Showing posts with label Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Show all posts

Thursday, 10 July 2025

Five Years After Reconversion: Hagia Sophia Embodies Turkey’s Cultural Crossroads

 



ISTANBUL, JULY 2025 — Half a decade has passed since the iconic Hagia Sophia resumed its role as a working mosque, marking a watershed moment in Turkey’s cultural-religious identity and triggering complex global reverberations that continue to shape geopolitics and heritage diplomacy.

The Turning Point

  • Historic Reversal: On July 10, 2020, a presidential decree overturned the 1934 cabinet decision that transformed the 6th-century monument into a museum, reigniting a 1,500-year legacy of faith and conquest.

  • Legal Catalyst: Turkey’s Council of State unanimously annulled the museum status after a 2016 lawsuit argued the site’s vakıf (endowment) status under Fatih Sultan Mehmet’s 1453 conquest rendered it inalienably a mosque.

  • Symbolic Reawakening: On July 24, 2020, President Erdoğan joined 350,000 worshippers for the first Friday prayers in 86 years, declaring it a "restoration of sovereignty."


Global Reactions: Divergent Perspectives

1. UNESCO World Heritage Committee

"While respecting Turkey’s sovereignty, we maintain that Hagia Sophia’s universal value demands vigilant conservation. Technical cooperation continues to address humidity control and mosaic protection during worship."
(2024 Monitoring Report)

2. The European Parliament

"The reconversion undermined interfaith dialogue and violated UNESCO conventions. It remains an obstacle to EU accession talks."
*(Resolution 2020/2990)*

3. Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence

"Ankara weaponized cultural heritage to assert civilizational independence. The move resonated across the Muslim world but fractured relations with Orthodox Christian states."

4. Bloomberg Economics

*"Market jitters proved short-lived. Tourism revenue surged to record levels by 2023, demonstrating ideological decisions can coexist with economic pragmatism."*


Five-Year Impact Assessment

DimensionOutcome
Tourism▶️ 2020-2021: 61% visitor drop (COVID + boycotts)
▶️ 2024: 5.7 million visitors (pre-2020 avg: 3.7m)
Conservation✅ Reversible curtains shield Byzantine mosaics during prayers
⚠️ UNESCO notes "structural stress from footfall density"
Geopolitics❄️ Frozen cultural cooperation with Greece/Cyprus
🤝 Strengthened ties with Muslim-majority states

The Balancing Act: Worship vs. Heritage

Innovative Coexistence Model

  • Hybrid Access: Non-prayer hours allow tourist visits free of charge.

  • Acoustic Engineering: Sound-dampening systems preserve architectural integrity during calls to prayer.

  • Global Pilgrimage: 44% of 2024 visitors came from Muslim-majority nations—a new demographic driver.


Voices from Istanbul

Emre Tan, Cultural Historian:
"Hagia Sophia mirrors modern Turkey: a palimpsest of empires. Its layers—Orthodox basilica, Ottoman mosque, secular museum, and now dual-function space—reflect our perpetual negotiation between past and present."

Sophia Kazanskaya, Moscow Tourist (July 2025):
"I expected tension, but the atmosphere is reverent. Seeing gold mosaics of Christ beside Arabic calligraphy feels like witnessing history breathing."


What Lies Ahead

As the dome enters its sixth year echoing with Qur’anic recitations, unresolved tensions persist:

  • Diplomatic Costs: No progress on EU cultural partnerships.

  • Conservation Debt: $12M UNESCO-funded restoration backlog.

  • Symbolic Weight: The site remains a lightning rod in Turkey’s culture wars.

"Hagia Sophia’s reconversion achieved its domestic objective: cementing Turkey’s cultural self-determination. Yet its success as a global heritage site hinges on transcending politics to honor all chapters of its storied existence."
— International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)

Sources: Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism, UNESCO Technical Reports, Stratfor, Bloomberg Terminal Dat

Monday, 17 February 2025

In his post on AK Party Social Media accounts at the 8th Ordinary Grand Congress of the AK Party on February 23

In his post on AK Party Social Media accounts at the 8th Ordinary Grand Congress of the AK Party on February 23: "Our Chairman All our people are invited to our 8th Ordinary Grand Congress, which will be held with the participation of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. FUTURE IN THE LIGHT OF AK IN IT'S NAME 📍Ankara Indoor Sports Hall 🕙 February 23, 2025, 10:00" he said.

Wednesday, 12 February 2025

Turkmen Gas to Flow to Turkey Starting March 2025

 Turkmen Gas to Flow to Turkey Starting March 2025

After 27 years of negotiations, Turkey and Turkmenistan have finalized an agreement for the supply of Turkmen natural gas to Turkey. According to the deal signed between BOTAŞ (Turkey’s state-owned pipeline company) and Türkmengaz, gas deliveries are set to begin on March 1, 2025.

Historic Agreement After 27 Years
The groundwork for the deal was laid during a meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan, at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in March 2024. During the talks, the two leaders signed agreements to enhance cooperation in natural gas and oil, with a focus on transporting Turkmenistan’s vast natural gas reserves to Turkey and onward to European markets.

In July 2024, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar visited Turkmenistan to advance discussions, culminating in a critical memorandum of understanding (MoU) between BOTAŞ and Türkmengaz. This agreement marks the start of a new era in energy collaboration between the two nations.

Gas Flow to Begin in March 2025
Under the finalized terms, natural gas deliveries from Turkmenistan to Turkey will commence on March 1, 2025. Energy Minister Bayraktar announced the milestone via social media, stating:
“Today, we have achieved the concrete outcome of the memorandum of understanding signed in Antalya last March in the presence of President Erdoğan and Chairman Berdimuhammedov. This agreement advances our cooperation in the natural gas sector, with gas flow scheduled to begin on March 1, 2025.”

Strengthening Energy Ties
The agreement underscores Turkey’s strategic role as a key energy corridor connecting Central Asia to Europe. Turkmenistan, home to the world’s fourth-largest natural gas reserves, aims to diversify its export routes through Turkey, while Ankara seeks to bolster its energy security and regional influence.

The deal also reflects deepening bilateral ties between Turkey and Turkmenistan, two Turkic states with shared cultural and economic interests. The collaboration is expected to pave the way for further joint projects in energy infrastructure and trade.

Key Participants

  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey

  • Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedov, Chairman of the People’s Council of Turkmenistan

  • Alparslan Bayraktar, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

  • BOTAŞ and Türkmengaz delegations

The agreement marks a historic milestone in regional energy diplomacy, positioning Turkey as a critical hub for Eurasian energy transit.



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Five Years After Reconversion: Hagia Sophia Embodies Turkey’s Cultural Crossroads

  ISTANBUL, JULY 2025   — Half a decade has passed since the iconic Hagia Sophia resumed its role as a working mosque, marking a watershed m...

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