15 November 2013

Call to reinstate Hagia Sophia as mosque

One of Turkey’s most senior ministers has called for Istanbul’s ancient Ayasofya museum to be converted back to being a mosque, amid an intense debate about the social and religious agenda of the country’s Islamist-rooted government.

.... Ayasofya, designed as a Christian basilica in the sixth century by Anthemios of Tralles and Isidoros of Miletus, is dubbed a “unique architectural masterpiece” by Unesco and is one of Istanbul’s most visited tourist attractions. [Financial Times] Read more