EPAHagia Sophia in Istanbul
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 11:33
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Mitra Nazar
correspondent Turkey
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Mitra Nazar
correspondent Turkey
Foreign tourists who want to see the inside of the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul now have to pay 25 euros for an entrance ticket. Entrance to the most famous buildings in the world became free when Turkish President Erdogan turned it into a mosque in 2020. But now it is partly a museum again. Tourists enter through a different entrance than Turks. The new rules are causing confusion and outrage.
Guide Atilla Sirvanli stands on Sultanahmet Square with his hands in the pockets of his winter coat, observing how the first days after the introduction of Hagia Sophia’s ‘new style’ unfold. Hagia Sophia has been his field of work as an independent guide for 33 years. He guides groups of tourists around in English and Japanese.
But since last week everything has changed. “There is still a lot of confusion,” he says. Because foreign tourists can no longer enter at the main entrance. “The entrance for foreigners is now there,” Sirvanli explains, pointing to the side of Hagia Sophia.
Prayer room
There is a brand new ticket office there, where tourists are queuing. Ticket price: 25 euros. They must also purchase an audio tour that can be listened to via a QR code on their own phone. Tourists are led through a tunnel directly to the upper gallery via a separate entrance.
Admission remains free for Turkish citizens, but they may only enter the prayer room on the ground floor via the main entrance. They cannot go inside to the upper gallery. For example, foreign tourists and Turkish believers no longer meet each other, Sirvanli concludes.
Since the summer of 2020, the world heritage site has been called Hagia Sophia Great Mosque, following President Erdogan’s controversial decision to turn the building into an active mosque again. Because Islam does not allow charging an entrance fee to enter mosques, Hagia Sophia became free for everyone.
But that turned out to cause problems. Believers are said to have been disturbed by the tourists in the prayer room. “Our priority is prayer,” said Minister Ersoy of Culture and Tourism. So the ministry came up with this solution. The new rules should also solve the problem of long queues.
NOSGuide Atilla for the Hagia Sophia
Some tourists are surprised at the price tag. “25 euros is pricey,” says Jake from Australia. Still, he buys a ticket. “If you are in Istanbul, you cannot miss Hagia Sophia.” Others get it. “It’s a UNESCO site, you can pay for that,” says Anna from Spain. The intention is for the entrance fee to be used for maintenance and restoration of the UNESCO world heritage site.
Outrage
The new rules mean that there is limited access for both tourists and Turks. The upper gallery, where tourists are diverted, was closed to the public for 3.5 years. Centuries-old, mostly Christian icons and mosaics can now be viewed there again. But tourists can no longer walk around the ground floor and marvel at the immense dome from below. For Turkish citizens it is exactly the other way around.
This causes outrage among some Turks. “And if you are a Turkish tourist? Which entrance should you take?” asks a columnist from the news site Bianet wonders. “Anyone who is willing to pay 25 euros for the upper gallery will be told at the ticket office that Turks are not allowed in that section.”
According to an employee at the ticket sales, Turks can indeed buy a ticket for the upper gallery if they wish, for the same price.
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AFP
From Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
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AFP
The new entrance for tourists, Hagia Sophia
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AFP
Tourists buy a ticket for Hagia Sophia
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AFP
Tourists with a guide at the Hagia Sophia
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NOS
Hagia Sophia from the inside
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NOS
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is one of the most famous buildings in the world, with a unique history. Built in the sixth century AD as a Byzantine church, it was for a long time the largest church in the world. After the Ottomans conquered Constantinople (as Istanbul was then called) in 1453, Hagia Sophia was turned into a mosque.
In 1934, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, gave it the status of a museum. Since then, there has been a desire among conservative Turkish Muslims to use the mosque as a place of worship again. In 2020, President Erdogan complied.
In the square at the entrance there is outrage among the local guides. “This is unfair. Tourists should be able to see the entire Hagia Sophia if they pay so much money,” says one of them, who wishes to remain anonymous. “And Turks too!”
The new rules also seem to sideline the guides. They are no longer allowed to take groups inside with priority. “Tourists must now be quiet on the upper gallery so as not to disturb the prayers,” says guide Sirvanli. “That is a problem for us. If we are not allowed to talk inside, we cannot do our work.” The guides’ union has filed an objection, he says. “I hope this will be resolved before the high season starts.”
2024-01-22 10:33:46
#Turks #tourists #separately #Hagia #Sophia #confusion #visiting #rules
