Turkish court hears case to convert Hagia Sophia into mosque - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Diego Cupolo

Diego Cupolo

Jul 2, 2020

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 02: Tourists visit Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia on July 02, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's Council of State will begin a review today of the building's status and the possibility of changing it from a museum, back into a mosque upon the request of nationalist and religious groups. Throughout it's history the UNESCO World Heritage site has served as a Byzantine Cathedral, a mosque under Ottoman rule and now a museum, after a 1934 decision led by modern Turkey's founder Mustafa K — Tourists visit Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia on July 02, 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey. — Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Hagia Sophia's Christian icons to be covered with curtains during prayers

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A Macedonian couple (C) takes souvenir pictures as they visit the Byzantine monument of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, now a museum, in Istanbul May 25, 2011. The number of foreign visitors to Turkey rose 31.3 percent year-on-year in April to 2.29 million people, the Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday, after climbing 14.36 percent in March. Last year, the number of visitor arrivals rose 5.74 percent to 28.6 million. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: TRAVEL SOCIETY) - RTR2MVLK

Latest chapter in battle over Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

Kadri Gürsel

People walk past an election poster bearing the picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and reading "Istanbul is a love story for us", in front of the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul, on March 26, 2019, ahead of March 31 local elections. - Turkish President on March 24 mooted the possibility of renaming Istanbul's Hagia Sofia museum as a mosque, in comments during a television interview. The museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, receives millions of visitors every year. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AF

What caused Erdogan’s change of heart on Hagia Sophia?

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Orhan Kemal Cengiz

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 24: In this handout picture released by the Turkish Presidential press office, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and invited guests attend Friday prayers at Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque during the buildings first official prayers after being reconverted into a mosque on July, 24, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Handout/Turkish Presidential Press Office/Getty Images)

Istanbul's Hagia Sophia holds first Friday prayers since reconversion to mosque

Amberin Zaman

In London, reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture