A state attorney yesterday recommended that Turkey’s highest administrative court reject a request that Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia, which now serves as museum, be turned back into a mosque, state-run media reported.
The 6th-century structure was the Byzantine Empire’s main cathedral before it was changed into an imperial mosque following the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, then turned it into a museum that attracts millions of tourists from around the world each year.
Photo: AP
Nationalist and religious groups have long been pressing for the landmark, which they regard as a Muslim Ottoman legacy, to be converted back into a mosque.
Others believe the UNESCO World Heritage site should remain a museum, as a symbol of Christian and Muslim solidarity.
Turkey’s Council of State yesterday began considering a request by a group that wants Hagia Sophia to revert back into a mosque.
The lawyer for the group argued that the building was the personal property of Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II, who conquered Istanbul, and pressed for the annulment of a 1934 Council of Ministers’ decision that turned it into a museum, Anadolu new agency reported.
A state attorney argued that the 1934 decision was legal and recommended the request be rejected, arguing that a decision on restoring the structure’s Islamic heritage was up to the government, Anadolu reported.
A decision is expected within two weeks.
Hagia Sophia was the main seat of the Eastern Orthodox church for centuries.
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