Stories From Turkey

A Turkish higher court this week ruled that the Chora Church in Istanbul, a 4th century Byzantine church which was converted into a mosque like many other churches when Ottoman forces captured the city in 1453, should be used in accordance with its function when it was transferred to Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation during the Ottoman period, that is, as a mosque.The move can also clear the way for converting the giant 6th century former cathedral, Hagia Sophia, into a mosque.Hercules Millas, a political scientist working on Turkish-Greek relations discusses the importance of those churches and the political symbolism behind the struggle of some Turks to reconvert those heritage sites into a mosque.