The Hagia Sofia Museum is slowly opening up for worship. The call to prayer is being played from one minaret's five speakers, although intended to provide employees with a place to worship, the museum is increasingly coming under popular demand.



The call to prayer is now being played from a single minaret's five speakers in the Hagia Sofia museum. Although initially unofficially opened up for employees to worship in, the museum is also drawing in outsiders seeking the chance to pray there. Meanwhile, the Museum Branch Manager claims: "It is not possible to give the call to prayer from Hagia Sofia."


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Prayer voices heard from Hagia Sofia


The call to prayer can now be heard from a single minaret (with five speakers), facing the Topkapi Palace. Intended to provide employees with a place to worship, the call to prayer is now drawing in outsiders as well.

The Hagia Sofia Museum has been playing the call to prayer to allow for employees to have a place to worship. From a single minaret, facing Topkapi, the azan is now called five times a day.

Outsiders, hearing the call to prayer from Hagia Sofia's minaret have been joining the museum's employees to worship inside the museum, especially for the Friday prayer. This practice does go against a Council of State verdict, which states that Hagia Sofia should remain as a museum and is not to be turned into a place of worship.

Necla GÖRGEÇ

http://english.sabah.com.tr/0F09BD8672EB4B...0B40B91BBA.html



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WTF ...?

There is a small room where Moslems can observe their prayers. Room is an attachment to the Aya Sofya Campus so it is not deemed to be belonging to the church itself. That is hardly the reopening of Aya Sofya to the Moslem prayers. Call to prayers though (ezan) I cant say a word about it, cos last time I visited Aya Sofya I did not hear anything.

Maybe someone else could tell us more..
because there were reports that not only this small room..was used as prayer room...
But inside the Hagia Sophia...

Interesting.How about Bartholomaios,greek engineers(who participate in the restoration works) and other christians who work in the souroundings be able to pray there too? ;)

LOL

But you know what?
Kemal Ataturk was clever enough to make the Church into a museum...
it was a genius move...(no one is offended etc etc)

and now some AKP ... boys want what..? to create un-nessecary tension..?

it is a museum my friends and it will stay like that.

now goverment a little fundemental and goverements low rank new workers some times try stupid things like that . but it is a museum ..

may be for some workers they made a small room for praying and in time they call their freinds for praying and number increased!! but ýt is museum. and 100 meters around threre is 4 more mosques and never full !!!


why to play with it..
it is a 1400 yeras old building heritage to our future genarations.
and very beatiful..

and some times we see very religious Cristians there making strange movements in front of paintings ..

but they disturb no body !! so nobody says any thing. :friendship:

The strange movements ..is honoring the Icons ...and propably also kissing them..
so they show there respect towards the Religion...
Nothing extreme nor any political backround...

But very Thanks for the information Kaan... :thumbsup:

Nor AKP neither anyone else can change the Hagia Sofia's current status. It is a common heritage and everybody will respect it. If not, then again have to respect it.


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regards,
CDTRF

What do you mean by that...?

By the way, What about that "toilet exhibition" allegedly took place in Ayasofya? Has anyone other than me bothered to inspect the accusations? Or am I the only person who has been patiently waiting for at least one year for some news about the subject?

I cannot find the topic about it, where is it?

"have to"...is very clear,isnt it Lord?



good point Orko, it seems everybody quickly forget,what a coincidence...

Arda could it be ...that this exibition...who took part was simply the the flies that were used for some renovation ? and the whole pic was like there is an exibition...?
i dont want to be hysterical...but i heard it from 2 different people...and also in the news than...
The guy who haid actually a pic in hes mobile..i dont have any contact with hem anymore...

Lord, if you recall, I had provided telephone, fax numbers and e-mail adresses of Ayasofya Museum administration office. I had telephoned to the administration the next day I had read the topic. I had introduced myself as an art history undergraduate student preparing a term paper about museums in Istanbuls and asked for the exhibiton schedule of Ayasofya in 2004 and 2005. They said most parts of the museum were in restoration work, so there were not much exhibition and won't be much for a while. I got my answers and started waiting. Nothing came until this day, I'm still waiting. There are no news about the "subject" in Turkish press, in liberal, right wing, left wing or even in local newspapers of religious minorities. If the topic is still present in WCF, the contact informations of Ayasofya Museum administration can be found.

In Turkish we say "it's free to try" :)

yes yes i get your point....and i thanked you for the worked/search..iam also searching for the thread...
as i said back than..it would be ridicioulus...to have an flie-wc exibtion...inside the Museum...
except maybe if this exibition consisted...old art flies...of Byzanz-ottoman-persia era...

at the end of the day...my stand is the same...Hagia Sofia...is a world heritage..and the sighn of Orthodox Christianity...
the status of keeping it as an museum...must stay as it is....

Ýt will stay like that Akp is in now a days 4 5 years later they will be gone .
more exrimist goverment can come or a difret one but as we stay as a democratic country it will be a museum so every body can visit there.

even in the otoman time for 500 years most of the icons and painting protected. also in topkapý sarayý there is a church too whých is more than 1500 years old AYA ÝRÝNÝ. ( Otomans kept it and used as weapon storage place but stýll ýt ýs there.

Ýn the future if you would wisit istanbul again i would gladly show old and new istanbul with its history.

;) :drink:
Kaan

No its not clear...
the stands of the Hagis CANT change,...
this isnt a thread...finally the church/museum is standing in turkish soil..
But for shure ...any change of the today status...will be reconsider as an un-friendly move towards christiniaty...

so you can choose the right path...or Jonnie Walkers path... ;)