Perched on the tip of Istanbul's historic peninsula, Hagia Sophia -- with its spectacular dome, elegant curves and towering minarets -- is an iconic sight for millions of tourists visiting the city each year.
But should it be a mosque, a church or a museum?
The 1,500-year-old complex overlooking the Bosphorus is at the heart of a bitter dispute over its fate after Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc called for it to be converted back into a Muslim place of worship.
His comments, though not official policy, have added to concerns over what critics say is the government's increasing efforts to impose Islamic values on secular Turkish society.
And the Byzantine monument could become a political hot potato for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is seeking to shore up flagging support among conservative Muslims ahead of elections next year.
Hagia Sophia, which in Greek means "Holy Wisdom", was built in the sixth century and served as an Orthodox church for centuries -- and as the seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople -- before being converted to a mosque by the Ottomans in the 1400s.
Greek outcry
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic, declared it a museum in 1934 and it opened the following year.
"We are looking at a sad Hagia Sophia, but hopefully we will see it smiling again soon," Arinc said earlier this month.
Greece, whose territory was once part of the Ottoman empire and is often at odds with Turkey over religious issues, reacted furiously, saying such comments offended the religious feelings of millions of Christians.
Mihail Vasiliadis, editor-in-chief of Istanbul-based Greek daily Apoyevmatini, says Hagia Sophia is an important symbol for the entire Orthodox Christian community.
"There are some who have been seeing a sad Hagia Sophia for more than 500 years and they are the ones who want to see it returned as a church," he told AFP.
Istanbul's tiny Greek community, which numbers just a few thousand, is already irked over the issue of Ankara's insistence on reciprocal steps from Athens to improve their religious rights.
"There is no need to add salt to the wound," Vasiliadis said.
Last month, Greece flatly rejected the idea of reviving two mosques in Athens in return for the reopening of an Orthodox clergy school in Turkey.
Two other churches that also bear the name Hagia Sophia have recently been turned into mosques in Turkey.
There are already an estimated 83,000 mosques across the country -- up around seven percent since Erdogan took office 11 years ago.
Istanbul itself has around 3,000, including the stunning 17th century Blue Mosque just a short distance from Hagia Sophia.
For devout Muslims, however, opening Hagia Sophia for worship is also about paying a homage to Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the Ottoman emperor who turned it into a mosque following the conquest of Constantinople and joined the first prayers in 1453.
The nationalist Islamist Great Union Party (BBP) has staged several demonstrations to seek a repeal of the ban on Muslim prayers in Hagia Sophia, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site encompassing the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of old Istanbul.
Armed with a land registry certificate dated 1936 that describes the complex as a mosque, BBP deputy leader Bayram Karacan claimed that its conversion into a museum was illegal.
"The fact that Hagia Sophia is a museum has never been accepted by the Turkish people... restoring it as a mosque would be akin to reclaiming sovereignty over it," Karacan said.
Outside Hagia Sophia, visitors and local residents were divided over the possible conversion of the monument, described by UNESCO as one of the historic quarter's "unique architectural masterpieces".
"We have plenty of mosques here and many of them are empty. Who will fill all these mosques if it is converted? Tourists will not come here anymore," said 52-year-old shop owner Fehmi Simsek.
Emerging from Hagia Sophia, 23-year-old German tourist Tamara said the complex was a testament to Istanbul's historical and religious importance throughout the centuries.
"Why would you want to change such a remarkable building?"
'Debate linked to elections'
Historian Ahmet Kuyas of Galatasaray University in Istanbul said the debate could be linked to Turkey's upcoming elections, with local polls in March, a presidential ballot in August and parliamentary elections in 2015.
Erdogan, nicknamed the "Sultan", has frequently touched a nerve over his conservative religious policies, including crackdowns on the sale and advertising of alcohol and allowing women working in the public service to wear Islamic headscarves.
"Turning Hagia Sophia into a mosque would be another blow to secular Turkey," Kuyas said, describing the site as "a symbol of universal peace, peace between nations, between religions".
Sevda, a veiled Turkish woman, said it would be more accessible to all as a mosque, as currently there was a fee to enter the museum.
"It belongs to us and therefore it should be a mosque," added her companion Kubra.
A visitor from Spain who gave his name only as Alex said he did not object to a change in the status as long as people could still visit.
"It is a beautiful place that everyone should see," he added.
AFP
Wed Dec 04 2013
![Istanbul landmark rekindles religious tensions Istanbul landmark rekindles religious tensions](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2013-12/61386152172_295x200.jpg)
![Sultan Selangor jalani pemeriksaan kesihatan untuk pembedahan katarak mata Sultan Selangor jalani pemeriksaan kesihatan untuk pembedahan katarak mata](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/81721125507_SultanSelangor.jpg)
Sultan Selangor jalani pemeriksaan kesihatan untuk pembedahan katarak mata
Sultan Selangor Sultan kini berada di hospital untuk rawatan pemeriksaan kesihatan bagi menjalani prosedur pembedahan katarak mata.
Enam MP kekal : Tak adil salahkan Speaker - Gobind
Mengenai keputusan mengekalkan enam kerusi Parlimen bekas ahli Bersatu, Gobind Singh Deo berkata tidak adil untuk salahkan Speaker buat keputusan yang diperuntukkan undang-undang.
![Tokan dadah ditahan bersama dua pucuk pistol di Alor Setar Tokan dadah ditahan bersama dua pucuk pistol di Alor Setar](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721123744_tokandadah.jpg)
Tokan dadah ditahan bersama dua pucuk pistol di Alor Setar
Polis menahan dua lelaki dan merampas dua pucuk pistol serta pelbagai jenis dadah dalam dua tangkapan di Taman Lam Foong, di Alor Setar.
![Tiada tempat selamat di Gaza, kata ketua PBB Tiada tempat selamat di Gaza, kata ketua PBB](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/51719354914_Destroyedbuildings.jpg)
Tiada tempat selamat di Gaza, kata ketua PBB
Beliau berkata tahap pertempuran dan kemusnahan yang melampau di Gaza tidak dapat difahami dan tidak boleh dimaafkan.
![Saya tidak fitnah Lim Guan Eng, cuma jelas tentang siasatan SPRM - Muhyiddin Saya tidak fitnah Lim Guan Eng, cuma jelas tentang siasatan SPRM - Muhyiddin](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721121786_MuhyiddinYassin.jpg)
Saya tidak fitnah Lim Guan Eng, cuma jelas tentang siasatan SPRM - Muhyiddin
Muhyiddin memberitahu bahawa beliau tidak memfitnah Lim Guan Eng berhubung isu pengecualian cukai terhadap Yayasan Albukhary.
![Saintis kesan gen bantu rawat kanser pankreas Saintis kesan gen bantu rawat kanser pankreas](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/81712376317_TujuanForensik.jpg)
Saintis kesan gen bantu rawat kanser pankreas
Gen HNF4A (Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 Alpha) didapati akan berhenti berfungsi pada tubuh pesakit kanser pankreas.
Pantau Agenda Reformasi: Potensi dan cabaran percambahan e-Sukan di Malaysia
Pengerusi Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS) Negeri Selangor
merangkap Timbalan Presiden Majlis Belia Negeri Selangor
E-Sukan mampu mencetak nama Malaysia di pentas dunia. Memahami potensi, kekangan dan peranan yang perlu dimainkan semua pihak dalam melahirkan lebih ramai pemain E-Sukan yang berjaya, seterusnya menyokong pembangunan industri E-Sukan negara.
SRG cipta sejarah pasukan Malaysia pertama juarai MSC MLBB 2024
merangkap Timbalan Presiden Majlis Belia Negeri Selangor
E-Sukan mampu mencetak nama Malaysia di pentas dunia. Memahami potensi, kekangan dan peranan yang perlu dimainkan semua pihak dalam melahirkan lebih ramai pemain E-Sukan yang berjaya, seterusnya menyokong pembangunan industri E-Sukan negara.
SRG cipta sejarah pasukan Malaysia pertama juarai MSC MLBB 2024
Jualan kereta di Malaysia diunjur cecah 765,000 unit
Persatuan Automotif Malaysia (MAA) melakukan semakan semula berkaitan sasaran jumlah keseluruhan industri (TIV) kepada 765,000 unit berbanding unjuran awal 740,000 unit untuk 2024. Semakan dibuat disokong oleh persekitaran ekonomi yang positif dan jumlah tempatan tertunggak yang masih berada pada tahap yang baik
Kementerian Digital cari kaedah kurangkan kos pelaksanaan sistem e-invois
Kerajaan sedang mencari kaedah mengurangkan kos pelaksanaan sistem e-invois untuk Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) selepas sistem itu diwajibkan untuk semua perniagaan pada 1 Julai 2025
Perbelanjaan pengguna dijangka meningkat tahun ini
Perbelanjaan Pengguna Malaysia dijangka meningkat sepanjang tahun ini
dengan unjuran sebanyak RM904.6 bilion, ketika proses pemulihan ekonomi menunjukkan kemajuan pada ketika ini.
dengan unjuran sebanyak RM904.6 bilion, ketika proses pemulihan ekonomi menunjukkan kemajuan pada ketika ini.