Why Turkey's Historic Churches Are Being Turned Into Mosques

Christians in Turkey have – throughout the centuries -- been turned into a tiny, dwindling minority. The remaining few Christian churches in Anatolia are also on the path to total annihilation. Hagia Sophia in Trabzon: Church-mosque-museum and now mosque again The Hagia Sophia, Greek for “Holy Wisdom,” was one of the many historic Orthodox churches located in the city of Trabzon.

Christian symbols in the church have been damaged or destroyed. Nails have been pounded into the walls in order to hang curtains inside the new “mosque” to create a separate section for women. The frescos on the ceiling have been veiled with wooden curtains and the mosaics on the floors have been covered with a carpet. In the 90's i visited this site,then a museum, and it was a magnificent piece of christian history. The city has 370.000 males and over 2000 mosques, that's around one mosque for 180 people,that many mosques are not needed. The city is full of Greek and Ottoman history dating back to the 12 century.www.clarionproject.org...

originally posted by: tommo39

Christian symbols in the church have been damaged or destroyed. Nails have been pounded into the walls in order to hang curtains inside the new “mosque” to create a separate section for women. The frescos on the ceiling have been veiled with wooden curtains and the mosaics on the floors have been covered with a carpet. In the 90's i visited this site,then a museum, and it was a magnificent piece of christian history. The city has 370.000 males and over 2000 mosques, that's around one mosque for 180 people,that many mosques are not needed. The city is full of Greek and Ottoman history dating back to the 12 century.www.clarionproject.org...

Well in all honesty
Its just a building and art, at least the Christians are not being slaughtered yet.

I think big churches as opposed to the smaller churches have wreaked havoc on christianity, not only that, it means christianity can step away from all the religious issues that surround these organised organisations.

No big loss in my opinion

a reply to: Raggedyman

No big loss in my opinion

Each to their own. This church was a beautiful example of religious history art, worth admiring my all, not just christian's.

originally posted by: tommo39
a reply to: Raggedyman

No big loss in my opinion

Each to their own. This church was a beautiful example of religious history art, worth admiring my all, not just christian's.

I get that, its sad, its wrong, its the destruction of history.

But its just a building, it sound like the Turks are not destroying it all forever at least

Turkey is an Islamic nation, churches will continue to dwindle till they are a scant handful. Cultures change over time, out with the old, in with the new.

We have Mosques built inside of ruined Churches which were built inside of ruined Roman Temples. Eventually some new religion will build their worship centers inside of ruined Mosques. C'est la vie.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Exactly. It is the way of the world and has repeated the cycle all throughout history and will continue long after Christianity and Islam are held in the same regard as the Greek and Norse pantheons. Christian churches have been built upon the foundations of a Roman temples, pagan temples across Northern Europe and sacred holy places from Canada to Patagonia. Modern day Turkey has been a nation under the thumb of Mohammed for nearly 1000 years. That they have preserved these churches in a state where the Christian history still lies beneath their carpets and behind their curtains is giving the site far more respect than Christians have given to sacred sites of those they have conquered. Now if ISIS were gaining territory in Anatolia then that would give me pause for concern because even sects of Islam in conflict with their Wahhabist world view are fair game in their eyes.

Someone will attempt assassination of POTUS in Japan.....



oops, wrong forum

I don't see where this thread is addressing the "why" they are doing this. I gather from the comments that there are just too few Christians left to support any big Christian churches there. However, I have heard that Islam doesn't allow any other churches to stand taller than the local mosques, that would be the "why" I would think.

I partied at New York's Limelight which was a former church on 6th Ave.

The stuff that happened there makes hanging some curtains for Islamic prayer look like the minor leagues.

Yahweh just had a face lift and is switching back to his other Middle-Eastern face - Allah.

SSDD. Same conflicts, Different Day for the little demigod of war.

originally posted by: scubagravy
Someone will attempt assassination of POTUS in Japan.....



oops, wrong forum

Not if Allah drops a Christian church from Turkey on his head like in an ACME cartoon.

originally posted by: tommo39
The city has 370.000 males and over 2000 mosques, that's around one mosque for 180 people,that many mosques are not needed.

What about women?