The 2020 reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque by Turkish President Erdogan sparked international criticism, including from the Greek Orthodox Church.

Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was originally an Orthodox cathedral, then a mosque, with its reconversion having significant religious implications.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque prioritizes its Islamic past over its Byzantine heritage.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has led to its mosaics being covered, sparking preservation concerns.

The Turkish government's decision to reimpose an entrance fee on Hagia Sophia has been criticized, with 21 million visitors since its reconversion.

Hagia Sophia's reconversion has been accompanied by restoration work guided by UNESCO recommendations.

Erdogan's conversion of Hagia Sophia is seen as a political move to manage non-Muslim places of worship.

Between 2013-2018, 1,084 properties seized from non-Muslim foundations were returned.

Turkey's expulsion of Protestant Christians has fueled concerns about its treatment of minority religious groups.

The conversion of historical sites like the Church of Holy Saviour in Chora into mosques has sparked criticism, including from the Greek PM.

The Chora Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was converted into a mosque in 2020.

The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 led to the conversion of many churches into mosques.

Greece and the US have criticized Turkey's conversion of Hagia Sophia and other historical sites.

When discussing Hagia Sophia's reconversion, it's essential to emphasize its complex and contested history and cultural significance.

Tourists should be aware of the site's entrances and rules to preserve its cultural and historical significance.

The site's Byzantine and Ottoman architecture and stunning mosaics, as well as preservation efforts, should be highlighted.

The Turkish government's decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque reflects the country's internal politics and cultural heritage.

Tour guides can use dialogue and respect for diverse histories to address the concerns of tourists from various backgrounds.

Tour guides can use earphones to guide tourists, following new rules to improve coexistence with worshippers.

The building is a world cultural heritage site, open to visitors with restricted access and separate tourist and worshipper entrances.

UNESCO criticized the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and recommended a visitor management plan.

Tour guides should know that Hagia Sophia, a former Orthodox cathedral turned mosque, needs restoration to withstand earthquakes.

Hagia Sophia will introduce entrance fees for foreign tourists and undergo extensive restoration work.

Turkish citizens can worship at Hagia Sophia for free, while foreign tourists must pay a ticket fee.

Hagia Sophia information is available in 16 languages through an app.

Hagia Sophia's restoration followed UNESCO advice and will regulate visitor density through separate routes.

Digital technology, like headset guides with QR codes, can enhance the tour experience and provide more site information.

Tour guides must be respectful and able to communicate effectively with diverse tourists.

Tour guides need language proficiency and cultural awareness to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Tour guides should have a spirit of service, a professional network, and local knowledge to help visitors discover the site.

Tour guide training should include American Human Geography, communication skills, and first aid for effective performance.

International cultural guidance standards are essential for providing high-quality and respectful tours.

Strategic partnerships can promote cross-cultural understanding and support cultural tourism development.

Well-trained tour guides can promote cross-cultural understanding and respect among Hagia Sophia visitors.

Tour guides inform tourists about Hagia Sophia's history, changes, and new rules.

Guides can explain the significance of Byzantine art and its impact on religious tolerance.

Tour guides can focus on the site's historical and cultural value as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Tour guides can address tourist concerns by expressing empathy and mentioning the visitor management policy.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has been criticized by the Greek Orthodox Church and other organizations.

Tour guides can provide information on the Turkish government's preservation efforts, which are funded in part by entry fees.

Tour guides can mention ongoing restoration and new security measures to address safety concerns.

Tour guides can highlight Hagia Sophia's historical and cultural significance while acknowledging Orthodox Christian concerns.

Tour guides can demonstrate a commitment to preserving the site's cultural and historical value by citing UNESCO's recommendations.

Tour guides can discuss responsible tourism practices and the importance of respectful coexistence.

The 2020 conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque by Turkish President Erdogan has been widely criticized.

Hagia Sophia was a museum from 1934 to 2020, symbolizing Turkey's multiculturalism that its conversion has erased.

The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site and holds historical importance as a former Byzantine cathedral and Ottoman mosque.

Tour guides may struggle to provide historical context due to the conversion being a sensitive topic.

Tour guides could highlight the site's architectural and historical significance in Byzantine and Ottoman history.

Tour guides should be aware of the entrances and rules to avoid unintentional offense or disruption.

Earphones or headsets with QR codes can provide tourist information without a physical guide, minimizing the risk of taking a sensitive stance.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has been criticized by the Greek Orthodox Church for removing its Christian heritage.

The Turkish government has implemented measures, including entrance fees and separate entrances, to manage the site's large number of visitors.

The site's structural integrity is a concern due to the large number of visitors, with fragments falling from the dome because of crowd humidity.

Restoration work is underway, guided by UNESCO recommendations for quality and safety.

Tour guides must be sensitive to Hagia Sophia's complex history and provide respectful information to visitors.

Sharing personal experiences helps tour guides at Hagia Sophia connect with their audience.

Storytelling creates connections and empathy with the audience, enabling tour guides to engage with diverse tourists.

Personal anecdotes are a valuable tool for Hagia Sophia tour guides to connect with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

Tour guides can use storytelling to share Hagia Sophia's rich history, making a greater impact through emotional experiences.

Travel guides can use storytelling to help tourists understand Hagia Sophia's complex historical and cultural significance.

There is no direct information on how these strategies can be effectively employed at Hagia Sophia.

Tour guides can use storytelling to explain local traditions and create emotional connections at Hagia Sophia.

Storytelling can promote cultural background, essential for tourists visiting historic sites like Hagia Sophia.

Well-trained guides can establish a good reputation for Hagia Sophia through storytelling and personal anecdotes.

The search results lack information on the controversy surrounding Hagia Sophia's reconversion into a mosque and Erdogan's motivations.

The 2020 reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque by Turkish President Erdogan sparked international criticism, including from the Greek Orthodox Church.

Title:

Content: After Hagia Sophia, Turkey converts a second ancient Byzantine church into a mosque

Hundreds of worshippers filled the narrow streets of Istanbul's Fatih district on Friday to hear the sounds of Friday prayers ringing out from the newly inaugurated Kariye Mosque.

Once known as the Chora Church, the site spent the last 79 years as a museum. But it is now the latest structure to be converted back into a mosque by the government of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, following the conversion of Hagia Sophia in 2020. While viewed as a triumph by many Turkish Muslims, the Greek Orthodox Church has decried it as an "ill-advised decision" that "makes a mockery of the Turkish government's commitment to religious tolerance and religious freedom."

Chora's conversion was announced shortly after Hagia Sophia's, but its opening for prayer was delayed by years of restoration work.

The showing for the first Friday prayers at Kariye was relatively quiet compared to Hagia Sophia, which drew hundreds of thousands who filled the streets with prayer rugs for blocks and blocks away from the building. By contrast, the crowd on Friday was relatively average for a mosque in one of Istanbul's more religiously conservative neighborhoods, where Friday worshippers frequently spill out onto the streets.

Both the Chora Church and Hagia Sophia are 4th-century Byzantine constructions. They spent nearly a millennium as Christian holy sites before being converted to mosques by the Ottomans after their conquest of Constantinople in the 15th century. Despite their conversions, they remained revered by Orthodox Christians. After the founding of a secular Turkish Republic in the early 20th century, the decision was made for both to be neither mosque nor church but simply museums.

"Both Hagia Sophia and Chora embodied Byzantine and Ottoman pasts, and they became symbols of co-existence and multi-faith living practices. Their conversion fundamentally implies a hierarchy, prioritizing the Islamic past over all other layers, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish, Syriac, et al," Dr. Özgür Kaymak, a lecturer and researcher on minority rights at Istanbul's MEF University, told Religion News Service in an email.

Rededicating the sites as mosques is more than just a status change. According to Islamic tradition, artwork of human figures are forbidden in places of prayer, while in Orthodox Churches, icons of Christ, saints and other biblical figures are a defining feature.

In Hagia Sophia, the mosaics of Jesus and Mary have been covered with curtains since the conversion. While Erdoğan promised Hagia Sophia would remain fully accessible and free to all visitors, Turkey reneged on that earlier this year, reimposing an entrance fee on tourists and relegating them to the upper level, while the main floor is exclusive to Muslim worshippers.

Observers have also criticized the Turkish Directorate of Religion's caretaking of the site, noting damage that did not exist when it was under the purview of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Though Chora is significantly smaller than Hagia Sophia, it is home to some of the best-preserved examples of late-Byzantine art, including mosaics, icons and frescoes, and is considered a UNESCO World Heritage site.

"For us it's a very important place because it remembers our culture and our traditions here," Father Evangelos Markantonis, an Orthodox priest who was leading a group of theology students to Chora on Friday, told Religion News Service.

"Though we cannot venerate as Orthodox Christians, we have to try to find things we can be united on. Only with dialogue and good deeds can we continue our lives," Markantonis, who is also a professor at the University of Athens, said when asked about the controversy.

Erdoğan had long refused calls from his right to convert churches like Hagia Sophia and Chora, telling supporters in 2018 to fill the nearby Sultan Ahmet Mosque (also known in English as the Blue Mosque) before they talked about needing to pray in Hagia Sophia.

Nonetheless, he made an about-turn in 2020.

"My dear nation, the conquest of Istanbul and the conversion of the Hagia Sophia into a Mosque are among the most glorious chapters in Turkish history," Erdoğan said at the time in a speech inaugurating the Hagia Sophia as a mosque.

"This is the most honorable day that Islam has been looking forward to, Greek Constantinople has become Turkish Istanbul," he added, quoting the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet.

"The resurrection of Hagia Sophia heralds the liberation of the al-Aqsa Mosque. The resurrection of Hagia Sophia is the footsteps of the will of Muslims across the world to come out of the interregnum," Erdoğan said in his concluding remarks.

Chora's opening as the Kariye Mosque comes just weeks after Erdoğan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered its largest electoral defeat in two decades during Turkey's nationwide municipal elections.

"The recent conversion of Chora into a mosque may be due to Erdoğan's many problems, including his geopolitical power politics, his appeal to religio-nationalism to revive his electoral popularity after the March elections or his tactic to divert attention from Turkey's economic downturn," Kaymak said.

Many analysts have attributed the loss to AKP bleeding votes to the more Islamist-leaning New Welfare Party, which has pressured Erdogan over his response to the Israel-Hamas war and humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Muslim worshippers at the mosque on Friday said they viewed its rededication as an Islamic site to be a national win for Turkey.

"This mosque is one of the symbols of the Conquest. We are proud and happy. There are very beautiful frescoes inside. They were also nicely renovated before they were closed. May it be good for our country and our nation," a bystander, Ahmet Öteyüzoğlu, told Turkish media.

"Thank God for these days. Not everyone has the opportunity in their lifetime," another bystander named Mehmet Çelik told the Turkish news service Anadolu Agency, in reference to having been able to pray at both the rededicated Hagia Sophia and Kariye Mosques.

However, Greece, the U.S. State Department and Orthodox Christian institutions worldwide have all criticized the decision to revert the structure into a mosque.

"I want to publicly express my intense dissatisfaction, interpreting the feelings of all Greek women and men, for the completely unnecessary conversion of a historic Byzantine temple, the Monastery of Chora, into a mosque. It is, I believe, an action that offends the rich history of Istanbul itself as a crossroads of cultures," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said shortly before leaving for Turkey for a planned meeting with Erdogan.

"We encourage the Turkish government to preserve and ensure access to sites and buildings that have hosted different religious communities in a way that respects their diverse histories," a State Department spokesperson said in response to questions from Greek media.

"The Turkish government's appropriation of both as the property of one faith group not only constitutes yet another sign of that government's contempt for Turkey's rich Orthodox Christian heritage but further imperils the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians of that land," the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate said in a statement.

© Religion News Service

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was originally an Orthodox cathedral, then a mosque, with its reconversion having significant religious implications.

Title:

Content: Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia mosque to charge $28 entry fee for tourists

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Turkey’s Hagia Sophia mosque began charging tourists nearly $28 on Monday for entrance to the landmark site.

The UNESCO World Heritage site, renowned for its blue-tiled interior, will no longer allow free admission to foreigners, the Turkish tourism ministry announced.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The former museum-turned mosque has a new entrance in front of the Topkapi Palace Museum open for tourists.

Tunnel entrance at Turkey's Hagia Sophia. (File photo)

The Hagia Sophia was a museum space from 1934 until 2020 when Turkey decided to change it to a mosque. Various historical reports say the mosque with byzantine architecture was an Orthodox cathedral decades ago.

“With the new application that will start on January 15 at the Hagia Sophia Mosque, tourists will be able to visit the mosque without disturbing the prayer environment,” the ministry said in a statement.

The entrance to the mosque will be “provided in a controlled manner through the tunnel and entrance ramp where visitors will be transported to the gallery floor and exited via the ramp in the northeast direction,” the statement said.

“Tourists who come to the gallery section will be able to see the sanctuary floor of the mosque and the Ottoman Period annexes, pass through the heaven-hell gate, and examine the Byzantine Period mosaics in this section,” it added.

Security cameras, fire detection and emergency announcement systems were reportedly installed in the mosque along the tour route. Cleaning and conservation work on the marble coverings and wooden railings on the gallery floor of the mosque was also carried out by restorers and conservators.

Visitors will also have access to a headset guide with QR codes where information on the sight is available in 23 languages.

People visit the Hagia Sophia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Istanbul, Turkey, July 10, 2020. (Reuters)

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How did the role of Hagia Sophia change following the Ottoman conquest?

Hagia Sophia became a central Islamic religious site for centuries

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,

What was the original historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia in the Byzantine Empire?

Served as the central church of Byzantine Christianity,

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque prioritizes its Islamic past over its Byzantine heritage.

How did the role of Hagia Sophia change following the Ottoman conquest?

Hagia Sophia became a central Islamic religious site for centuries

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has led to its mosaics being covered, sparking preservation concerns.

How did the role of Hagia Sophia change following the Ottoman conquest?

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,

The Turkish government's decision to reimpose an entrance fee on Hagia Sophia has been criticized, with 21 million visitors since its reconversion.

Title:

Content: [ditty_news_ticker id="27897"] Video Shows Fragments Falling from the Dome of Hagia Sophia - Orthodox Christian Laity

Video Shows Fragments Falling from the Dome of Hagia Sophia

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Source: Greek Reporter

A still from a recently released video shows visitors rushing to take cover as fragments fall from the dome of Hagia Sophia. Credit: Daily Motion/BirGün

A video from 2022 that came to light recently shows fragments falling on visitors from the dome of Hagia Sophia, the former epicenter of Christian worship at Constantinople, today’s Istanbul.

The footage released by the Turkish newspaper, BirGün, raises serious questions over the safety of the former Orthodox Christian cathedral, now a mosque.

BirGün notably quoted officials as saying that “pieces are falling from the roof, due to the humidity created by the crowd, but no precautions are being taken”.

The president of the Turkish Art History Association, Serif Yasar, argued for restoration of the monument as soon as possible, suggesting that “If Hagia Sophia is not restored, it will collapse with the first earthquake.”

The monument was restored as a mosque three years ago after serving as a museum from 1935-2020 and has since received 21 million visitors, according to Turkey’s tourism and culture minister.

Yasar added that when the church was a museum, the scientific council overseeing it urged that groups of no more than 25 people should be allowed to enter the building at any one time.

This enormous lift in visitation has likely brought to the forefront the need for repairs and it was indeed reported in September that the Turkish government had decided to start long-term maintenance of Hagia Sophia.

Turkey to implement visitor management policy at Hagia Sophia

In early October Turkish historian Ilber Ortayli expressed fears that the large number of visitors to Hagia Sophia could lead to a catastrophic structural failure if not addressed immediately.

Writing in the Hürriyet daily, Ortayli said that the monument, which attracts three million pilgrims annually apart from tourists, has undergone significant damage since its conversion into a mosque.

He asserted that even a modest number of 20-30 thousand people annually, including scientists, historians, archaeologists, representatives of the Muslim religion, politicians, and public officials, could be considered excessive for the endurance of the monument.

In June 2022 a number of tiles of the ancient marble floors in Hagia Sophia were damaged by heavy machines used to clean the site.

In April 2022, The Turkish Association of Art Historians stated that the historic Imperial Gate in Hagia Sophia had been badly damaged.

The group posted a picture clearly depicting the damage to the oak wood of the 15-century-old gate.

Turkey unveiled plans in late October for a visitor management policy at Hagia Sophia, including charging foreign tourists with an entrance fee to be implemented starting Jan. 15.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that extensive restoration work is underway in various sections of Hagia Sophia, now a mosque, with plans to progress to other parts upon their completion.

He emphasized that, based on UNESCO’s recommendations, a visitor management plan would be enforced to enhance the quality and safety of visits while preserving the historical significance of the site.

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Officials argue for repairs to Hagia Sophia after footage shows fragments falling from the dome – Neos Kosmos

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Hagia Sophia's reconversion has been accompanied by restoration work guided by UNESCO recommendations.

Erdogan's conversion of Hagia Sophia is seen as a political move to manage non-Muslim places of worship.

Title:

Content: >
December 9, 2021

Christian leaders look forward to Turkey's new law on religious foundations

This is an issue of vital importance for local Christian communities whose places of worship are entrusted to and managed by their governing bodies

Religious minorities in Turkey are looking forward to the increasingly Islamo-nationalist government making good its promise of outreach to non-Muslims by giving them freedom to establish and run their religious and social institutions.

The Turkish government is preparing to issue a new regulation on the administrative management of foundations linked to non-Muslim faith communities, which have been paralyzed for years by a legislative impasse that blocks the renewal of their governing bodies.

This is an issue of vital importance for local Christian communities such as Armenians and Assyrians, whose places of worship – many of them historic --, other real estate and public institutions are entrusted to and managed by foundations.

Burhan Ersoy, head of the state-run Directorate of the Foundations, has confirmed that the plan for the drafting of a new regulation concerning the elections for the assignment of offices within the foundations has come into being, Fides reported.

The draft of the text has been drawn up, taking into account requests and proposals from the various minority communities, and it is expected that the new rules, after obtaining government approval, would be implemented by April 2022.

The previous electoral regulation for the top management of foundations had been suspended in 2013, after the government chose to establish new procedures to make the management of real estate more functional and transparent.

This led to some confusion with representatives of the various minority communities unable to come to a consensus to either accept or reject the new electoral rules, Ersoy said.

The Syrian Orthodox Christian Süleyman Can Ustabaşı, current representative of the non-Muslim Foundations within the Assembly of Foundations, has said that the structure of foundations and their membership profiles had changed over time.

The Turkish government already had consultations with the representatives of religious minorities to resolve the dispute over board elections for their foundations.

But Ustabaşı now urges Turkish authorities to carry out another consultation with representatives of minority communities before the new text is to be implemented in 2022.

The legal status of the Foundations is still based on the Peace Treaty of Lausanne, signed in 1923 by Turkey and the Entente powers (British Empire, France and Russian Empire) victorious from the First World War.

The treaty guaranteed equality before the laws and the freedom to promote and manage "religious and social institutions" for non-Muslim communities in Turkey.

However, the state had seized properties run by these foundations and had to contend with litigation as these foundations claimed the rights guaranteed by the Treaty of Lausanne.

Also, starting from 1936, legislative provisions had allowed foundations of non-Muslim communities to acquire new properties. But in 1974, this guarantee was canceled and the state begun seizing assets acquired by these foundations.

Between 2013 and 2018 about 1,084 properties were returned to the foundations linked to non-Muslim communities, and 20 places of worship restored and given back to the foundations, according to official data.

Greek Orthodox Laki Vingas, in a speech published by the Armenian-Turkish newspaper Agos, said that the legislative deadlock on the question of the regulation of the foundations has had a negative effect on the life of the different ecclesial communities.

The block in the processes of renewal of the governing bodies of foundations had led to the expulsion of young people from the institutions linked to their communities, and also that many voluntary activities were "unfortunately interrupted".

Non-Muslim places of worship

Within the general Assembly of the Turkish Foundations are some 167 minority foundations. The Turkish Greek community has 77, the highest number of foundations. The Armenian community has 54 and the Jewish community has 19 foundations.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a cabinet meeting held on October 25 announced that authorities had put on the agenda the question of the elections of the directorates of the foundations linked to religious minorities.

He also spoke of fundamental tools for the management of assets and resources destined for non-Muslim places of worship.

The issue of the foundations come at a time when Turkish authorities have expelled more and more Protestant Christians -- foreigners and Turkish converts-- on grounds they constitute a "threat to national security".

Turkey had also recently transformed museums into mosques, such as the Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora.

Both churches had been turned into museums after the end of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of modern Turkey.

The Church of the Holy Saviour in Chora was built by the Byzantines in the 5th century. The Ottomans then turned it into a mosque after they captured Constantinople in 1453. And it remained a Muslim worship space until the end of the Second World War when it was transformed into a museum.

The same happened to the Hagia Sophia Museum in Iznik, and the high-profile reconversion of the Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul's most identifiable monument.

Many observers believe that President Erdogan, weakened internally by a bad economy and a lack of political perspective, is compensating with erasing part of the country's multiculturalism, aimed at shoring up the ranks of his Islamo-nationalist base.

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Between 2013-2018, 1,084 properties seized from non-Muslim foundations were returned.

Turkey's expulsion of Protestant Christians has fueled concerns about its treatment of minority religious groups.

The conversion of historical sites like the Church of Holy Saviour in Chora into mosques has sparked criticism, including from the Greek PM.

Title:

Content: The first Friday prayer in the old church of Istanbul that has been converted into a mosque - Sunrise Gate
Friday 10 May 2024 9: 23 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
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First Friday prayers held in the old Istanbul church that has been converted into a mosque
Istanbul - (DPA)
Published on: Friday 10 May 2024 - 7: 21 PM | Last updated on Friday 10 May 2024 - 7: 21 PM
Muslims held Friday prayers at the historic ancient church of Chora, one of Istanbul ’ s most famous Byzantine era monuments, for the first time since it was converted into a mosque, state broadcaster TRT reported.
The Chora Church, formerly a museum, was officially converted into a mosque in 2020.
After lengthy restoration work, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated the UNESCO World Heritage Site as a mosque on Monday.
It is noteworthy that in 2020, the famous Hagia Sophia church in Istanbul was converted into a mosque after a decree issued by Erdogan.
The two churches were converted into mosques after the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1435.
The Hagia Sophia became a museum in 1935 and Chora in 1945, and the conversion of the two churches was met with international criticism.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis criticized the transformation of Chora as "an act that offends Istanbul's rich history" ahead of his planned meeting with Erdogan on May 13 in Turkey.
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How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

The Chora Church, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was converted into a mosque in 2020.

The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453 led to the conversion of many churches into mosques.

How did the role of Hagia Sophia change following the Ottoman conquest?

Hagia Sophia became a central Islamic religious site for centuries

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,

Greece and the US have criticized Turkey's conversion of Hagia Sophia and other historical sites.

When discussing Hagia Sophia's reconversion, it's essential to emphasize its complex and contested history and cultural significance.

What was the significance of Hagia Sophia's conversion into a museum in 1934?

repositioned Hagia Sophia as a global cultural landmark.

Tourists should be aware of the site's entrances and rules to preserve its cultural and historical significance.

Title:

Content: Hagia Sophia gets new furry mascot

Hagia Sophia gets new furry mascot

ISTANBUL

A new cat has sauntered into the Hagia Sophia mosque’s newly opened visiting floor, capturing the hearts of local and foreign tourists in Istanbul and evoking the fond memory of Gli, the beloved feline who passed away in 2020.

As of Jan. 15, the Hagia Sophia was organized as a visiting floor with a gallery and a place of worship, and the entrances were separated. The practice was put forward as a solution to the long queue at the entrance of the historic site.

While the prayer hall of Hagia Sophia is free of charge for worshippers, those who want to see the gallery on the second floor pay 25 euros ($26 dollars).

Visitors of the gallery also get the chance to meet Hagia Sophia’s new mascot; the first cat to enter the visiting floor, likened to the famous Gli of the mosque.

The visitors could not resist petting the friendly cat which quickly became a favorite among locals and tourists alike.

Visitors lined up to pet the cat and have their photos taken with it as the cat's contented mood put a smile on their faces.

Hagia Sophia Museum,

The site's Byzantine and Ottoman architecture and stunning mosaics, as well as preservation efforts, should be highlighted.

What was the significance of Hagia Sophia's conversion into a museum in 1934?

repositioned Hagia Sophia as a global cultural landmark.

The Turkish government's decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque reflects the country's internal politics and cultural heritage.

Title:

Content: She returned Hagia Sophia to a mosque.
Turkey has challenged global trusteeship
Daily Morning
Istanbul, Turkey
Posted at 29.10.2022 10: 23
Hagia Sophia Mosque (Getty Images)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that the fact that Turkey has returned the Hagia Sophia museum from a museum to a mosque represents a major challenge to the global trusteeship.
Speaking at a ceremony announcing the vision of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) “Turkey ’ s Century ” in Ankara, Erdogan said his country was challenging global tutelage and thanked citizens for their support for the decision to return Hagia Sophia.
He noted that his party has always sought to eliminate any vestiges of guardianship and promote democracy in the country over the past 20 years.
Turkey has lived through a remarkable period in its history in general and the history of Istanbul, especially when Hagia Sophia was transformed from its status as a museum and restored to its former glory as the Grand Mosque of Hagia Sophia on July 24, 2020.
The historic building remained a church for 916 years until the conquest of Istanbul.
It was then used as a mosque between 1453 and 1934, nearly 500 years before becoming a museum for 86 years.
It is one of the most visited historical buildings in Turkey by domestic and international tourists, and Hagia Sophia was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985.
On July 10, 2020, a Turkish court overturned a 1934 ministerial decision that turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, paving the way for it to be used again as a mosque after an 86-year hiatus.

What political motivations influenced Erdogan's decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia?

The decision aimed to rally anti-Kemalist voters.

Erdogan's decision was influenced by Turkey's Islamic resurgence.

Tour guides can use dialogue and respect for diverse histories to address the concerns of tourists from various backgrounds.

What did the CALHSC president urge regarding decisions on Hagia Sophia?

Consider both Muslim and Christian voices

Tour guides can use earphones to guide tourists, following new rules to improve coexistence with worshippers.

Title:

Content: New rules come into force for the visit of Hagia Sophia Mosque in Turkey - Sunrise Gate
Tuesday 16 January 2024 2: 04 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
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New rules come into effect for visiting Hagia Sophia mosque in Turkey
DBA
Published on: Tuesday 16 January 2024 - 1: 54 PM | Last updated on Tuesday 16 January 2024 - 1: 54 PM
The project for the Hagia Sophia mosque was closest to the heart of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – but it was also the project that drew international criticism.
In the summer of 2020, Erdogan restored Hagia Sophia to be a mosque after it was originally a church, converted into an Ottoman mosque, converted into a museum.
At the time, Erdogan assured citizens that entry fees would be abolished, adding that the cultural edifice would remain open to everyone – Muslims or non-Muslims alike.
There will be another major change from January 15, with access to the Hagia Sophia restricted and visitors will have to pay fees again.
Turkish Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Arsoy hopes this will improve coexistence between religious and tourist visitors.
Arsoy said recently that tourist visitors are making noise and disrupting calm and prayer.
Until recently, visitors and worshippers were allowed to enter the interior of Hagia Sophia together, with barriers and signs keeping a certain distance between them.
However, from now on, worshippers and tourists will be introduced through different entrances.
Although worshippers can use the same entrances as before, tourists will be guided through an upstairs hallway.
According to Arsoy, tour guides will not be allowed to accompany visitors through the corridors, and earphones will be used instead.
“Our priority there is prayer, ” Arsoy said, noting that the building is a world cultural heritage site and should therefore remain open to all visitors around the world.
Zuleiha Duman, 29, who returned to Istanbul from Germany to see Hagia Sophia after it was converted into a mosque, said she found it taking away.
Welcoming the new rules, she said: “As long as the entrance fee isn ’ t too high, I think it ’ s acceptable. ”
“Why shouldn ’ t Turkey and the government take advantage of this place?
These funds can be channeled to preserve more religious places. ”
Hagia Sophia has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of Istanbul ’ s history since 1985.
Built by Emperor Justinian, Hagia Sophia was the largest place of worship in Christianity for nearly a thousand years, it was the main church during the Byzantine Empire, and from the seventh century, the emperor was crowned inside.
After the Ottomans entered Constantinople (now Istanbul) in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque.
On the orders of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the building was converted into a museum in 1934 until the summer of 2020.
Hagia Sophia is as symbolically important to Orthodox Christians around the world as St. Peter ’ s Basilica is to Catholics.
After the building was converted into a mosque, criticism poured in from the Greek Orthodox Church.
The UNESCO Foundation also criticized the decision without consultation.
For Erdogan, turning the place into a mosque was his “childhood dream, ” as he himself said, and pleasing to religious voters.
A few external changes were made at the time, for example, a green carpet was placed above the marble floor.
It seems clear that all these things did not detract from the popularity of this teacher.
According to official statistics, some 13.6 million people visited the Hagia Sophia landmark in 2022, not all of them from Europe.
The number of visitors from Indonesia in particular has risen, Hagia Sophia Imam Binyamin Topoglu told Turkey ’ s Anadolu news agency in 2023.
The amount of the fees has not yet been determined.
Tourism Minister Ersoy says the proceeds will be spent on cultural assets, for excavation or preservation of monuments such as the Hagia Sophia.
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The building is a world cultural heritage site, open to visitors with restricted access and separate tourist and worshipper entrances.

What was the significance of Hagia Sophia's conversion into a museum in 1934?

repositioned Hagia Sophia as a global cultural landmark.

UNESCO criticized the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque and recommended a visitor management plan.

Tour guides should know that Hagia Sophia, a former Orthodox cathedral turned mosque, needs restoration to withstand earthquakes.

Hagia Sophia will introduce entrance fees for foreign tourists and undergo extensive restoration work.

Turkish citizens can worship at Hagia Sophia for free, while foreign tourists must pay a ticket fee.

Title:

Content: Events
Entrance to Hagia Sophia will again be paid, but not for everyone
Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkey Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that visiting the Ayia Sophia mosque for foreign citizens from January 15 will be paid.
Ersoy, who held a press conference at the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM), said that according to the first 9 months of tourism, the total number of visitors, which last year amounted to 40.2 million people, increased to 45.2 million at the end of September.
Noting that Ayia Sophia and Sultanahmet Square are included in the UNESCO permanent heritage list, Ersoy said that they listened to the advice and opinions of UNESCO and implemented the decisions on the restoration of the Ayia Sophia Mosque.
Minister Ersoy stressed that from January 15, 2024, they will move to the management plan of the visitors of Agia Sofya on the recommendation of UNESCO, and said:
“In this management plan, the quality of visits and safety will be improved.
Density will be regulated by distributing it along different routes.
Again, our precious mosque will be incorporated into a very ideal ecosystem focused on protecting and promoting the "Common Heritage of Humanity".
According to Ersoy, the entrance for worshippers will remain the same, but the tourist entrance will change, so that these two streams will not change. that information about Hagia Sophia will be provided in 16 languages through an application with a QR code and headphones.
Ersoy added: “From now on, visitors will be able to complete the process by receiving detailed information about the entire history and iconography of Hagia Sophia in a quiet environment without disturbing the faithful. ”
Noting that from January 15, 2024, foreign tourists visiting the mosque will be charged a ticket fee, Ersoy said: “Visits by our Turkish citizens for the purpose of worship will be free as before.
This practice also exists in many countries. "
In general, judging by the words of Ersoy, the Hagia Sophia mosque will partially return to the function of a museum.
The most important question that may concern us now is whether the mosque will become accessible to believers from other countries?
Ersoy said that free entrance will remain only for Turkish citizens, but perhaps here he was simply referring to those who come to the mosque for the purpose of prayer, since it is obvious that the absolute majority of those praying are Turks.
In any case, we hope for this, because if passports are checked at the entrance to the mosque, and the descendants of Bosniaks or Albanians are asked to pay money so that they can pray in the mosque that their ancestors conquered in the army of Sultan Fatih Mehmed, any neo-Ottomanism can be put a bold end to.
Author: Jakub Hadžić
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Hagia Sophia information is available in 16 languages through an app.

Hagia Sophia's restoration followed UNESCO advice and will regulate visitor density through separate routes.

Digital technology, like headset guides with QR codes, can enhance the tour experience and provide more site information.

Tour guides must be respectful and able to communicate effectively with diverse tourists.

Title:

Content: Business

Tour Guides undergo first aid training

October 11, 2022 1:29 pm

[Photo: Supplied]

A community-based child-safe tourism toolkit has been developed by the Tourism Ministry.

Permanent Secretary Shaheen Ali highlighted this during a First Aid Training course for tour guides.

Ali says when tour guides make community tours, they need to ensure they’re respectful of women and children.

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He adds that the Ministry will soon also publish a Code of Conduct that will act as a guideline to maintain a standard of service, including in communities.

Ali stresses that tour guides play a special role in the tourism sector.

He says their role is well beyond showing tourists around and that they have a duty of care, which is why it is critical not just to meet requirements but to provide the level of service expected.

He says tourists put their trust in tour guides to handle emergencies and adds that one negative experience can jeopardize an entire destination’s reputation.

Ali says the first aid training will be for three years.

Tour guides need language proficiency and cultural awareness to promote cross-cultural understanding.

Title:

Content: ARTICLES
TOURIST GUIDE
Muhammad al-Hindawi is the author of the Qur'an.
Tourism in many countries is an important source of the economy, and therefore these countries pay special attention to it, in order to maximize the revenues achieved, by attracting more tourists.
One of the most important requirements of this environment, is the presence of guides or tour guides, who have the ability to enjoy the tourist through their availability to the conditions and requirements of this profession of great importance, and the visitor to the pyramids in Egypt, will find tour guides with the skill, tact and information that make them effective and successful, as they are better than others. Language and fluency, and the same applies to tour guides in other countries.
But the problem is that the reality of this vital sector still suffers from a lot of accumulations, and what is important here is to talk about the guide or tour guide in Iraq, especially after the spread in recent years, the phenomenon of tourist groups, as many tourism and travel companies organize tourist trips, and most of these are Excursions to the resorts of the Kurdistan region, where natural tourism, according to a program that covers the days of travel, and note that these companies began to resort to the adoption of the guide or tourist guide, but without regard to his competence or the level of culture, and his ability to persuade, and what information and how to deal with tourists, so his task is limited to explain the program and advertise the places included in the trip and broadcast songs, we are To Iraqi tourist areas, and therefore many of them may have more information about those areas than the guide itself, but what if we have foreign tourists, especially, in light of the possibility of coming many of these after the visit of the Pope to Iraq, as well as the entry of the marshes in the World Heritage List and the consequent great desire of many foreign tourists to visit the marshes, not to mention the monuments of Babylon, Nineveh, Ur and Samarra, It requires us to pay attention to the tourist guide, through high-level preparation processes, we have young people who have good abilities, but they need training and qualification, the most important requirements of the tourist guide, his proficiency in the English language, and his ability to deal with the tourist according to his culture and age, and be able to persuade and influence, and many other requirements. The disease is an important one of the size of the tourism sector in Iraq, which is expected to be an alternative to oil in the coming years.
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Tour guides should have a spirit of service, a professional network, and local knowledge to help visitors discover the site.

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The U.S.-China Tourist Association trains newcomers to prepare for the next wave of travel
In order to meet the recovery of the Sino-US tourism industry, the US-China Tourist Guide Association recently held a training event to train Chinese who aspire to become tour guides and reserve talents in the industry.
There are plenty of seats on the scene, many of them are new tour guides based on zero, and Tom Ye, who has brought thousands of groups, is a veteran of the industry.
He said that before the epidemic, there were at least 500 tour guides in Los Angeles, but due to the suspension of the epidemic tourism industry for more than three years, many senior tour guides have to support their families in large numbers to change careers, which is also an opportunity for newcomers to join the tour guide.
Although Sino-US relations are at a low ebb at present, it is only a matter of time before the tourism industry is fully opened to China, so there will be a tourist shortage in Los Angeles and even the United States, so new blood is needed.
He is very happy for the new people. Now the senior tour guide has time to share the experience with everyone. Once he is busy, no one can take the new people to train for internships.
The sharpening knife is not wrong with the woodcutter, now there are conditions to learn well first, and when the opportunity comes, you can take guests on the group at any time.
For new immigrants, the tourism industry is a very good job to build a network of professional, tour guide to have the spirit of service, like the guests want, all pay will have a return.
Lin Dong, who has been involved in the tour industry for 24 years, is a household name in the Chinese tour guide circle. He said that he has been in the United States for 27 years and has been in the tourism industry for 24 years.
Travel is a kind of life experience, to witness the traditions, culture, history and geography of different countries through personal experience.
Travel should not be a fast-food culture of dragonfly drinking water, nor should it be a "poor tour" like horse watching flowers.
The so-called reading of thousands of books but also travel thousands of miles, he often told guests not to look at the world, where to look at the world.
A good guide is to let tourists realize their ideal of "seeing the world".
Guides should be knowledgeable, while constantly updating their knowledge reserves, so that visitors can discover an America they don ’ t know.
He said that every travel line from design to booking implementation is dedicated to the efforts of countless people in the industry, but guests can not intuitively feel it.
The tour guide carries the expectations of the guests and the efforts of the company team, so the responsibility is heavy.
He felt obliged to make his own contribution to the reserve of Chinese tourist guides.
Scott Wu, who has led many public service groups, is also a gold tour guide in the industry, and he said that he has brought various types of groups, most of which are public service groups and involve different industries, so it is necessary to constantly upgrade and expand the knowledge reserve.
Huang Cheng, president of the U.S.-China Tour Guide Association, said that his 25 years of youth have been dedicated to the tour guide industry. The tour guide association was established in 2015, and there were 300 tour guides in the peak period of the association.
The six-week training programme, which aims to train new tour guides for the industry, includes offline training in Chinese and site visits to off-site locations.
The training includes not only the basics of American Human Geography, but also skills such as explaining communication skills and time management.
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Tour guide training should include American Human Geography, communication skills, and first aid for effective performance.

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Content: Business

Tour Guides undergo first aid training

October 11, 2022 1:29 pm

[Photo: Supplied]

A community-based child-safe tourism toolkit has been developed by the Tourism Ministry.

Permanent Secretary Shaheen Ali highlighted this during a First Aid Training course for tour guides.

Ali says when tour guides make community tours, they need to ensure they’re respectful of women and children.

Article continues after advertisement

He adds that the Ministry will soon also publish a Code of Conduct that will act as a guideline to maintain a standard of service, including in communities.

Ali stresses that tour guides play a special role in the tourism sector.

He says their role is well beyond showing tourists around and that they have a duty of care, which is why it is critical not just to meet requirements but to provide the level of service expected.

He says tourists put their trust in tour guides to handle emergencies and adds that one negative experience can jeopardize an entire destination’s reputation.

Ali says the first aid training will be for three years.

International cultural guidance standards are essential for providing high-quality and respectful tours.

Title:

Content: Sunday 3 July 2022
Prayer times
News Highlights
Today 's Issue
Today 's Issue
A culture
Participants in the program talk to the « Union »: « Cultural Guide » a purposeful initiative for Arab youth
Part of Tunisia ’ s participation in the training workshop (from source)
July 3, 2022 01: 54
Saad Abdul Radi (Abu Dhabi)
The Arab Cultural Guide is a rich program that seeks to raise the positive participation of Arab youth through the preparation of qualitative cultural guides, by qualifying them, and providing them with integrated experiences and qualifications that meet the needs of visitors to museums and cultural and historical sites, and in line with international cultural guidance standards, as cultural tourism is an important tributary of tourism and the economy.
Al Ittihad polled the opinions of a group of participants in the program after the success of the virtual scientific training workshop for the “Arab Cultural Guide ” program, which was launched by Sheikha Elyazia bint Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Ambassador of Arab Culture last April under the slogan“ In the past we cross the future ” in cooperation with the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO). 15 Arab countries from UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.
At the outset, the Director General of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science (ALECSO), Dr. Mohamed Ould Amer, said: “I thank Al-Ittihad newspaper for its interest in the activities and programs of the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science, especially the activities and events that fall within the program of the Arab Ambassador of Culture to ALECSO Sheikha Al Yazia bint Nahyan. ” The importance of this field and the civilizational messages it performs; because the cultural guide serves as a mediator between the treasures of our heritage and the audience of different groups and ages, hence this importance, and this danger at the same time.
He adds: Although this is the first cycle of this program, and as is said, the hardest thing to start with, we succeeded in engaging the majority of Arab countries and motivating young people and those interested in this field to participate in this program and the results were very good.
He added: “In the end, the Cultural Guide Program is a pioneering program, and Sheikha Al Yazia bint Nahyan rightly chose this topic to work on to raise the positivity of Arab youth, motivate them to visit museums, reconcile with their heritage and be proud of it.
Promotion of museum visits
For his part, Dr. Abdulrahman Osman Al-Sayed, member of the International Council of Museums (ICM), said: “There is no doubt that our Arab museums, despite their cultural richness and their large number exceeding 1000 museums, and according to many statistics, have witnessed a great reluctance of their visitors, especially from their local communities. Explanation of the objects presented, and perhaps the function of interpretation is the mainstay of the tasks of the museum guide; therefore, he bears the brunt of these factors.
During this important cultural project, I had the opportunity to share with a distinguished group of cultural mentors from several Arab countries the topic of digital museum guidance. Digital technology played an important role in helping the traditional museum guide to enhance museum visits. It also played a major role during the Corona pandemic when museums closed their doors to visitors, but it used digital technology as a powerful assistant to the traditional guide in this global health crisis. During the workshop, the participants discussed the forms of digital museum guidance within museums and their importance in enhancing museum visits, and concluded by reviewing the impact of these interactive distance museum tours on the learning outcomes of the visitor, and how and how to measure the impact factor of these tours.
In the past, we cross into the future.
Ghitha Rabouli, Governor of Sidi Mohammed bin Abdullah Museum in Essaouira, Kingdom of Morocco, said: “This program, launched by Sheikha Al Yazia bint Nahyan, Ambassador of Arab Culture in cooperation with the Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization and in partnership with the Arab Organization of Museums, and the participation of a number of interested people from brotherly and friendly Arab countries, is of great importance. ” A pioneering idea that establishes the reconstruction of concepts and the building of human beings, especially in light of the social and economic transformations that the world is witnessing.
The Cultural Guide is a cultural initiative that has involved personalities and institutions in crystallizing it on the ground.
The essence is to create reconciliation with historical monuments and museum institutions within our Arab homeland.
For his part, Izzedine Hajjaj, a specialist in the Department of Cultural Heritage Preservation, said: “The Cultural Guide program is a qualitative addition to the young people from the Arab region who participated in this program, and its importance lies in the fact that it was organized by the Ambassador of Arab Culture, the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science, and the Arab Organization of Museums, which have long experience in issues related to cultural heritage management and conservation.
He added that the program focused on important topics ranging from the skills to be acquired in museum guidance, the best way to integrate museums with the family and children, in addition to interactive museum tours, these issues occupy a great deal of study and discussion in the current period of international museums and institutions concerned with cultural heritage management, especially in light of the exceptional circumstances that the world is going through. as much public as possible.
The Cultural Guide program is a new space that contributes to the exchange of views and ideas between young people working in the field of cultural heritage and institutions concerned with heritage management, thus helping to develop strategies and plans for the future and future sustainability of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and contributes to the interaction of all members of the community to preserve, protect and display cultural heritage.
A Distinguished Initiative
Dr. Sharqi Dahmali, Vice President of the Arab Organization of Museums and member of the Advisory Board of the International Council of Museums, Kingdom of Morocco, said: “AMO is very pleased to join as partners in the first session of the Cultural Guide program as a distinguished initiative of Sheikha Yazia bint Nahyan, Ambassador of Arab Culture, who launched this cultural event under the theme“ In the past we cross the future ”.
He added: This program is very important for Arab museums, as it highlights one of the most important tasks of the museum institution, which is the function of museum guidance, and we at the Arab Organization of Museums are very interested in training the category of museum guides and developing their cognitive and practical abilities to maintain the effectiveness of their professional performance, through access to the latest technologies and knowledge in this important field.
All rights reserved to Al Ittihad Newspaper 2022 ©

Strategic partnerships can promote cross-cultural understanding and support cultural tourism development.

Title:

Content: Thursday 26 January 2023 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
Prayer times
News Highlights
Today 's Issue
Today 's Issue
A culture
Cultural tourism.
A mirror of civilizational dialogue
Cultural tourism.
A mirror of civilizational dialogue
January 26, 2023 00: 58
Nouf Al Mousa
Reading the concept of cultural tourism raised many fundamental questions about the extent to which people are aware of their personal experiences with the history of various places and civilizations, and how public knowledge spaces, with their museum dimensions, the spontaneity of their popular markets, the extension of their landscape environment, the depth of their literature, music, folkloric songs, and the rhythms of their people ’ s side talks, while wearing their national dress, and the architecture of their old houses. Cultural tourism, in its original essence, is a mirror of the local community in which the world reflects the opportunities to recognize the other, discover difference and diversity, and accept it as richness and aesthetic pluralism, what can be achieved by human beings in different countries of the world. Through it, it builds the possibility of understanding the common, at the level of emotional and sensory creativity, and turning it into a language capable of communication, awareness and development.
No one can visit a new place on the planet without being guided by the keys to its doors and secrets, not only through the artifacts discovered, but in a continuous chain of interaction of each country with its cultural experience throughout history, with all its births and artefacts, up to its current challenges and opportunities, most notably the data of cultural tourism in the age of digital technology.
In the journey of « Cultural Union », to learn about the experience of cultural tourism in the UAE, it was necessary to think about the different paths and support to build an integrated knowledge system, based on optimal human values, which formed a major part of the national strategy of the United Arab Emirates, most notably enhancing the value of multiple society, scientific work to document the material and oral heritage in official forums and organizations, Sustainable infrastructure in its growth, with the continuous expansion of cities, where it is linked by a network of cultural and recreational destinations with its heritage and contemporary dimensions at the level of the country, all pillars that support the tourist presence, and stimulate the development of a clear cultural tourism path, preparing the local community of Emiratis and residents, for community participation in supporting the cultural tourism movement.
Hence the qualitative questions of specialists and field experience on the components of cultural tourism logistics, the impact of the establishment of artistic centers and destinations in Dubai as a model, and how rural communities, being a direct extension of the impact of the natural environment, whether in mountainous, marine, agricultural or desert areas, affect the development of cultural tourism, as a community practice, and have a direct contribution to the GDP of the UAE.
Interactive environments
On thinking about the tourist ’ s path and experience in cultural environments, Nasser Juma bin Sulaiman, a specialist in the management of heritage sites, said that building integrated logistical mechanisms to support cultural tourism projects requires the collective efforts of teams from various local government institutions: “We are talking about roads and streets leading to the cultural destination, as well as car parks, public transport, and guest reception councils. Gradually, you first understand the heritage site, study its historical impact on the region, and look at the opportunities and challenges, especially since we are in the midst of an accelerating world of changes, so the heritage site may seem to many as fixed, but in the cultural experience it is considered variable, that is, at the level of the tourist awareness of the place, everyone sees it differently according to the time of visit. Cultural spaces are interactive living environments, able to communicate with the momentary awareness of the tourist. ”
Dubai has witnessed a remarkable development in the development of cultural sites, such as Al Fahidi Historical Neighborhood, Al Shindagha Neighborhood, Museum of the Future, Dubai Opera and other cultural and entertainment destinations.
Nasser Juma bin Sulaiman shows that the tour guide today is the main interface of the narrations of the place and its historical stories, and the bet is on the creative ability of the guide to weave the relationship between the tourist and the place, and promote the concept of cultural experience, not only to give and correct information, but to provide a real sense of these places.
Nasser Jomaa continued: « Attention to strategic partnership with tourism companies, and the training and rehabilitation of tour guides, is the point of the transition that can be achieved in the culture of tourism or culture tourism, both reflect ways of thinking of the contents of awareness of the importance of the human experience in local tourism, you are once you tell the story of the place, and draw hundreds of lives in the imagination of the tourist, you are certainly working to revive ».
Art Tourism
As for the visual artist Khalil Abdul Wahid, the possibility of distinguishing between the concept of “cultural tourism ” and“ art tourism ”, so to speak, explaining that he tends more to consider the arts as a specialized track in the cultural tourism system as a whole, because the arts in the UAE have two main dimensions.
Khalil lists several examples, including Art Dubai, which includes the commercial part, through the acquisition of works of art, and the knowledge part associated with workshops, seminars and artistic discussions, while at the Sharjah Biennial, the focus is clearly on the cognitive dimension and social and cultural awareness through the arts, so that the domestic visitor and the tourist coming to the UAE have different options according to his interests.
Khalil explains that the arts are by nature able to enhance the status of cultural tourism, as they create an interactive situation with places, and indirectly market the cultural dimensions of the city, providing an example of the Guggenheim Museum of Contemporary Art Bilbao, in Spain.
Youth Creations
One of the qualitative experiences regarding cultural tourism in natural rural areas is the “Hatta Cultural Nights ” event, which included cultural, heritage, musical and theatrical events in the Hatta area, which raises questions about the specificity of the natural environment and its impact on the experience of tourists in the UAE. She explained that the event has already turned into a platform to discover the cultural interests of the people of the region, including the remarkable demand for theatrical performances, where the audience asked for the possibility of holding them again in future occasions, which provides them with an important indication of the presence of the cultural act in the Hatta community.
She added that Hatta Cultural Nights contributed to the provision of youth creativity through the participation of volunteers, who expressed their potential and desire to be part of any event that serves their region, thus making cultural tourism an active contributor to the knowledge development of the people of the region in how to manage cultural projects and their mechanism of work.
“Hatta Cultural Nights ” included educational workshops in various cultural, heritage and entertainment disciplines, making the event a space to discover talented people, develop their skills and transfer them to an advanced level, which suggests the role played by cultural tourism in supporting creativity in the artistic, performance, literary and social sectors in local communities.
And how the tourism development plans of the region will establish a sustainable cultural infrastructure, through which the Hatta area will move to be a cultural destination for cultural meetings and activities of the most important community initiatives and events in the creative and cultural sectors.
What we need during this phase is to make the best use of the picturesque nature of the region, and to embed its presence in the cultural experience of those who come to it. What distinguishes Hatta is mainly the mountain overlap with the homes of citizens close to each other, which suggests social intimacy, capable of being a quality experience for the region ’ s explorers coming from different countries of the world.
All rights reserved to Al Ittihad Newspaper 2023 ©

Well-trained tour guides can promote cross-cultural understanding and respect among Hagia Sophia visitors.

Title:

Content: Celsia Bocarro: This Travelling Grandmother And Indologist Is Still A Sought-after Tour Guide

Celsia Bocarro: This Travelling Grandmother And Indologist Is Still A Sought-after Tour Guide

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Tuesday, March 05, 2024, 09:59 AM IST

From the author of Freedom At Midnight Dominique Lapierre to former governor of Maharashtra Dr PC Alexander, to delegations of senators, diplomats and associations of professionals from nations as diverse as France, Germany, Belgium and Syria Celsia Bocarro has worked as a regional-level tourist guide since 1976. Simultaneously, Celsia has also served as a French/ German interpreter and translator for various corporate clients.

Now a great grandmother who calls herself a “travelling grandmother”, Celsia has worked on a regular basis as a tour director, accompanying French/German/English-speaking groups through various regions of India,” she said. “In addition, I have often been invited as a resource person and lecturer on different aspects of Indian culture such as art, archaeology, philosophy, religion, traditions and social practices in India.”

Trained as a biochemist, she gave up working for a few years to look after her baby, but then took a course to become a certified tour guide, later learning German and French  because there was a demand for guides who could speak  foreign languages. Celsia is the daughter of the late social activist Prof Almeida, after whom Almeida Park in Bandra is named.

On two occasions, Celsia was invited to France to give a series of talks as an Indologist promoting tourism to India. “It is the passion of sharing things about my country that drives me,” Celsia said.

She recently concluded a tour on which she was a guide, escort and a faculty member who gave lectures, along with the likes of William Dalyrymple, to a group of CEOs from US and Europe who travelled to Agra, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Mumbai.

“Well-trained and licensed tourist guides are important to establish a good reputation of tourist practices and destinations,” said Jerroo Bharrucha, president of the Tourist Guides Association Of Mumbai. “Senior tour guides like Celsia play the role of brand ambassadors of our tradition of hospitality.”

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Tour guides inform tourists about Hagia Sophia's history, changes, and new rules.

Guides can explain the significance of Byzantine art and its impact on religious tolerance.

Tour guides can focus on the site's historical and cultural value as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What was the significance of Hagia Sophia's conversion into a museum in 1934?

repositioned Hagia Sophia as a global cultural landmark.

Tour guides can address tourist concerns by expressing empathy and mentioning the visitor management policy.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has been criticized by the Greek Orthodox Church and other organizations.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Tour guides can provide information on the Turkish government's preservation efforts, which are funded in part by entry fees.

Tour guides can mention ongoing restoration and new security measures to address safety concerns.

Tour guides can highlight Hagia Sophia's historical and cultural significance while acknowledging Orthodox Christian concerns.

What did the CALHSC president urge regarding decisions on Hagia Sophia?

Consider both Muslim and Christian voices

What was the original historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia in the Byzantine Empire?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Tour guides can demonstrate a commitment to preserving the site's cultural and historical value by citing UNESCO's recommendations.

Tour guides can discuss responsible tourism practices and the importance of respectful coexistence.

The 2020 conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque by Turkish President Erdogan has been widely criticized.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

Hagia Sophia was a museum from 1934 to 2020, symbolizing Turkey's multiculturalism that its conversion has erased.

The site is a UNESCO World Heritage site and holds historical importance as a former Byzantine cathedral and Ottoman mosque.

How did the role of Hagia Sophia change following the Ottoman conquest?

Hagia Sophia became a central Islamic religious site for centuries

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,

What was the original historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia in the Byzantine Empire?

Served as the central church of Byzantine Christianity,

Tour guides may struggle to provide historical context due to the conversion being a sensitive topic.

Tour guides could highlight the site's architectural and historical significance in Byzantine and Ottoman history.

Tour guides should be aware of the entrances and rules to avoid unintentional offense or disruption.

Earphones or headsets with QR codes can provide tourist information without a physical guide, minimizing the risk of taking a sensitive stance.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia has been criticized by the Greek Orthodox Church for removing its Christian heritage.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

What was the original historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia in the Byzantine Empire?

Who was angered by the reconversion of Hagia Sophia in July 2020?

The Turkish government has implemented measures, including entrance fees and separate entrances, to manage the site's large number of visitors.

The site's structural integrity is a concern due to the large number of visitors, with fragments falling from the dome because of crowd humidity.

Restoration work is underway, guided by UNESCO recommendations for quality and safety.

Tour guides must be sensitive to Hagia Sophia's complex history and provide respectful information to visitors.

Sharing personal experiences helps tour guides at Hagia Sophia connect with their audience.

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Four Ways To Turn A Speech Into A Gift

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Chiara Alzati: CEO and founder, Chiara Alzati Srl; corporate effective communication and public speaking trainer, speaker, and author.

Addressing an audience comes with a profound responsibility, extending beyond mere knowledge transfer. It involves catalyzing a transformation in individuals, offering them a precious gift beyond words. For those outside the realm of professional communication, achieving this depth involves several key strategies.

1. Keep it simple.

First and foremost, simplicity in a speech is crucial. Ensuring that every word is accessible to all is a fundamental concept. Never presume that the audience shares familiarity with certain concepts. Similes become powerful tools, especially when tackling complex topics. For example, explaining cognitive neuroscience to a sophisticated audience might involve portraying it as deciphering the brain's neural code—a journey akin to exploring an intricate library where each neuron is a book, and synapses are pages rich with knowledge.

2. Share personal experiences.

Sharing personal experiences is the second pillar. Narrating your own story not only establishes a genuine connection with the audience but also serves as a powerful tool for inspiration. Your personal narrative is what sets you apart, making you unique and uncopyable. This authenticity reflects the richness of your journey and the valuable lessons learned throughout your life. Stories are powerful in creating connections, allowing the audience to empathize.

3. Maintain high energy.

Maintaining a high energy level in the room is the third element. It is crucial to keep the audience engaged and receptive to your message. The room should be conceived as a dynamic space where the energy you exude sets the tone for the entire interaction. Music can serve as a powerful mood enhancer, establishing an atmosphere that complements and reinforces the emotions you wish to convey. Whether it's an upbeat tune to invigorate or a melodic backdrop to evoke reflection, the right musical choice can significantly impact the audience's receptiveness.

The audience senses your energy level. If it is low, attention in the room tends to diminish.

Energetic body language is a visual manifestation of your enthusiasm and passion. Movements that mirror the rhythm of your message, purposeful gestures that emphasize key points and a confident posture contribute to a captivating and dynamic stage presence. Your body becomes a conduit for the energy you aim to convey, creating a more immersive experience for your audience.

Vocal variety adds an auditory dimension to your presentation. Modulating your tone, pitch and pace prevents monotony, sustaining the audience's interest. A well-timed pause, an emphatic rise in volume or a deliberate change in pitch can emphasize critical points and infuse vitality into your message.

If you are compelled to speak behind a podium, leverage the power of gestures and vocal variety even more to compensate for the inability to move around the stage. Avoid leaning on the podium, staying rigid and speaking in a flat and monotonous tone.

4. Connect with the audience.

The fourth element involves creating genuine connections with individuals through authenticity. The pursuit of perfection can be a stumbling block. Approaching the audience with a light-hearted spirit of sharing enhances effectiveness. In contrast, when emphasis is placed on performance and meticulous control, a disconnection from the audience often ensues. Falling into the perfection trap as a speaker leads to focusing on oneself rather than the people in your audience. Remember, the audience is not interested in a perfect speaker; they want to grasp the value you can bring with your speech.

Bring it all together.

To seamlessly integrate these four elements, speakers should ask themselves: "What could I do in my next presentation to ensure that my audience has an experience akin to a 4D cinema?" The goal is to transport your audience into a captivating and immersive journey, ensuring they not only hear but also feel the essence of your message.

Expanding further on this concept, speakers can leverage cinematic dimensions: emotional, interactive, temporal and scenic.

• The emotional dimension involves establishing a deep connection with the audience, using vivid images and emotions to convey messages. For example, instead of declaring a decision was difficult, one can liken it to standing at a crossroads with multiple paths, each wrapped in uncertainty.

• The interactive dimension goes beyond the conventional one-way communication model, incorporating real-time polls, Q&A sessions and participatory activities. Actively engaging the audience transforms the presentation into a dynamic dialogue, ensuring active involvement.

• The temporal dimension leverages an awareness of time throughout the presentation, encompassing past, present and future. Physically embodying this temporal journey by strategically positioning oneself on the stage enhances visual engagement. When at the center of the stage, delve into the present; as you move toward one side, explore the past, and on the other, project into the future.

• The scenic dimension involves orchestrating the stage setting, ensuring seamless management of scenic elements and strategically incorporating props—tangible objects that serve as visual aids. A well-managed scenography captures the audience's attention and establishes a context that reinforces the core message. The judicious use of props adds a dynamic layer to the presentation, clarifying complex ideas.

If sharing a personal story, consider bringing on stage a personal item with special meaning related to the narrative, creating a more emotional connection with the audience.

My wish for you is always to ask yourself: "How can I truly make my next speech special, considering it as a genuine gift for my audience?" When you ask this question and give yourself time for answers, you are heading in the right direction. You are hitting play on your creativity and curiosity, both essential elements to turn your next speech into a true masterpiece, making you understood, admired and remembered. A speech should never be just a speech; it should always be considered as a gift. And as a speaker, you are always Santa Claus—remember that!

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Storytelling creates connections and empathy with the audience, enabling tour guides to engage with diverse tourists.

Personal anecdotes are a valuable tool for Hagia Sophia tour guides to connect with diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

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Darkness And Light: The Power Of Telling Your Best Travel Stories

Storytelling is one of the pleasures of travel. Whether written in a journal, placed on social media, or shared verbally in a group when you return from a trip — and often long after — a personal travel tale, told well, brings pleasure to you and others.

I’ve been traveling internationally since the 1960s, to over a hundred countries, and through the years I’ve used the stories of those travels in a variety of ways. I wrote informative travel articles and guidebooks for many years, where the goal was to report about the good stuff: the best restaurants, the prettiest gardens, the hotel room with a great view. That’s information most readers want, of course, as they plan trips.

But when I started writing personal articles and books, I longed to write about the realities I couldn’t tell before, and the names of my two latest books state just that: Travel Tales I Couldn’t Put in The Guidebooks, is one. And my recent memoir, Places I Remember: Tales, Truths, Delights from 100 Countries. (The “tales” and “truths” — aka the tough memories — make better reading than the “delights,” I think.)

Nightmares resonate more than sweet dreams, and so it is with travel. We enjoy good times as we experience them, but when we return to tell our tales to friends and family, it’s often the difficult, dark parts of our journey we recount: stories of resistance and unease, rather than ones about snagging the best room at a luxury hotel or meeting the chef at the six-course dinner.

I long ago realized that the best experiences do not usually make the best stories. They might have been highlights of your travels, but they often do not hold up well in the telling. Your pleasures do not always translate to listeners. In some cases your enthusiasm may even come across as bragging.

On the other hand, it’s hard for a listener to disengage when there’s conflict or suspense, not usually the best and most successful parts of a trip, but often the best stories: ones where you conquer a fear, manage to squeak through a bad or awkward situation, or where a lesson is learned from trial and error.

Some bad experiences are boring, so you need to sort that out: missed flights, sitting next to a smelly jerk, a stifling hotel room with no air-conditioning, a backache after a bumpy road to a lodge. Telling those tales come across more like venting.

What is worth retelling is the difficult, dangerous, unusual situation, where readers or listeners can think, ‘Wow, she made it!’ And even ‘Whew, that didn’t happen to us!’.

My son Randall, an expert writer and editor, became aware of the power of a tale early: “In college, I interned at the Wall Street Journal and wrote a front page story on the shortage of women in Alaska for a magazine .... Oprah did a whole episode on it, Cosmo accepted the story, and I could see as a 20-year old, the power of storytelling to get the whole world talking about something. I’ve been hooked ever since.”

Some travel travails I’ve written and talked about: getting sick on my honeymoon in Acapulco; unknowingly eating deer penis in Hong Kong and eating in pitch darkness in Zurich; being embarrassed at a cremation in Bali; walking alone through the death camp at Auschwitz; packing no shoes on a luxury cruise; missing the mail boat, and being separated from my husband on a ferry in Norway.

Then there was the time a Moroccan butcher ran after me with a bloody knife because I made a face at a calf’s head covered in flies in the sun. There was the horse ride from hell over Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies; and on the other side of Canada, the scary kayak ride in New Brunswick as the highest tides in the world rose in the Bay of Fundy.

I’ve told stories of a ship tilting in the Atlantic on our way from Europe to Bermuda, and our time in the pirate zone. The smoke on the plane as we landed. Muggings in Sweden and Barcelona; a smash-and-grab in a car, when my jewelry was nabbed.

Writing personal tales led me even further, to talking about them on my travel podcast, again named Places I Remember, where besides offering information, guests share their tales, and end each episode with a favorite. And I do encourage them to tell the darker, more personal ones, which make the most impact.

Yes, there are many more good experiences than bad. But as for as storytelling and delighting your audience, wouldn’t you be more curious about the twists and turns when my nanny’s mum lost her prosthetic eyeball, and it caused us to cancel a trip, rather than listen to me extol about the upgrade we got at the ski lodge?

So share your travel mishaps and mistakes, scares and losses, with details and drama. And take notes. If there are enough tales to tell, there may be a book or podcast in your future too.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedInCheck out my website or some of my other work here

Tour guides can use storytelling to share Hagia Sophia's rich history, making a greater impact through emotional experiences.

Travel guides can use storytelling to help tourists understand Hagia Sophia's complex historical and cultural significance.

There is no direct information on how these strategies can be effectively employed at Hagia Sophia.

Tour guides can use storytelling to explain local traditions and create emotional connections at Hagia Sophia.

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Content: Sunday, December 12

Sabah tour operators urged to promote story telling

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Joniston receiving a momento from Anna Vivienne (left) at the launching of her book entitled “Hauntings and Ghostly Whispers”. – photo courtesy of Edmund Samunting/STB

KOTA KINABALU (Dec 12): Story telling should be included in tourism programme in rural tourism especially in homestays, kampungstays and farmstays.

As these establishments main thrust is to provide their tourists an in-depth experience of local lifestyles in rural environments, story-telling will enhance their experience with their host families.

Sabah Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said there are many and various tourism products being promoted by such enterprises nowadays, most of which banked on the environment and the people.

“We have trekking, bird watching and herbs introduction for our tourists. These are the products that can be tapped extensively. Inevitably, tour guides can explain what taboos are observed and traditions required to pluck, pick or dig these medicinal plants,” he said.

According to him, tourists who go for rural tourism, however, may not only be interested in the natural environment and kampung lifestyle but also their beliefs.

“They will be interested to know about our cultural and traditional background. I believe that storytelling is an activity that should be presented as one of the programmes within the destination,” Joniston who is also Sabah Tourism Board Chairman said.

Speaking during the launching of a book entitled “Hauntings and Ghostly Whispers”written by Anna Vivienne, at Rumah Terbalik Tamparuli, he said storytelling, when done correctly and finely, can create an emotional connection between visitors and the hosts.

This emotional connection is a great form of tourism, where understanding and respect are incepted, he said, adding that emotion is a powerful reaction that can create a strong bond, which in tourism can result in a ripple effect, a form of promotion, and therefore return visits.

He said homestay, kampung stay and farmstay programmes have tremendous offerings in form of traditional food, nature walks, trekking, bird watching, herbs and the general atmosphere of the village.

“Add on storytelling, even on how the village was established and this can act as the ‘soul’ of the package. Guides, when they have storytelling skills can talk about the spiritual aspects of a trek; thereby creating a sort of entertaining but informative experience for their tourists.

“Your marketing tools should sew the tangible and intagible together. This can allow you to create a memorable experience for visitors and allow your tourism operator network to work together to continue the storytelling cycle.”

Tourism is vital for the success of many economies in the State and economic revenue and thousands of jobs are generated through this industry, which in turn develop the infrastructures of the destination in question, he said.

Jobs and income opportunities created by tourism are significant with many spin-offs from homestays with their own itinerary or programme, he said, adding that they include guides, who will earn a certain sum per assignment, handicraft sellers who sell their ware, food vendors who offer traditional food, traditional dancers during welcoming ceremonies and of course, in future, story-tellers who might tell their tales in the evenings for guests.

On the book, he said this book is an excellent souvenir for tourists who don’t wish to lug a heavy luggage.

“It can be a keepsake for those who are interested to know about the superstitions, beliefs and taboos of the local people. This book can also be used by movie makers who wish to create series on this genre and it can be used as a guideline for those who want to include storytelling in their tourism package,” he stressed.

Storytelling can promote cultural background, essential for tourists visiting historic sites like Hagia Sophia.

Well-trained guides can establish a good reputation for Hagia Sophia through storytelling and personal anecdotes.

The search results lack information on the controversy surrounding Hagia Sophia's reconversion into a mosque and Erdogan's motivations.