Turkey formally opens another former Byzantine
Time:2024-05-29 02:32:20 Source:politicsViews(143)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally opened a former Byzantine church in Istanbul as a mosque on Monday, four years after his government had designated it a Muslim house of prayer, despite criticism from neighboring Greece.
Turkey formally converted The Church of St. Saviour in Chora, known as Kariye in Turkish, into a mosque in 2020, soon after it similarly turned Istanbul’s landmark Haghia Sophia into a Muslim house of prayer.
Both conversions drew praise from Muslim faithful but criticism from Greece and other countries who had urged Turkey to protect the important Byzantine-era monuments. Both are listed as U.N. World Heritage Sites.
Like Haghia Sophia, which was a church for centuries and then a mosque for centuries more, the Chora had operated as a museum for decades before it was ordered turned into a mosque. The Chora’s formal launch as a mosque, however, was delayed as the structure then underwent restoration.
Previous:South Africa's surprise election challenger is evoking the past anti
Next:Music Review: RM of BTS has a new solo album, ‘Right Place, Wrong Person,’ an elastic experiment
You may also like
- America's dirtiest cities are revealed
- Russia arrests another suspect in the concert hall attack that killed 144
- Bayern stars Musiala and Sané racing to be fit for Champions League semifinal vs. Real Madrid
- Trump VP candidate Kristi Noem reveals she shot and killed her 14
- All change! Premier League undergoes postseason managerial upheaval with Maresca set for Chelsea
- Industrial robot makers gear up for global expansion
- Oregon's Sports Bra plans national expansion as interest booms
- BORIS JOHNSON: Come on London! Time to kick out high
- Judge Judy delivers scathing verdict about America's out