The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stated on 24 July that he felt proud and happy at the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, as the sixth anniversary of the decision he himself ratified was marked, following a court ruling in 2020 that allowed the building to be reopened for Muslim worship after serving as a museum for 86 years.
“Hagia Sophia regained its original identity six years ago, after 86 years of sadness… This blessed sanctuary will, God willing, continue to fill our skies forever with the sound of the call to prayer… May the resurrection of Hagia Sophia be blessed…’” wrote Erdoğan in a post shared via his official social media accounts.
In further comments made to the press on Friday as he left the Hz. Ali (Blessed Ali) Mosque in Üsküdar (Istanbul), the Turkish leader once again referred to the sixth anniversary of the mosque’s reopening for worship: “We are truly proud and happy, and this place of worship is a truly unique masterpiece, both for its architectural features and for its standing in the world… Hagia Sophia, which has opened its doors to all of humanity – to both Christians and Muslims – brings us immense joy. We are truly proud and filled with joy,” he said, as quoted by Turkish media.
Erdoğan speaks about NATO and Spain’s World Cup victory
In his remarks, Erdoğan also spoke about the recent NATO summit held in Ankara: “All the leaders, especially Trump, were in a different emotional state. They shared their happiness with us, both during dinner and at the subsequent dinner with their wives. We experienced that joy twice over. The summit in Istanbul after 20 years and then in Ankara were a source of enrichment and satisfaction for us. I would like to express my gratitude to all our guests following the NATO summit.”
The Turkish president also referred to the recent FIFA World Cup and Spain’s victory, which was widely celebrated in Turkey and for which Erdoğan congratulated Pedro Sánchez in a telephone conversation the two held this week to discuss bilateral relations: “It is entirely natural and fair for Sánchez to experience such joy as prime minister of a world champion nation,” he said.
“I hope we too will be blessed with such a triumph and manage to win a World Cup. We got off to a good start, but the end wasn’t good. Hopefully, in the future we will be able to win European championships again or even World Cups,” Erdoğan added to journalists, though he refrained from commenting on the new party founded by Özgür Özel earlier today alongside 90 other CHP MPs.
Built in the year 537 by order of Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia functioned as a church for around 916 years until the fall of Constantinople in 1453. It was subsequently converted into a mosque under Ottoman rule and, in 1934, 11 years after the founding of the Republic of Turkey, it began operating as a museum; it retained this status for decades until a ruling in 2020 declared that its conversion into a museum had been illegal, paving the way for Erdoğan himself to sign a decree ordering its reopening for Muslim worship as a mosque, whilst also allowing it to be used by followers of other religions.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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