Hagia Sophia, which was also converted from a mosque to a museum and then back to a mosque.
The changes were aimed at appealing to Erdogan's conservative and nationalist base but have caused tension with Orthodox and Catholic church leaders.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the Kariye Mosque open for worship on Monday during a ceremony at the presidential palace in Ankara.
One worshipper was seen waving a Turkish flag and the congregation prayed on a brick-red carpet.
Two mosaics in the ancient church were covered with curtains, but most of the mosaics and frescoes remained visible to visitors.
A French tourist named Michel, who visited the mosque before the renovation, expressed initial concerns but ultimately praised the restoration work.
Greece's foreign affairs ministry expressed anger and concern on Monday night over Turkey's decision to convert the Byzantine church of Holy Savior in Chora, a UNESCO world heritage site, back into a mosque.
The church, decorated with 14th-century frescoes of the Last Judgment, was converted into the Kariye Mosque in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.
It became a museum after World War II as part of Turkey's efforts to create a more secular republic.
A group of American art historians helped restore the church's mosaics in the 1950s, which are now on public display.
Greece had previously objected to the conversion when it was first announced in 2020.
Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Turkey, was originally a Christian church and later a mosque under Ottoman rule.
Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, converted it into a museum in the 1930s to promote religious neutrality.
Recently, President Erdogan reversed this and turned it back into a mosque.
Michel, a visitor, prefers the less touristic and more intimate Kariye Mosque, which was once a Byzantine church and is better preserved.
Translation:
Translated by AI
