Friday , March 29 2024

Greece:- Hagia Sophia”We condemn Turkey’s decision to turn it into a mosque.”

Greece is at the forefront of the world asking for help from her friends… Respect the world’s heritage is all we ask!

Greek president Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying, “we condemn Turkey’s decision to turn it into a mosque”. His statement on his social media page reads.

Greece strongly condemns Turkey’s decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

This decision – and in fact 85 years since its declaration as a museum – offends its universal character. It is a choice that also offends all those who recognize the monument as a property of world culture. And, of course, it affects not only Turkey’s relations with Greece. But also its relations with the European Union, Unesco and the global community as a whole.

It is unfortunate that the Turkish leadership, which worked in 2005 for the Alliance of Cultures, now chooses to move in the exact opposite direction.

The World’s Heritage.

An architectural jewel and witness to history’s about-turns, Hagia Sophia, the sixth century Byzantine cathedral at the junction between Europe and Asia once again faces its fate as a Turkish court is set to rule Friday on a 1934 presidential decree converting the site into a museum.It’s the latest episode in the rich history of this sixth century Byzantine edifice that has overseen the rampages of wars, conquests and attempts to appropriate its symbolic power. Construction of the current cathedral began in 532 with the Byzantine Emperor Justinian entrusting architects Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles with a mission to build the largest Christian edifice in the world. Nothing was deemed too demanding or too much to fulfill this mission: hundred Hellenistic columns from the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, green marble from Thessaly, white marble from Marmara, pink marble from Synada, yellow marble from Africa, black marble from the Pyrenees, black stones from the Bosphorus region…building materials were shipped in from across the world.

This monument is the WORLD’S monument and Turkey should respect the heritage and unity that this monument represents!!!

Turkish President claims.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the Turkish people shortly before 9pm on Friday, having previously signed a decree turning the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. In his first statement, Erdogan said the Hagia Sophia could now serve as a place of worship for Muslims from July 24th.

“We will open Hagia Sophia for prayer on July 24,” he said, adding that his country was exercising its sovereign rights by turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque.

According to Erdogan, “the Hagia Sophia mosque will be open to all Muslims, Christians, all foreigners, without any financial burden.”

In fact, he called on the people not to rush to visit Hagia Sophia before its official opening as a mosque, ie before July 24.

Erdogan described Hagia Sophia as “the pearl of Istanbul” and added that it “holds a special place in the heart of the Turkish nation”.

“Hagia Sophia is the symbol of our nation and state,” he continued, referring to historical evidence, claiming that “all the sultans contributed to the preservation of the monument.”

Regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a museum, the Turkish president said that “such a thing could never happen, because it is against the law”. In fact, he added that “any return to the previous regime [enn. in the conversion of the temple into a mosque] is the best response to the attacks that our values ​​accept ”.

“I call on everyone to respect the decision on Hagia Sophia taken by the judicial and executive bodies of our country. The issue of how and for what purpose the Hagia Sophia will be used is our sovereign right. So from this point of view, we consider that any attitude or expression other than the decision of the judicial and executive bodies of the country constitutes a violation of our national independence “, he said emphatically.

“We will preserve the common cultural heritage of Hagia Sophia,” Erdogan said, adding that “the mosque will embrace everyone.”

“The new opening of Hagia Sophia as a mosque is the will of many Turks,” he said.

source:- CNN

About Louise Inzk

Louise is Australian born and has been a Greek citizen since 1991. She has deep cultural ties with the island, often writing about Zakynthian Traditions and Culture. She is also an active member of the Volunteer Group of Zakynthos, Giostra Di Zante and is a member of the women's choir "Rodambelos". Her love of the island and all it offers saw her joining the Zakynthos (Zante) Informer admin team in 2014.

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