Archinect - News

Istanbul's conservators are scrambling to protect heritage sites from disaster

2023-06-02T11:48:00-04:00

Conservators in Istanbul are racing to safeguard scores of at-risk heritage sites in the wake of Turkey’s deadliest earthquake in modern history, bracing for the probability of an even greater disaster in a city straddling an active faultline.

Consequences of incumbent President Recep Erdoğan’s culture wars and the fallout of a “real-estate mentality that supersedes cultural heritage” have become unnecessary obstacles for volunteers who are up against the impossible challenge of securing 35,000 heritage sites around Istanbul seismically.

February’s deadly Turkey-Syria earthquake primarily affected the country’s easternmost provinces, but still, the metro’s location north of the precarious North Anatolian Fault means the seismic “triage” measures being performed now might not be in place in time for a similar quake scientists say has a very strong likelihood of occurring within the next two decades.

More damage reported at Hagia Sophia as conversion impacts grow

2022-06-30T16:55:00-04:00

A number of marble tiles on the floor of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which was turned back into a mosque in 2020 after serving as a historical museum for decades, have reportedly been cracked by heavy machinery used to clean the building last week.

“It’s like a fairground now,” one tour guide reportedly told the Turkish opposition newspaper Cumhuriyet in reference to the change in status that occurred in 2020, when the site was reconverted into a mosque and conferred back into the auspices of the Department of Religious Affairs following an edict from President Recep Erdoğan.

The conversion of one of its original World Heritage Sites has drawn the ire of UNESCO, who says it is “gravely concerned.” In the past, Erdoğan, who is facing a potential unseating in the elections next year, has called the project “a symbol of the re-rising of the sun of our civilization.”

Turkey's spat with UNESCO over the Hagia Sophia just grew a little deeper

2021-07-27T17:29:00-04:00

UNESCO has once again officially expressed its “deepest regrets” and is now asking for an updated report on the conservation of the Hagia Sophia site in Istanbul, Turkey, adding another chapter to the embattled country’s ongoing feud with the UN’s cultural apparatus.

The body held its annual meeting Friday to discuss the status of and possible threats to an artificially long list of World Heritage Sites that has backlogged thanks to COVID-related delays of UNESCO’s 44th conference.

The group has sparred with Turkey over the temple-turned-museum that was recently converted into a mosque despite significant backlash on the part of UNESCO and other international organizations.

UNESCO said it has “grave concern” over changes to the character of the Hagia Sophia and another site called the Chora Monastery, and is now formally requesting a report from the Turkish government due no later than February 1st.

Previously on Archinect: Hagia Sophia: mosque conversion confirmed by presidential ...

Syrian government to build replica of Hagia Sophia

2020-07-30T12:44:00-04:00

According to Duvar English, the Syrian government has announced that it will build a replica of Instanbul's Hagia Sophia after the Turkish government recently converted it into a mosque. Moscow will provide funding for the project "to show the importance of 'peaceful dialogue' between faiths." Built in 537, the Hagia Sophia is a classic example of Byzantine architecture and was then the largest interior space in the world. The structure is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hagia Sophia: mosque conversion confirmed by presidential decree

2020-07-10T18:15:00-04:00

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a decree Friday ordering Hagia Sophia to be opened for Muslim prayers, an action likely to provoke international furor around a World Heritage Site cherished by Christians and Muslims alike for its religious significance, stunning structure and as a symbol of conquest.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan followed through on his plan today to convert Istanbul's famed Hagia Sophia, a Unesco world heritage site, into a mosque. The presidential decree was issued within minutes after Turkey’s administrative court revoked the museum status that the sixth-century structure had been assigned by Turkey's first President, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1934 — itself a conversion from its previous designation as a mosque since the 15th century.

Photo: Filip Filipović

"Entry to the monument would be free of charge, foregoing the ticket price from several million visitors a year, and the first prayers inside Hagia Sophia will take place on July 24," reports The New York Times.

Erdoğan's intention had drawn international criticism in recent months and is likely to prompt reactions from Western heads of state.

Turkey's plan to convert Hagia Sophia museum into mosque draws international criticism

2020-07-07T15:01:00-04:00

The Greek government says that Turkey will violate Unesco’s conservation rules if President Recep Tayyip Erdogan moves ahead with plans to turn the historic Hagia Sophia site in Istanbul—currently a museum—into a mosque.

After plans by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to turn Istanbul's most iconic historic site from a museum into a mosque caused international condemnation last year, Unesco has now been invited by the Greek government to weigh in on the proposed conversion, reports The Art Newspaper.

Interior of the Hagia Sophia in 2009. Photo: Wikimedia Commons user Tranxen.

Built in the sixth century as a Christian cathedral, the Hagia Sophia was once converted into a mosque when the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) in the 15th century but declared a museum by the first President of the then new secular Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in 1935. The site gained Unesco world heritage status in 1985.

Istanbul saves its silhouette

2013-05-24T13:38:00-04:00

Three skyscrapers are to be demolished in Istanbul's Zeytinburnu district for interfering with city's historical silhouette. Decision reached by the 4th. Administrative Court of Istanbul and the use licences of the buildings were revoked. Hürriyet