Church bells to toll for five minutes as prayers held at Hagia Sophia

[Paphos Life]

Church bells in Cyprus will toll in a funereal tone for five minutes on Friday at noon to mark the conversion of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a mosque.The first prayers after the recent decision to turn the centuries-old monument into a mosque will be held on Friday in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan....

Read the article and chat about it below...

[Dominic]

We wouldn't hear them from Cyprus.

[Kili01]

Didn't hear any church bells In Chloraka today. Or for that matter any sirens sounding on the 15th or the 20th Jul.
Dee

[Diocletian]

Having visited Hagia Sofia a year or so ago, I think it would be fascinating if they permitted an Orthodox service to be performed in the Byzantine style. Use this opportunity to show how the monument was used rather than the recently very empty space that it was, albeit a stunning space.

[WHL]

Eudogan has no need for more mosques, during his leadership he has built thousands of new mosques in Turkey and abroad, what this has to do with is his dream of turning turkey into an Islamic republic modeled on Iran,
By turning Ayia Sophia into a mosque it is just another chipping away and undoing the work of Ataturks secular Turkey, his biggest achievement was his pseudo Coup d'état, were he engineered a fake coup, thus giving him the opportunity of getting rid of hundreds of Generals, putting his people in, crushing any opposition, Turkey has more journalists languishing in jails then china, the press is aligned to his party, civil servants have been sacked by the thousands again replaced by his faithful followers, The reason he choose that particular date, to have the first Muslim service in Ayia Sophia, is because it was the anniversary that Ataturk signed the treaty of lausanne, which formed modern Turkey, so to have the first service in Ayia Sophia, on that date, he is sending the message out that Ataturk's day is over, he is a dangerous man, on a mission, like other dictators before him, he will bite off more then he can chew and choke.

https://thearabweekly.com/erdogan-out-u ... lausanne-0

https://ahvalnews.com/nato-turkey/turke ... s-academic

[Jim B]

The Greek Orthodox Church hierarchy alone lost Agia Sophia and Constantinople to the East in 1453. In fact it was mainly Italians who defended the city while the Archbishops knelt in Agia Sophia praying for deliverance rather than agree to a compromise with the Pope.

Jim

[WHL]

The Greek Orthodox Church hierarchy alone lost Agia Sophia and Constantinople to the East in 1453. In fact it was mainly Italians who defended the city while the Archbishops knelt in Agia Sophia praying for deliverance rather than agree to a compromise with the Pope.

Jim

I think that is a tad simplistic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Constantinople

[Jim B]

WHL
I dont think so, have you read, Constantinople, The Last Great Siege of 1453, very interesting book by Roger Crawley.
The fall of Constantinople was down to the Schism between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The Pope offered help (with conditions of course) but this was refused because the Othodox Church didnt want to adopt some of the Catholic teachings
The Ottomans were on their last legs through hunger and disease and could have been driven off by an Italian release force but the offer of help was refused.
I've read quite a bit about it but more about Malta as I find the events there fascinating.

Jim

[WHL]

WHL
I dont think so, have you read, Constantinople, The Last Great Siege of 1453, very interesting book by Roger Crawley.
The fall of Constantinople was down to the Schism between the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The Pope offered help (with conditions of course) but this was refused because the Othodox Church didnt want to adopt some of the Catholic teachings
The Ottomans were on their last legs through hunger and disease and could have been driven off by an Italian release force but the offer of help was refused.
I've read quite a bit about it but more about Malta as I find the events there fascinating.

Jim

Thanks for the tip, its been an interest of mine since coming to live here, regarding the history of the neighbouring country's,

[Jim B]

WHL
A really interesting book and well worth a read. Hes also written about Malta but Malta. The Great Siege 1565 by Ernle Bradford is very good, I've read it several times.
The Siege of Rhodes, also very interesting.

Jim

[Diocletian]

I find these places so fascinating. My Wife tells me off for getting too involved in the history. I was found in Rome with my hand on the Sacred Way and saying to the Wife,"Can you imagine whose feet have trodden on this spot" or in the Agia Sofia being mesmerised by the worn stones where the Guards stood or the runes carved in the balcony by the Viking guards. Fascinating stuff.

[Jim B]

Diocletian
I'm the same and fortunately my wife loves history as well.
My greatest moment of self satisfaction was touching the defensive walls of Constantinople; in fact many of the Oŕthodox Churches like the large one on the left going into Limmasol use the same decor as the walls using terracotta background with white stripes.
I've spent weeks walking around the settlements of Malta, totally absorbed in the islands history.
My wifes favourites are the Castles of Wales with Beaumaris (the perfect Castle) being her favourite.

Jim

[Diocletian]

Hi Jim

Just inside the Topkapi Palace is the original Orthodox Basilica. It is sadly stripped bare but nonetheless a great place to see. It has a cloister which contains a huge porphyry sarcophagus and some historians believe that it is the final resting place of Constantine the Great.
I also loved exploring Persepolis in Iran back in the day and would spend hours reading the scripts etc and musing on Alexander and his out of control BBQ that supposedly destroyed the palace complex.

Nick.

[WHL]

Didnt take Eudogans friends the Taliban long, to make an appearance

https://ahvalnews.com/taliban/afghanist ... propaganda