(Istanbul) Several thousand Muslims took part in Istanbul on Friday in the first prayer organized at the former Hagia Sophia since its controversial conversion into a mosque, in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who seeks to galvanize his conservative electorate.
Gokan GUNES et Burçin GERCEK
France Media Agency
Kneeling under the majestic dome of Hagia Sophia and wearing an Islamic skullcap, Mr. Erdogan recited a surah from the Koran before listening to the sermon of the head of the Religious Authority, Ali Erbas, who held a scimitar, symbol of conquest for the Ottomans.
New coronavirus pandemic requires, only a few hundred people were allowed to pray inside this building built by the Byzantines at 6 e century and listed as a World Heritage Site.
But after the call to prayer which resounded from the four minarets of Hagia Sophia, thousands of faithful prostrated in tight rows on the square and in the adjacent streets, masks on their faces and under a blazing sun.
"This is a moment we can relate to our grandchildren. This is an event, a very important step forward for us ", enthuses Gülsan Kaya, 34 years, who 'is "up at 6 am to come". Several faithful even spent the night there.
This is the first collective prayer organized for 86 years in Hagia Sophia, a major architectural work that is important to both Christians and Muslims, having been successively a Byzantine basilica, an Ottoman mosque and a museum.
After a court decision revoking its museum status dating from 1453, Mr. Erdogan decided on 10 July to return the building to Muslim worship, a measure criticized by several countries and by Pope Francis who said to himself " very distressed ".
During the prayer, the Byzantine mosaics were concealed by white sheets, Islam forbidding figurative representations.
Hagia Sophia "is once again becoming a mosque. God willing, it will continue to serve all believers as a mosque for all eternity, "the Turkish president said after the prayer.
Galvanize
For many observers, the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque aims to galvanize the conservative and nationalist electoral base of Mr. Erdogan, in a context of economic difficulties aggravated by the pandemic.
By taking this decision, the Head of State, often accused of Islamist drift, is also attacking the legacy of the founder of the Republic, Mustafa Kemal, who had transformed Hagia Sophia into a museum for make the emblem of a secular Turkey.
As a symbol, Mr. Erdogan chose for the first prayer, the day of 86 e anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne which fixes the borders of modern Turkey and that the president, nostalgic for the Ottoman Empire , often calls for revising.
Hagia Sophia remains in Turkey closely associated with the capture of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmet II, said the Conqueror in 97.
After the prayer, Mr. Erdogan went to the Sultan's mausoleum, together with the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist right Devlet Bahçeli, his ally. No opposition leader was present for the prayer.
The Friday prayer also comes against a backdrop of strong tensions between Ankara and Athens, notably linked to Turkish oil exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Greece strongly denounced the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, seeing it as a "provocation towards the civilized world".
"Political Show" 2020
In protest in Greece, the Orthodox churches were to ring their bells on Friday. "It is a day of mourning for [...] all of Christendom," said Greek Church leader Archbishop Ieronymos.
Israfil, a kilim seller near Hagia Sophia, is also unhappy with the conversion of Hagia Sophia, fearing a "negative impact on tourism" which has already suffered greatly from the epidemic.
"This whole show is for political reasons," he grumbles.
But Ankara has rejected all criticism in the name of "sovereignty", stressing that tourists will be able to continue to visit this building classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The authorities' haste to organize a first prayer there in any case raises concerns.
"The measures taken in haste [...] can have disastrous consequences and cause irreversible damage" to the old building of 10 centuries, says Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir, researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.
The fate of the Byzantine mosaics found inside Hagia Sophia is of particular concern to historians.
The Religious Affairs Authority (Diyanet) claimed they would be covered by curtains during prayers and would remain visible the rest of the time.
