Turkish president speaks of “hate crimes committed against Muslims in various parts of the world”
Turkey’s Directorate of Communications presented two books on Saturday for Hagia Sophiaa day before the 2nd anniversary of its reopening as a mosque.
The books detail the architectural features of the monument and the Turkish reaction to its conversion into a mosque, the Communications Directorate said in a statement.
Writing the foreword to the book on the architectural features of the iconic monument, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan referred to the “historical significance of the opening of the Hagia Sophia Great Mosque,” saying: “Turning Hagia Sophia back into a mosque is a dream come true. not only for the Turkish nation but for all Muslims around the world,” he argues.
“With its historical, religious and cultural features, the Great Mosque of Hagia Sophia is the best answer in Islamophobiawhich is increasing especially in Europe, and in the hate crimes committed against Muslims in various parts of the world,” the Turkish president continues.
The Turkish Directorate will also release a documentary on Sunday that will tell the stories of nine mosques in various cities in Anatolia, which are called “Hagia Sophia,” the statement added.
“The monument was restored to its former glory as the Great Mosque of Hagia Sophia on July 24, 2020. Hagia Sophia functioned as a church for 916 years and as a museum for 86 years, but from 1453 to 1934, almost 500 years, it was a mosque” it says the agency Anatoli. In 1985 Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of Turkey’s top tourist destinations and remains open to domestic and foreign visitors.
View the news feed and get the latest news.
