Erdogan Says Hagia Sophia to Become a Mosque; Radical Muslim Ignores Site's Christian Heritage

Turkish president and radical Muslim Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pledged to revert the 6th century Hagia Sophia -- originally an important Greek Orthodox Christian cathedral -- into a mosque from its current status as a museum, the Artnet Newspaper website reports today (March 31, 2019).

The move is seen as an effort to rally Erdogan's conservative base ahead of local elections on March 31.

It has been a museum for almost 85 years, which is widely regarded as a compromise between Christians and Muslims who both claim the space as hallowed ground.

Converting Hagia Sophia into a mosque is likely to unleash an international backlash -- especially from neighboring Greece -- where some still mourn the loss of the Greek Orthodox cathedral. It could also endanger its World Heritage status: Hagia Sophia is inscribed on UNESCO's list with other sites on Istanbul's historic peninsula, and any changes that impact the "outstanding universal value" of the site require notifying the committee, according to its operating guidelines.