PARIS, July 24. /TASS/. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has not yet been notified by Turkey of the required guarantees that Hagia Sophia will be preserved after being converted from a museum into a mosque, UNESCO’s press office told TASS on Friday.
"We have not received full information yet. Access to the cathedral is among a variety of issues, including the preservation of structural integrity and interior elements, management methods and others," the spokesperson explained adding that UNESCO would do its utmost to gather as much information as possible concerning the preservation of that cultural site.
The decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia museum will be discussed at a next session of the World Heritage Committee, which comprises representatives of 21 member states, including Russia. Initially, the session was scheduled to take place in Fuzhou, China by the end of 2020. Nevertheless, the press service promised to announce the date later, "depending on the circumstances, especially due to a changing situation with COVID-19 pandemic."
"UNESCO expressed its deepest regret for Turkey’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia without preliminary dialogue. We reiterate our concern about a potential impact of this decision on the universal value of that site and call again for an immediate dialogue," the press office said when asked to comment on Namaz prayed there on Friday morning, for the first time since 1934.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who joined the Friday worship, said that the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism would carry out restoration work on Hagia Sophia’s "both exteriors and interiors." Erdogan did not elaborate on what types of work would be done. He pointed out that after the refurbishment, Turkey "will have a more valuable Ayasofya." Moreover, the Turkish president emphasized that the restart of Moslem worship in Hagia Sophia "is a milestone, historic event," and that "Ayasofya has finally returned to its original" status.
On July 10, the Turkish Council of State invalidated Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s 1934 decree that had bestowed Hagia Sophia with its museum status. Later in the day, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed an order declaring Hagia Sophia open for Muslim worship. Local Orthodox Churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church, voiced their regret over the decision, along with UNESCO.
Hagia Sophia is a Byzantine-era architectural monument. The cathedral was constructed between 532 and 537 AD by a decree from then Emperor Justinian I of Byzantium. After the fall of Constantinople in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. In 1935, following the decree of the Turkish government signed by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, the building was opened as a museum. White plaster covering Christian mosaics and murals was removed. In 1985, the building was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.