The Unesco World Heritage Committee on Friday asked Turkey to present a report by 2022 on the state of conservation of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, expressing its "
deep concern
" over the consequences of the transformation of this famous building from the Byzantine period into a mosque.
The transformation into a mosque on July 10, 2020 by the Turkish authorities of Hagia Sophia, until then a museum, had triggered a wave of international indignation and worsened tensions between Turkey and Greece.
Read also: After Hagia Sophia, Turkey is converting another former church into a mosque
The World Heritage Committee requests Turkey to present by 1 February 2022 “
an updated report on the state of conservation
” of the building. He “
deeply regrets the lack of dialogue and information
” on Turkey's decision to change the status of the museums of Saint-Sophie and Saint-Sauveur-in-Chora, another architectural masterpiece Byzantine.
In August 2020, a presidential decree ordered the conversion into a mosque of the Church of Saint-Sauveur-in-Chora, also called the Church of the Chora, decorated in particular with 14th century frescoes representing the Last Judgment.
These initiatives were part of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's efforts to galvanize his more conservative and nationalist supporters as Turkey faces economic hardship made worse by the pandemic.
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The Committee also expressed “
its deep concern regarding the potential impact that changes in these key components may have on the outstanding universal value of the properties
” and called on Turkey to engage in international cooperation and dialogue before any other changes. important. Hagia Sophia and Saint-Sauveur-in-Chora are located in the historic areas of Istanbul, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site by the UN agency.
The World Heritage Committee is currently meeting online under the chairmanship from Fuzhou (China) of Tian Xuejun, Chinese Vice Minister of Education and Chairman of the Chinese National Commission for Unesco for its annual session. If the Committee declares itself dissatisfied with the state of conservation of a site inscribed on its Unesco World Heritage list, it can inscribe it on the list of World Heritage sites in danger, or even simply withdraw it.
