US State Department Urges Turkey to Ensure Access to Monuments Converted into Mosques

The US State Department confirmed its long-standing position that it wants the Turkish government to ensure access to the monuments of various religious communities that are being converted into mosques, ANA-MPA reported, BTA reported.

The situation was expressed by a spokesperson of the US State Department in response to an inquiry by the Greek National News Agency regarding the opening of the ancient Byzantine Christian Church of Christ the Savior in Chora (“Karie Mosque”) after reconstruction by the President of Turkey Recep. Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

A State Department spokesman said access must be provided in a way that respects the monument’s diverse history. The statement said: “We are aware that the Hora Museum, a World Heritage site, has been reopened as a mosque and we refer you to the Turkish Government for further information.” We encourage the Turkish government to to preserve and make accessible the sites and buildings that housed different religious communities in a way that respects their diverse histories.”

The State Department expressed the same position in July 2020, when the famous old Byzantine Hagia Sophia, which had been a museum until then, was turned back into a mosque. The Church of Christ the Savior in Hora, also known as the Karie Mosque, was first built in the 4th century, and today’s building dates back largely from the 11th – 12th centuries.

The temple was converted into a mosque at the beginning of the 16th century, and in 1945 it was declared a museum. The decision to return the status of a mosque to the temple was made in 2020. Erdogan inaugurated the restored building through a telephone conference from Ankara on May 6. The Greek Foreign Ministry described the action as a “provocation to the international community” and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as “unnecessary” and said it “insults Istanbul’s rich history as a crossroads”. civilizations. “