In Historic Step, Turkey Restores Hagia Sophia to Mosque, Sparking Mixed Reactions At Home and Abroad

Amid signs of populism and political scores, a Turkish court turned Hagia Sophia back to a mosque. The result was a mixed sense of outcry, resentment and joy both at home and abroad.

Abdullah Ayasun
7 min readJul 11, 2020

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Tourists visit Hagia Sophia amid strict measures of social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo Credit: AFP)

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Abdullah Ayasun

New York-based journalist and writer. Columbia School of Journalism. 2023 White House Correspondents' Association Scholar. Twitter: @abyasun