Mosque or museum? 'Hagia Sophia has turned into an ostrich...'

Ercan KÜÇÜK - 12punto.com.tr

Debates regarding Hagia Sophia continue. The upper floor of Hagia Sophia, which was converted back into a mosque in 2020, has begun to be operated like a museum. It is possible to enter the upper floor of the historical structure by purchasing a ticket for 25 Euros. The entry of Turks to the upper floor was prohibited.

The controversial operation was brought to light by Art Historian Talha Uğurluel. In a post on social media, Uğurluel said, "The upper floor is for foreigners, the lower floor is for Muslims. You can't even enter with money. How can such a thing happen? I can barely hold my tongue." After Uğurluel's post became a trending topic, the practice was corrected. Turks can now also purchase tickets for 25 Euros to go up to the upper floors. Travel agency owner Akif Şükür rebelled against the Euro-denominated ticket practice.

THE OWNER OF THE COMPANY IS THE MINISTER'S BROTHER-IN-LAW

Şükür stated that the lower floor of Hagia Sophia, which is open for worship, is affiliated with the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), while the upper floor has been leased to Dem Müzecilik, which has kinship ties with the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. Şükür explained the operation of Hagia Sophia, which he compared to an 'ostrich', as follows:

“Hagia Sophia has become something like an ostrich. You call it a camel, it cannot walk; you call it a bird, it cannot fly. It is affiliated with the Diyanet, taken from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and leased to a private company, DEM Müzecilik. The current minister's brother-in-law.

The entrance ticket is 25 €. I don't even know why it's in Euros. By the way, entry to Topkapı Palace is also in Euros. Some museums in Turkey are now priced in Euros.

The absurdity at Hagia Sophia is this: We, as the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, requested that a certain section of the upper floor of Hagia Sophia be opened to visitors with a separate entrance. Because there was a grievance. Those who wanted to pray during prayer times were waiting in line and couldn't enter. During visiting hours, visitors couldn't enter or leave. There was such chaos. We said, ‘Separate this, let it be paid if necessary. Let neither those who pray nor those who come to visit be aggrieved. Let people go and come comfortably.’

Some people sat down by themselves and did something. Then they made a ridiculous entrance door. They slandered by saying, ‘They put a garage door on Hagia Sophia.’ A wooden walkway was built. They slandered that as well, calling it laminate flooring.”

A DIFFERENT PRACTICE EVERY DAY

Şükür stated that the practice regarding Turks going up to the upper floor, which caused controversy on social media, is applied differently every day, and that the warnings they made were not heeded:

“We went and asked; they had sent a notice there. ‘Let Turks who are praying go downstairs, let foreign visitors go upstairs.’ Whoever misunderstood this, many different versions of the practice have been implemented since the 15th of the month. I went on the first day, everyone was going upstairs. Those who could enter, entered. On the second day, they didn't take Turks. We went, and we couldn't get Qatari people in to pray. After that, a lot of nonsensical practices.”

WHY IS THE MUSEUM CARD NOT VALID?

Emphasizing that the Museum Card is valid in many museums, Şükür stated that this practice is not valid at Hagia Sophia. Şükür spoke as follows:

“We told some places about these before it hit social media. I said, ‘These practices will be misunderstood.’ Talha Uğurluel went there and shot a video. He stated all the correct practices and listed the wrong ones. When the man went on Saturday, Turks were not being taken upstairs. Özlem Doğan is shooting a video from there saying, ‘I was able to come up here for 25 Euros.’ Why, are you a tourist? In all of Turkey's museums, the tariff for a tourist is different. The tariff for a Turkish citizen is different. In fact, in museums directly affiliated with the ministry, you buy a museum card and enter all museums. As a journalist, the lady didn't question why I am paying a tourist tariff. She didn't question why the museum card isn't valid.”

TURKEY'S MOST ABSURD BUILDING

When you go inside, no guide can give you an explanation. There is no one you can ask a question to. Even if there is someone with you, they cannot answer or provide an explanation. They give you an audio guide. Or you scan it with your own phone's QR code, if you have headphones, and there are a total of 10 points marked there, 9 mosaics, one tomb. The tomb of Enrico Dandolo. There is no one to explain the plaques, the calligraphy, the mosque, the minbar, or the mihrab there. For that explanation, there is the old land registry office next door. They made that the Hagia Sophia Museum, and now they are explaining it there.

Hagia Sophia is currently the most absurd building in Turkey. Hagia Sophia was a museum, it was transferred to the Diyanet when it became a mosque. Now they have given the upper floor to the General Directorate of Foundations. They, in turn, gave it to this company and are having it operated as a museum. So this is a very strange, absurd practice.

Since the exit for foreigners is on the side of the ablution fountain (şadırvan), Turks cannot use the restroom with the ablution fountain either. No one paid attention to this.

Why can't tourist groups enter with their own guides? We have headsets. You distribute them to the tourists. The guide explains it nicely, and the tourist listens nicely. If a tourist has a question, they come and ask the guide, and the guide answers. Let alone being heard by those praying downstairs, people 3 meters away cannot hear it either. So, everything has a solution.”

News Source: Ercan Küçük