A few years ago, Hagia Sophia in Türkiye was converted into a mosque. It was a church in ancient times. Now again an ancient church has been converted into a mosque in Türkiye. The name of this church is Chora, whose conversion into a mosque was ordered in 2020. It was inaugurated on Monday.
President ordered it four years ago
Turkiye on Monday reopened an ancient Orthodox church in Istanbul for prayers by converting it into a mosque. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered its change four years ago. On Monday, Erdogan officially inaugurated the church, which dates back to the ancient Byzantine Empire, as a mosque. Neighboring country Greece opposed this. The timing of this decision is very special.This inauguration has been done by Turkey when Erdogan is meeting Hamas leaders and giving statements against Israel. However, experts believe that his country is facing financial crisis, due to which he is gathering support through religion.
This inauguration has been done by Turkey when Erdogan is meeting Hamas leaders and giving statements against Israel. However, experts believe that his country is facing financial crisis, due to which he is gathering support through religion.
Fundamentalists praised conversion
Erdogan is trying to show himself as a 'Caliph' in the Muslim world. In 2020 he formally converted St. Savior's Church in Chora, known as Kariye in Turkish, into a mosque. Shortly thereafter, Turkey also converted Istanbul's famous Hagia Sophia into a place of prayer for Muslims.The conversion of a Christian church into a mosque was praised by many fundamentalists. But Greece and other countries have drawn criticism, urging Turkey to protect Byzantine-era monuments.
Before the mosque there was a museum
Both have been included in the United Nations World Heritage List. Hagia Sophia existed as a church for several centuries, which was later converted into a mosque. Before being converted into a mosque, the Chora Church was functioning as a museum. However the official inauguration of the Chora as a mosque was postponed.While the building was under repair. Erdogan presided over the ceremony from a conference centre at his Ankara palace complex on Monday. The event celebrated the inauguration of the Chora and other freshly renovated buildings.
Greece had protested
“May it bring us good fortune,” Erdogan said in a television program. This church is famous for its frescoes and is located close to Istanbul's historic city walls. However, the present form of the building was built in the 11th and 12th centuries. But the structure dates back to the 4th century.The building was used as a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. In 1945 it was made a museum. Greece had once again condemned the Turkish government's plan to convert it into a mosque. He alleged that Turkey was 'insulting the character' of another World Heritage site.