Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Bulgaria reacts with regret to Turkey's decision to convert Hagia Sophia in Istanbul back into mosque

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul
Photo: EPA/BGNES

"We join the calls of the international community to preserve the existing access to the monument, given its history and its symbolic significance for Christianity and Islam. We expect the universal historical value of the monument to be preserved as part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage," reads a text published on the website of Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the change of status of the historic house of worship Hagia Sophia in Turkey's capital Istanbul. 

Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a decree stipulating that the Hagia Sophia building, which currently operates as a museum and is one of the iconic sites of the Turkish capital, would be returned under the auspices of the religion service and converted back into a mosque. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Caretaker Premier Dimitar Glavchev

Caretaker Premier Glavchev: It is important for Bulgaria to have a regular government

Caretaker Premier Dimitar Glavchev said from Washington that he did not know why the president had not yet announced a date for handing over the second exploratory mandate to form a government. "Surely, President Rumen Radev has some considerations..

published on 7/12/24 8:48 AM

Deep Purple, Mr. Big and Accept special guests at the festival Midalidare - Rock in the Wine Valley

13 bands from abroad will perform on the big stage of the 4 th edition of Midalidare - Rock in the Wine Valley , 12-14 July, alongside the headliners Deep Purple, Mr. Big and Accept, among them Axel Rudi Pell, Hammerfall, Beast in Black, The..

published on 7/12/24 7:05 AM

Orange weather alert for dangerously hot weather nationwide

On Friday the weather will be sunny and hot. Clouds will form in the afternoon but there will only be isolated showers in some parts in Eastern Bulgaria. Minimum temperatures 20-24° C., for Sofia 20° C., maximum 34-39° C., for Sofia 34° C...

published on 7/11/24 6:10 PM