Hagia Sophia joins the list of tourist places that have become paying.... Visiting the former basilica, which became a mosque in July 2020, is no longer free. Since January 15, the famous Istanbul building has imposed an entrance fee of 25 euros on foreign visitors... And even to the faithful who want to pray.
The new entrance fees are clearly displayed on the esplanade in front of the main entrance, which is reserved for Turkish citizens only. An orange sign directs foreigners to a side entrance and eight counters lined up. This entrance, compared in the Turkish press to "a garage entrance" with its roller shutter and security gates, gives access to an open tunnel under the Beyazit minaret through which visitors can admire the Hagia Sophia without disturbing prayers.
No doubt taken by surprise, few visitors showed up on Monday to pay the 25 euros entrance fee: "It was free yesterday... They are surprised," said a young official in charge of guiding passers-by, speaking on condition of anonymity. The young man confirms that Muslim pilgrims, if they are of foreign nationality but wish to pray at the Hagia Sophia, must pay the entrance fee like ordinary tourists. The entrance ticket gives access to the upstairs gallery and its museum, he points out, pointing out the need for heavy work in the basilica, which was built in the fourth century and then rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the sixth century.
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Damage and vandalism
This decision corresponds to a new visitor management plan on the recommendation of UNESCO, warned the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, this autumn. First transformed into a mosque during the capture of Constantinople, Hagia Sophia, classified as a World Heritage Site, became a museum by the will of the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatuk in 1934. Then it became a mosque again on July 10, 2020, by decision of Islamic-conservative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Since then, long queues have been growing in front of the monument. This success was blamed for causing damage and even vandalism to the seven-metre-high wooden imperial gate, due to a lack of adequate protective measures. Historians have felt that the monument is less respected as a basilica than it was as a museum. Hagia Sophia and its main dome are also victims of the countless earthquakes suffered by Constantinople and Istanbul: frequent tremors continue to shake the venerable edifice.
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