Empires have changed, religions have changed, a city has changed many forms and names, but the beauty of an enchanting building that captivates millions of tourists and whose doors and walls tell the story of the past remains.
It was once a church, then a mosque and then a museum, and now it will be transformed into a mosque again after the decision of the Turkish court. But the question is, is Sofia a harbinger of a new storm?
Following this historic decision, there are fears that Turkey's relations with the West, especially Greece and the Christian community, could be strained.
What happened is that the US Secretary of State had to appeal to Turkey on July 1 on the social networking site not to change the status of Sofia's museum. Let's take a look at the significance of this building from history.
read more: Announced the start of prayers on July 24
About 1600 years ago, when the Eastern Roman Empire or the Byzantine Empire was at its height, Constantinople was its capital. Over the years it was destroyed by fire, then in 415 AD, a wooden building could not withstand fire and fighting. Reconstruction began in the sixth century during the reign of Byzantine King Justinian I, and in five years 10,000 workers built a masterpiece that served as the headquarters of the world's largest church and Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 900 years.
The Byzantine Empire had shrunk by the 15th century, and then in 1453, Sultan Muhammad the Conqueror, conquered Constantinople and immediately converted the world's largest church into a mosque.
Over time, the building was renovated and a minaret was added to turn it into a regular mosque. It should be noted that acquiring this building was not a trivial matter because the hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) regarding this land makes this region (Constantinople) special.
Secular Turkey was founded in 1934 during the reign of Mustafa Kemal Pasha (Atatrk), almost 12 years after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. He order to changed into Museum.
When Erdogan came to power in 2003, his AK Party came into being and his opponents and critics called him a conservative. In 2013, the first call to prayer was made from the minarets of Aya Sofia, and in 2016, for the first time in 85 years, prayers were offered in this building, which is included in the UN World Heritage List.
During the local elections in Istanbul in 2019, Erdogan reiterated his desire to turn the building into a mosque, and even after his defeat in the election, he continued to make statements about Aya Sophia.
The question now is what problems Turkey may face in recent days due to this issue and what controversy it may face.
Aya Sofia was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and at that time the building was considered a museum, so Turkey is bound by this decision. Now this change of status could create problems for Turkey. In addition to being the headquarters of the Eastern Orthodox Church for 900 years, a large section of Christians have an emotional attachment to this building. That is why a series of reservations, statements and condemnations from France, the United States and especially Greece began from the beginning of the court case, which may now intensify. Concerns have also been raised by the Russian Church, which has more than 40 percent Orthodox Christians, and its relations with Turkey are not ideal.
Although this is a judicial matter, critics at home and abroad are calling it an attempt to divert attention from Erdogan's declining reputation, the Istanbul election and a weakening economy. Since the failed military coup in 2016, Turkey's actions have been branded by most countries as Erdogan's alleged fascist thinking. Whether the building is turned into a mosque or a museum, it will remain a symbol of Istanbul.
When King Justinian I entered the building for the first time after its construction, he said: O Salman! I left you behind!
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