Another Ancient Church In Turkey Converted Into A Mosque

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the conversion of another ancient Orthodox church, which was later converted into a mosque and later into a museum, into a mosque.

According to a report by the French news agency AFP, a month after the conversion of the Sophia into a mosque, which has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, it has now been decided to convert the Kerry Museum into a mosque.

Both changes appear to be an attempt to gain more support from conservative and nationalist supporters of the Turkish president at a time when Turkey is facing a new wave of inflation and economic uncertainty due to the Corona virus.

Also read: Praying in the Sofia Mosque after 86 years

However, the move raised tensions with Turkey's Greece and the Orthodox Church, with the Greek foreign minister calling the decision "another provocation against religious people" by the Turkish government.

Also read:the decision violated his country's "sovereign rights"

Historical status

The history of this thousand-year-old building resembles that of Aya Sophia, a medieval Byzantine church decorated with a 14th-century painting of the decision to be a treasure in the Christian world.

When Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 AD, half a century later, it was converted into the Carrie Mosque.

Also read:Is Sofia a harbinger of a new storm?

However, after World War II, it was turned into the Carrie Museum to shake up the Ottoman Empire and push Turkey further towards secularism.

The church was later reopened to the public in 1958 after a group of American historians helped restore the original architect.

Read more: Friday prayers were offered at the Aya Sofia Grand Mosque

Turkey's Supreme Court approved the museum's conversion into a mosque in November last year.

Earlier, on July 10, a Turkish court allowed the conversion of Aya Sofia into a mosque, after which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan approved the conversion of the building into a mosque on July 11.

Read more:Turkey's historic assets into a mosque was made on the basis of "power and politics"

Friday, July 24, 86 years later, not only Friday prayers were offered in the building, which was later converted into a mosque after the church and then the museum, but the call to prayer was also given in the building on the same day almost nine decades later.