Turkish President Erdogan joined worshipers on Friday for the first Muslim prayers in 86 years inside Hagia Sophia after Turkey changed its status from a museum into a mosque. Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir and Aykan Erdemir join us to discuss these developments and their implications for the Hagia Sophia and Turkey's minorities.
Turkish President Erdogan joined worshipers on Friday for the first Muslim prayers in 86 years inside Hagia Sophia after Turkey changed its status from a museum into a mosque. Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir and Aykan Erdemir join us to discuss these developments and their implications for the Hagia Sophia and Turkey's minorities.
Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir is a Research Associate at the University of Pittsburg in the Department of Anthropology with an extensive background in cultural heritage preservation.
Aykan Erdemir is the Director of the Turkey Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former Turkish lawmaker.
You can read the articles we discuss on the Daily Roundup here:
Turkish Government’s Hagia Sophia Rhetoric Adds Insult to Injury
Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir’s Twitter thread on the preservation of Hagia Sophia
Tugba Tanyeri Erdemir’s Twitter thread on today’s prayers at Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia opens as a mosque for Muslim prayers
Tension near Kastellorizo ‘heading towards de-escalation,’ says national security advisor