Unesco rebukes Turkey over situation of St. Sophia in Istanbul

Hard rebuke fromUNESCO to Turkey around the situation of St. Sophia: as you may recall, last year the ancient basilica was converted into a mosque, 85 years after the founder of present-day Turkey, Kemal Atatürk, decided that St. Sophia, a World Heritage-listed monument, would become a museum. In 2020, the return to the past: St. Sophia is back to being a mosque as it was from 1453, the year of the fall of the Eastern Empire, until 1931, when it was deconsecrated.

Unesco had already expressed its ire last year: the body is now back in the news with a decision issued on July 21, complaining about the “profound absence of dialogue and information” on the decision taken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and asking Turkey to produce, by Feb. 1, 2022, a report on the state of preservation of St. Sophia. UNESCO also expressed concern “about the potential impact of these changes on key components of the outstanding universal value of the property,” and called on Turkey to cooperate more proactively.

Turkey, however, disagrees: the country, through its Foreign Ministry, dismissed UNESCO’s criticism, branding it as “biased, political and partisan,” and pointing out the fact that St. Sophia is being protected in a “meticulous” manner. Finally, Turkey, recalled that it is “fully aware of its rights, prerogatives and responsibilities toward its properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.”

Unesco rebukes Turkey over situation of St. Sophia in Istanbul

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.