Concern over Hagia Sophia monument in Trabzon
Greek archaeologists have expressed concern over the limited access that visitors have to the Hagia Sophia monument in Trabzon, northeast Turkey, which was converted into a mosque in 2013.
In a letter to the Greek and Turkish culture ministries, as well as the Greek arm of UNESCO, the association also raised concerns over reports that extensions will be made to the building which would further alter its character.
The monument was built in the 13th century as a Greek Orthodox church when Trabzon was the capital of the Byzantine Greek Empire of Trebizond and was converted into a mosque in 1584 by the Ottomans who had conquered the area in 1461.
It was was turned into a museum in 1964 after serving briefly as a cholera hospital.
