Mosque or museum? The highest court in Turkey rules on Thursday, July 2, on the status of the former Hagia Sophia. A major architectural work built in the 6th century by the Byzantines who crowned their emperors there, Hagia Sophia is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the main tourist attractions in Istanbul.

Converted into a mosque after the capture of Constantinople by the Ottomans in 1453, it was transformed into a museum in 1935 by the leader of the young Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal, anxious to "offer it to humanity".

Thursday, the Council of State studies the request of several associations requesting a return to mosque status. A decision could be made the same day, and at the latest within 15 days, according to the state press agency Anadolu.

Erdogan wants to rally the conservatives

As a sign that the case worries abroad, the United States on Wednesday called on Turkey not to touch the status of Hagia Sophia.

But Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a nostalgic for the Ottoman Empire who is today seeking to rally the conservative electorate amid an economic crisis due to the pandemic of new coronavirus, has said several times for a reconversion into a mosque. Last year, he called the transformation of Hagia Sophia into a museum "a very big mistake".

Since the arrival of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to power in 2003, activities related to Islam have multiplied inside Hagia Sophia, with notably sessions of reading the Koran or collective prayers on the square in front of the monument.

Powerful symbol

For Anthony Skinner, of the consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, reconverting Hagia Sophia into a mosque would allow Recep Tayyip Erdogan to satisfy his electoral base, to irritate Athens, with which relations are tense, and to reconnect with the Ottoman past. "Erdogan could not find a symbol as powerful as Hagia Sophia to achieve all of these goals at once," he said.

Last year, the Council of State had already authorized the reconversion into mosque of the superb Byzantine church of Chora in Istanbul, a decision perceived by some as a test balloon before Hagia Sophia.

The decision of the Council of State Thursday "will probably be political (...), the result of deliberations in the government," said Asli Aydintasbas, researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations. According to her, the government must weigh the pros and cons, especially through the prism of relations with Greece, Europe and the American administration of Donald Trump for whom "religion is an important subject".

With AFP

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR