The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a highly controversial issue, with many countries, including the US and Greece, criticizing the move.

The decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque has been seen as a challenge to Turkey's secularism and religious freedom, with many observers believing that President Erdogan is erasing part of the country's multiculturalism to shore up the ranks of his Islamo-nationalist base.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque implies a hierarchy, prioritizing the Islamic past over other layers, including Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish, and Syriac.

In Islamic tradition, artwork of human figures is forbidden in places of prayer, which has led to the covering of mosaics of Jesus and Mary in Hagia Sophia with curtains.

The Turkish government's decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque has been met with international criticism, including from the Greek Orthodox Church and UNESCO, with many arguing that it is a political move with significant religious undertones.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque has sparked concerns about the preservation of Turkey's rich Orthodox Christian heritage and the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians in the region.

As a tour guide in Istanbul, it is essential to be aware of the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of visitors when addressing questions and concerns about the Hagia Sophia conversion.

Tour guides can acknowledge the historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia by mentioning its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site and its importance as a symbol of co-existence and multi-faith living practices.

Guides can address concerns about the change from a museum to a mosque by explaining the history of the building, including its past as an Orthodox cathedral and its current use as a mosque.

The language and tone used by tour guides when discussing the Hagia Sophia conversion should be neutral and respectful to avoid taking a political or religious stance.

Tour guides should focus on providing historical and factual information about the Hagia Sophia, avoiding any language that may be perceived as biased or offensive.

By being mindful of the information they provide and avoiding negative stereotypes, tour guides can help promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, while also avoiding the perpetuation of negative stereotypes or stigma.

The role of the tour guide is not just to provide information, but also to facilitate a meaningful and respectful interaction between the tourist and the local community.

Tour guides should be aware of the potential impact of their words and actions on the local community and cultural heritage, and they should strive to promote a culture of empathy, equality, and respect.

The Turkish government has introduced new rules for visiting the Hagia Sophia mosque, including separate entrances for worshippers and tourists, to improve coexistence between the two groups.

The priority is to maintain the mosque's religious function, while also keeping it open to all visitors from around the world.

The entrance fee will be used to fund the preservation of cultural and religious sites in Turkey.

Hagia Sophia is a symbolically important site for Orthodox Christians worldwide, similar to the importance of St. Peter's Cathedral for Catholics.

Tour guides can inform visitors about the large number of tourists the site receives, with 21 million visitors in the past three years, and the potential strain this puts on the monument's structure.

Guides can mention the restoration work that is underway, including plans for long-term maintenance and a visitor management policy to enhance the quality and safety of visits while preserving the site's historical significance.

The Turkish government has implemented restoration decisions for the Hagia Sophia based on UNESCO's advice and opinions.

A visitor management plan will be implemented to regulate the density of visitors and improve the quality of visits and safety.

Information about the Hagia Sophia will be provided in 16 languages through a QR code application and headphones.

Visitors will be able to access detailed information about the history and iconography of the Hagia Sophia in a quiet environment without disturbing worshippers.

By providing accurate and informative responses, tour guides can help promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, while also avoiding the perpetuation of negative stereotypes or stigma.

The certification process for tour guides involves rigorous training and evaluation to ensure that they possess a deep understanding of the history, culture, and significance of the sites they are guiding.

The attestation process for tour guides aims to control the content of their speeches and ensure that they correspond to approved materials and do not perpetuate negative stereotypes or misinformation.

Tour guides should be aware of the potential impact of their words and actions on the local community and cultural heritage, and they should strive to promote a culture of empathy, equality, and respect.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque in 2020 by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a highly controversial issue, with many countries, including the US and Greece, criticizing the move.

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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Title:

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

Published: Updated:
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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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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

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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
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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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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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How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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

The decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque has been seen as a challenge to Turkey's secularism and religious freedom, with many observers believing that President Erdogan is erasing part of the country's multiculturalism to shore up the ranks of his Islamo-nationalist base.

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.

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque implies a hierarchy, prioritizing the Islamic past over other layers, including Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Jewish, and Syriac.

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.

In Islamic tradition, artwork of human figures is forbidden in places of prayer, which has led to the covering of mosaics of Jesus and Mary in Hagia Sophia with curtains.

The Turkish government's decision to convert Hagia Sophia into a mosque has been met with international criticism, including from the Greek Orthodox Church and UNESCO, with many arguing that it is a political move with significant religious undertones.

How did Muslims and Orthodox Christians react to the reconversion?

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.

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

The conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque has sparked concerns about the preservation of Turkey's rich Orthodox Christian heritage and the religious freedom of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the remaining Christians in the region.

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?

As a tour guide in Istanbul, it is essential to be aware of the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of visitors when addressing questions and concerns about the Hagia Sophia conversion.

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

Consider both Muslim and Christian voices

Tour guides can acknowledge the historical and cultural significance of Hagia Sophia by mentioning its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site and its importance as a symbol of co-existence and multi-faith living practices.

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

repositioned Hagia Sophia as a global cultural landmark.

Guides can address concerns about the change from a museum to a mosque by explaining the history of the building, including its past as an Orthodox cathedral and its current use as a mosque.

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

Sultan Mehmed II converted Hagia Sophia into a mosque,

Hagia Sophia became a central Islamic religious site for centuries

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

Served as the central church of Byzantine Christianity,

The language and tone used by tour guides when discussing the Hagia Sophia conversion should be neutral and respectful to avoid taking a political or religious stance.

Tour guides should focus on providing historical and factual information about the Hagia Sophia, avoiding any language that may be perceived as biased or offensive.

By being mindful of the information they provide and avoiding negative stereotypes, tour guides can help promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, while also avoiding the perpetuation of negative stereotypes or stigma.

The role of the tour guide is not just to provide information, but also to facilitate a meaningful and respectful interaction between the tourist and the local community.

Title:

Content: BARBERINO-TAVERNELLE, TUSCANY— There’s a big difference between a tour host and a tour guide. A tour guide goes through rigorous training for a particular city, region, or institution. They do a deep dive into history, dates, personalities, and minute details into towns and locales such as Florence, Italy. The detailed comprehension required to become certified is amazing and the depth of knowledge these guides possess once training is completed is impressive.

My friend, and coworker, Marina Mengelberg, is a registered tour guide for Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, and the Tuscan region. Each of those areas require specific training. One must know thousands of details and facts, from structural landmarks on the city streets, to the lineage of artist’s families, to religious history and symbolism and a depth of knowledge in architectural details, to the point that one becomes a walking history book and reference guide at the end of the training.

Once the intense training is complete, the hopeful guide must sit in front of a six-person panel in a scenario that sounds a lot like defending one's thesis. The room is crowded behind the six questioners. In a high-pressure situation, everyone in the gallery is watching as the tour-guide candidate spends the next hour or so answering questions such as, “In the Uffizi Gallery, on the third floor, in the second room, and the third painting on the right, who is that artist’s mother and why is she important?

I don't possess that kind of knowledge, nor do I have time to do the work that would go into such training, even if my memory would allow it. That's partially why I am a tour host. In my travels I have found certain places that I love, locals-only restaurants, wineries, out-of-the-way historical institutions, and local finds that I enjoy sharing with others. There's something deep inside me that loves turning people onto new things. I've always been that way.

I am probably the living example of the adage, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I don't claim to be an expert at anything but there are a couple of areas where I feel I am extremely competent. One area in which I believe I'm very good— and my track record proves it— is that I have some type of intrinsic ability to pick excellent tour guides. I'm pretty good at picking nice hotels and villas as well.

Marina Mengelberg is the ultimate example of my ability to recognize talent and saddle up alongside it. It's obviously a major benefit that my wife and I have become very good friends with her, and her children. Mengelberg possesses the raw, natural ability to connect with whomever she is with at the moment. That is the difference in a great guide and someone who can regurgitate facts on cue.

First and foremost, a great guide must be relatable. Seems simple, but that is not an easy thing to accomplish. Actually, it's probably the hardest thing to do in that field. There are plenty of people who can walk through a city or museum and recite dry facts. It's another thing to make people feel comfortable, grateful, appreciative, and willing to learn more in the process. There is a certain amount of charm and self-awareness that needs to be added to the mix of knowledge and training, too. But when those components all come together, the perfect guide is born.

Mengelberg is Dutch and grew up in the Netherlands watching American television. Other than her God-given intelligence and natural charm, I think that's a lot of the source of her relatability— and especially with southerners— as one of her favorite shows as a child was the “Dukes of Hazard.” I have never seen an episode of the “Dukes of Hazard,” but I know John Schneider, and once had him autograph an 8 by 10 glossy for Marina.

As Baby Boomers, we also grew up on American television. That is the connection. It's not that Marina ever talks about American TV shows. That topic never comes up. It's just the sensibility is there and there is a common denominator that allows her to connect and be relatable. Connection and relatability is the key to gaining one’s trust. The learning follows, easily.

Connection is not easy. The groups I host are varied in age, background, and region. Although they mostly come from the South. The fact that a Dutch born person, who's lived in Tuscany for the past 20 years can connect with Americans from California, to Florida, to Hattiesburg is an admirable trait.

This tour-hosting gig happened organically and started with the idea of taking a small group of people to Tuscany, once. That group filled in an afternoon and a waiting list was created. Then the waiting list grew a waiting list. After touring Tuscany several times, those guests started asking, “Where are we going next?” I figured Venice is the most unique city in the world, Bologna is the food capital of Italy, and Milan is beautiful at Christmastime, so I hosted a couple of those tours. Again, they asked “Where are we going next?” So, we toured Rome, the Amalfi Coast, and Naples.

Next Spain was added, and when I hosted that trip last March it was filled with almost all seasoned alumni of my past trips, For some it was their fourth or fifth trip with me. It should be noted that I have never been a fan of group travel. My wife and I have avoided those types of trips, always. But this is nothing like group travel. I’m not sure why it doesn’t feel that way, but it never has. It’s just like a group of friends getting together and discovering new places.

There was a group of eight ladies dining together in one of my new restaurants just a few weeks ago. All of them had traveled with me before some three or four times. At one point during their meal, I asked if any of them had known each other before going on the tours. The unanimous answer was, “No.” I’m not sure if I have ever felt more pride in something I’ve done in this tour-hosting career. I was a small component in creating eight bonds among newly made friends. They’re traveling with me in the future, too.

I was once invited to a reunion that was held by one of my previous groups, as a guest. They had connected so fittingly on their trip they wanted to stay in touch a few years later. I was not involved in planning of the reunion other that being asked to attend as an invitee.

We released next spring’s Spain trip dates and the tour filled in 90 minutes. The Holland-Belgium tour filled in an afternoon. Both groups were almost all veterans. My first thought was, “I must be doing something right on these trips.” But then I checked my ego at the door and realized that it’s people like Marina Mengelberg, and a dozen others who make an impact on people as they travel with me to these foreign lands. I hope each of them know how grateful I am and that I’ll never take them for granted.

Onward.

Robert St. John, who has spent four decades in the restaurant business, is the author of eleven books. For over 20 years, St. John has written a weekly syndicated newspaper column, and has been named the state’s top chef for three consecutive years and was honored as Mississippi Restaurateur of the Year.

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Tour guides should be aware of the potential impact of their words and actions on the local community and cultural heritage, and they should strive to promote a culture of empathy, equality, and respect.

The Turkish government has introduced new rules for visiting the Hagia Sophia mosque, including separate entrances for worshippers and tourists, to improve coexistence between the two groups.

The priority is to maintain the mosque's religious function, while also keeping it open to all visitors from around the world.

The entrance fee will be used to fund the preservation of cultural and religious sites in Turkey.

Hagia Sophia is a symbolically important site for Orthodox Christians worldwide, similar to the importance of St. Peter's Cathedral for Catholics.

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

Served as the central church of Byzantine Christianity,

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

Tour guides can inform visitors about the large number of tourists the site receives, with 21 million visitors in the past three years, and the potential strain this puts on the monument's structure.

Guides can mention the restoration work that is underway, including plans for long-term maintenance and a visitor management policy to enhance the quality and safety of visits while preserving the site's historical significance.

The Turkish government has implemented restoration decisions for the Hagia Sophia based on UNESCO's advice and opinions.

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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A visitor management plan will be implemented to regulate the density of visitors and improve the quality of visits and safety.

Information about the Hagia Sophia will be provided in 16 languages through a QR code application and headphones.

Visitors will be able to access detailed information about the history and iconography of the Hagia Sophia in a quiet environment without disturbing worshippers.

By providing accurate and informative responses, tour guides can help promote cross-cultural understanding and appreciation, while also avoiding the perpetuation of negative stereotypes or stigma.

The certification process for tour guides involves rigorous training and evaluation to ensure that they possess a deep understanding of the history, culture, and significance of the sites they are guiding.

The attestation process for tour guides aims to control the content of their speeches and ensure that they correspond to approved materials and do not perpetuate negative stereotypes or misinformation.

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Content: Qualification according to the new rules has been increased by 8% of tour guides
Shcherbakova Evgenia
The first fifty Sevastopol guides improved their professional qualifications and received the appropriate certificates of readiness to conduct excursions according to the rules established at the federal level.
The ceremonial presentation of the documents took place on November 24 in the Tourist Information Center of Sevastopol.
Training within the framework of the state program, that is, free for tour guides, was held from 1 to 11 November on the basis of Sevastopol State University.
According to the head of the Tourism Department Larisa Ostapenko, last year the mandatory advanced training touched the specialists of the hotel sector, this was the turn of guides and translators.
On the territory of Sevastopol now work about 600 guides, that is, compulsory training has so far passed a little more than 8%.
Despite the fact that for some reason only eleven out of fifty came to the presentation of certificates, most of which are people with clearly solid professional experience.
That is why the question of the practical need for such training immediately arose.
However, L. Ostapenko explained that during the study, the guides replenished their knowledge with valuable information on legal content and security issues.
But this was not limited to – in the classrooms they were taught some methodological issues: how to properly put a group on new requirements or correctly convey the excursion material.
When asked on what principle the first fifty guides were chosen, L. Ostapenko answered that, based on voluntary applications, there was no competitive selection.
- After completing the training, our specialists can safely pass the certification and engage in their activities in accordance with federal legislation, - said L. Ostapenko, adding that the certification for each guide is held every five years.
In our case, the certification should be carried out before July 1, 2023, before that it is allowed to work according to the old scheme, but from July 1, verification actions will begin, although the procedure for their conduct is still being developed.
- From July 1, 2023, the conduct of excursion activities will be impossible without mandatory certification, it was introduced including for the control of excursion texts, which must correspond to the materials developed by methodologists.
It often happens that guides tell some of their stories and legends that do not correspond to reality.
Certification allows this information to be structured, the head continued.
According to her, from next year it is planned to conduct verification actions to understand the effectiveness of the guides.
However, the procedure for conducting the audit is still in the development stage.