When will the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul become a Mosque Again?

Thousands of people visit Hagia Sophia every day

The question now is "when", not "if".

One of "Christianity's greatest symbols", the Hagia Sophia, is experiencing social pressure to be turned into a mosque, once again.

The Hagia Sophia (first a church, then a mosque and then a museum) is one of Istanbul's most visited tourist sites. It's almost 1,500 years old and for about 1,000 years was the world's largest church building. All that changed in 1453 when the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople resulted in this building being rapidly readied for worship by Muslims.

Inside Hagia Sophia

900 year old mosaics

The rapidly growing anticipation in Turkey is that the popular sentiment of pious Muslims today will win out over Ataturk's diplomatic solution between Christians and Muslims. His decision was to register the building permanently as a museum, so all humanity, not just Muslims, might enjoy the architectural wonders of one of the worlds greatest achievements.

The picture of the area outside the Hagia Sophia JAMMED full of Muslim worshipers and commentary might shock some, but this is what is happening in the build up of tensions between pious Turks and secular-minded Turks. And, remember that Istanbul has some of Turkey's most "liberal, secular" minded citizens in the land.

Read more and study the photo