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PM OPENS RESTORED ORTAKOY MOSQUE, GESTURES HAGIA SOPHIA
Daily Sabah, Turkey
June 6 2014
During the opening ceremony of the Ortakoy mosque, PM Erdošan remarked
on the request of Hagia Sophia's conversion to a mosque saying,
"First fill the Blue Mosque during prayers and the rest will come"
Daily Sabah
ISTANBUL -- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdošan on Friday opened Buyuk
Mecidiye, commonly known as Ortakoy Mosque, an Istanbul landmark that
was closed for three years for restoration.
Erdošan, accompanied by ministers and local administrators, attended
the first prayer session in the reopened mosque situated on the
European side of the city.
Following Friday prayers, the prime minister addressed the crowd
attending the opening ceremony. As the crowd shouted "Ayasofya"
in reference to the Hagia Sophia mosque currently used as a museum,
Erdošan said, "There is the Sultanahmet [Blue] Mosque next to the
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) but it remains empty during regular daily
prayers. We should fill this mosque not only during congregational
prayers but also at other times. You should accomplish this first."
Performing religious prayers at the Hagia Sophia, which was converted
into a museum in 1935, is prohibited, although numerous groups have
recently called for it to be reopened as a mosque.
Erdošan stated that his government was grateful to the Ottoman
ancestors and proud of them for building "lasting" monuments. Praising
the Armenian architects who built the mosque, Erdošan said the Ottomans
had entrusted the job to "experts."
"Ortakoy Mosque has a distinct place among other mosques and we are
grateful to everyone involved in its restoration," he added. The
mosque's architects were two Ottoman-Armenians, Garabet and his son
Nigogayos Balyan, French-educated architects who are known for their
prominent influence on late Ottoman architecture.
Ortakoy Mosque is located under the European leg of the Bosporus Bridge
and has survived several earthquakes and fires since its construction
in the 19th century during the rule of Sultan Abdulmecid.
This is the fifth time it has undergone restoration in two centuries.
Located in the eponymous district of Istanbul, the mosque is known for
the pink mosaics in the interior of its dome and its baroque style,
which is uncommon in its contemporaries.
http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2014/06/06/pm-opens-restored-ortakoy-mosque-gestures-hagia-sophia
Daily Sabah, Turkey
June 6 2014
During the opening ceremony of the Ortakoy mosque, PM Erdošan remarked
on the request of Hagia Sophia's conversion to a mosque saying,
"First fill the Blue Mosque during prayers and the rest will come"
Daily Sabah
ISTANBUL -- Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdošan on Friday opened Buyuk
Mecidiye, commonly known as Ortakoy Mosque, an Istanbul landmark that
was closed for three years for restoration.
Erdošan, accompanied by ministers and local administrators, attended
the first prayer session in the reopened mosque situated on the
European side of the city.
Following Friday prayers, the prime minister addressed the crowd
attending the opening ceremony. As the crowd shouted "Ayasofya"
in reference to the Hagia Sophia mosque currently used as a museum,
Erdošan said, "There is the Sultanahmet [Blue] Mosque next to the
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) but it remains empty during regular daily
prayers. We should fill this mosque not only during congregational
prayers but also at other times. You should accomplish this first."
Performing religious prayers at the Hagia Sophia, which was converted
into a museum in 1935, is prohibited, although numerous groups have
recently called for it to be reopened as a mosque.
Erdošan stated that his government was grateful to the Ottoman
ancestors and proud of them for building "lasting" monuments. Praising
the Armenian architects who built the mosque, Erdošan said the Ottomans
had entrusted the job to "experts."
"Ortakoy Mosque has a distinct place among other mosques and we are
grateful to everyone involved in its restoration," he added. The
mosque's architects were two Ottoman-Armenians, Garabet and his son
Nigogayos Balyan, French-educated architects who are known for their
prominent influence on late Ottoman architecture.
Ortakoy Mosque is located under the European leg of the Bosporus Bridge
and has survived several earthquakes and fires since its construction
in the 19th century during the rule of Sultan Abdulmecid.
This is the fifth time it has undergone restoration in two centuries.
Located in the eponymous district of Istanbul, the mosque is known for
the pink mosaics in the interior of its dome and its baroque style,
which is uncommon in its contemporaries.
http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2014/06/06/pm-opens-restored-ortakoy-mosque-gestures-hagia-sophia